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A  Biblical  Perspective  on  Hunger 

by  Rick  Gardner 
Fasting  by  Alma  Long 
Homesteading:  The  Lefevers 
World  Food  Conference  by  Kermon  Thomason 
Soybeans  and  Discipleship:  The  Moores  in  Bangladesh 


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i  O  "New  Windsor's  New  Old  Main."  a  favorite  Brethren  land- 
mark, six  score  years  plus,  is  readied  for  a  new  era  of  usefulness. 

4  O  "Entering  Into  Newness."  a  dominant  theme  of  the  Bible  is 
newness,  Estella  Horning  observes.  It  is  a  quality  attained  only  when 
one  allows  God  to  be  at  the  center  of  life. 

H  A  "Hunger:  A  Biblical  Perspective."  Out  of  a  broad  survey 

Rick  Gardner  suggests  the  biblical  response  to  world  hunger  is  shaped 
not  by  moralism  or  guilt  but  by  the  good  news  of  liberation. 

i  3  "Fasting:  A  Road  to  Discovery."  Alma  Long  looks  biblically, 

physically,  and  spiritually  at  fasting  as  a  discipline. 

20  "Bangladesh:  Soybeans  and  Discipleship."  The  in- 
novative work  of  Ramona  and  Duane  Moore  in  nutrition  and 
agronomy  in  a  hunger-ravaged  land  is  recounted  by  Anita  Smith 
Buckwalter. 

23  "Homesteading:  One  Family's  Alternate  Life-Style." 

The  Lefevers  of  Sonnewald  Homestead  are  profiled  by  Bonnie  J. 
Hollis. 

23  "Life  Happens  Where  You  Are."  simple  living,  in  language  as 
in  life,  is  integral  to  writer  William  Stafford.  Eight  of  his  poems  are 
presented  in  a  treasured  Stafford  sampler. 

O  O   "Sea  Horse."  Emily  Sargent  Councilman  offers  a  simple  but  elo- 
quent statement  on  freedom  and  risk  and  reverence  for  life. 

In  Touch  introduces  Warren  S.  Kissinger,  Stella  Montes,  and  Herb  Fisher  (2) 
...  Outlook  reports  on  food  programs,  the  CIA,  youth  empowerment, 
Anabaptist  curriculum,  Nigerian  schools,  lotteries,  and  Scripture  distribution 
(beginning  on  4)  . . .  Underlines  (7)  . . .  Update  on  Congregations  (8)  .  . .  Special 
Report  on  "TV  as  Moral  Teacher"  (8)  . . .  "The  Centenary  of  Schweitzer's 
Birth"  (29)  and  "Plays  on  Film"  (32)  . . .  "Congress  and  the  Religious  Com- 
munity" by  Sylvia  Eller  (30)  . . .  Turning  Points  (33)  . . .  Here  I  Stand  (34)  . . . 
Resources  for  "Exercising  Will  Power"  (36)  . . .  Editorial  from  the  World  Food 
Conference  in  Rome  (40) 


EDITOR 

Howard  E    Rover 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Kermon  Thomasori 

ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 

Kennelh  I    Morse 

DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 

Clyde  E   Weaver 

PUBLISHER 

Galen  B   Ogden 


VOL    124.  NO    1 


JANUARY  1975 


CREDITS:  Cover,  20-22  Richard  Buckwalter.  1 
Symbol  from  World  Food  Conference  2  (left) 
Del  Ankers.  3,  9.  17  Religious  News  Service.  4 
Howard  E.  Royer.  5  Stan  Kurtz.  6  American  Bi- 
ble Society.  10,  II  Porterfield's  Studio.  12  Robert 
Hodgell.  14  "Feast  of  the  House  of  Simon"  by  El 
Greco,  courtesy  of  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago. 
21  (lower  right)  Kathy  Hosletler.  Mennonite  Cen- 
tral Committee.  23,  25  Bonnie  J  Hollis.  24 
(lower)  Edward  J.  Buzmski.  26  Barbara  Stafford. 
28   William  Stafford.   29   Kenneth   1.    Morse.  32 


American  Film  Theatre.  36  National  Council  of 
Churches.  38  Ken  Stanley. 

MESstNGER  IS  the  official  publication  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug.  20,  1918.  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17. 
1917.  Filing  date.  Oct.  I.  1974.  Messenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version. 

Subscription  rates:  $5.00  per  year  for  indi- 
vidual subscriptions;  $4.00  per  year  for  Church 
Group  Plan;  $4.00  per  year  for  gift  subscriptions; 
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$7500  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from 
Messenger  and  send  with  new  address. 
Allow  at  least  five  weeks  for  address 
change.  Me.ssenger  is  owned  and 
published  monthly  by  the  General 
Services  Commission.  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Board.  1451  Dundee 
Ave..  Elgin.  111.  60120.  Second-class 
postage  paid  at  Elgin.  III,.  Jan.  1975.  Copyright 
1975.    Church   of  the    Brethren    General    Board. 


■ 


POLISH  EXCHANGE  HERALDED 

We  attended  the  International  Horticultural 
Congress  in  September  in  Warsaw,  and  traveled 
in  several  other  parts  of  Poland.  During  our  stay 
there  we  met  several  people  who  had  been  in  the 
United  States  under  the  sponsorship  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren's  Polish  Agricultural  E\- 
change  Program.  We  have  had  several  of  these 
individuals  at  Purdue  University. 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  we  report  the 
tremendous  success  of  this  program.  The  men 
and  women  you  have  sponsored  hold  key 
positions  and  are  doing  excellent  work.  I  heard 
the  statement  made  that  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  has  done  more  in  Poland  to  foster 
friendly  relationships  between  people  and  to 
help  Polish  agriculture  than  has  been  done  in 
many  other  countries  by  expensive  programs 
sponsored  by  our  government.  Certainly  yours 
has  been  a  highly  successful  and  efficient  effort. 
May  we  congratulate  you  on  your  good  work. 
R.   R.   RoM,\NOWSKI 

G.  F.  Warren 
Professors  of  Horticulture        i 
Purdue  University 
West  Lafayette,  Ind.  | 

PEACE  EVANGELISM  EXCITEMENT 

"Peace  Evangelism,  A  Call  to  Live  Christ's 
Peace"  (October)  is  of  special  interest  to  me.  1 
am  a  staff  person  in  the  Mennonite  Church  and 
my  portfolio  calls  for  involvement  in  the  peace 
and  social  concerns  issues  in  the  denomination. 

Howard   Zehr,   who  carries  evangelism  con-  | 
cerns,  and  1  have  been  engaged  in  considerable  ; 
conversation  on  how  we  can  bring  together  in  i 
one    whole    our    historic    peace    position    and 
evangelism  concerns. 

I  wonder  if  you  could  supply  me  with  an  ad- 
dress where  I  could  reach  Dale  and  Ruth  Auker-  , 
man.  It  sounds  as  though  they  are  engaged  in  an  | 
e.xciting  peace-evangelism  activity;  a  little  ol  that 
should   spill   over  on   Mennonites.   1  would   be  I 
very  interested  in  learning  a  bit  more  from  them 
concerning    the    experience    they    have   had    in 
peace  education. 

Hl'BERT  SCHWARTZENTRUBtiR 

Goshen,  Ind. 

(Mr.  Schwanzentruber  and  olher  Messenger 
readers  may  conlacl  ihe  Aukermans  al  Route  I. 
Box  24.  New  Windsor.  Md.  21776.  — Ed.) 

NEW  DIMENSIONS  OF  FOOTW ASHING 

Alter  reading  the  1  om  Goodhue  article  (Oc- 
tober)  1   must  share  with  you  that  footuashing  ' 
has  arrived  among  the  Methodists. 

One  evening  at  a  four-day  school  for  I 
Methodist  pastors  and  spouses,  a  lecture  by  ' 
Robert  Raines  was  followed  with  a  footwashing  , 
service.  It  was  pertormed  as  an  act  of  love  and  i 
not  related  to  the  eucharist. 

Meeting    at    a    Hyatt    House,    we    used    the 
facilities  most  convenient  — the  bar  next  to  our  . 
meeting  room.  One  or  more  persons  from  each  ', 
circled   group   went   to   the   bar   to   recei\e   the 


pSigjS  ©DTIS 


asins  of  water,  the  towels,  and  the  bottles  of 
il.  We  washed  one  another's  feet,  applied  the 
il,  and  expressed  words  of  blessing. 

In  helping  return  the  supplies,  I  laughed  to 
lyself  to  see  the  bar  adorned  with  basins  of 
sed  foot  water  and  towels.  It  must  have  been  a 
rst! 

The  footwashing  itself  was  much  appreciated 
y  the  participants;  some  were  moved  to  tears, 
he  idea  seemed  new  to  many  in  the  group.  1 
ashed  the  feet  of  the  bishop  who  had  never 
articipated  in  such  a  service  before. 

At  the  same  conference  Dudley  Ward  led  a 
■orkshop  on  spiritual  healing.  He  lifted  up  the 
se  of  such  approaches  as  meditation,  fasting, 
nd  footwashing.  Someone  asked  how 
)otwashing  was  related. 

The  example  he  offered  was  of  a  married  cou- 
le  in  which  the  wife  had  refused  sexual 
;lations  to  the  husband  for  three  years.  In  his 
3unseling  the  minister  advised  her  to  wash  her 
usband's  feet,  ritualistically,  and  to  rub  his 
ack.  She  felt  at  first  that  both  acts  would  be 
emeaning  to  her,  but  after  performing  them  she 
as  "released." 

The  illustration  struck  me  as  a  bit  offensive  at 
rst,  out  of  my  own  Brethren  background  of 
)otwashing  at  communion.  But  if  it  worked  it 
lay  be  okay;  it  just  wasn't  the  kind  of  example  I 
ould  have  expected. 

Glennis  Parks  Wilber 
/illows,  Calif. 

INE  WHO  VOLUNTEERED  TO  CHAIR 

Being  chairperson  of  the  official  church  board 
lay  not  make  the  headlines  as  far  as  most 
[lurches  are  concerned,  but  we  at  Eden  Valley 
'hurch  of  the  Brethren, 
t.  John,  Kansas  feel  we 
in  and  should  make  the 
eadlines. 

Our  new  chairperson 

Karen  Miller,  youth 
;presentative  who  was 
6  in  September — and  — 
lie  volunteered  to  serve, 
believe  she  is  the 
oungest  ever  to  serve  in 
jch  a  position. 

Capable,  yes.  Depend-  Karen  Miller 

ble,  yes.  And  she  conducts  an  orderly  meeting, 
.aren  is  dedicated  in  her  church's  mission  and  her 
'hristian  witness.  She  also  is  the  Sunday  School 
ianist.  Her  parents  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ronald 
liller  of  Macksville,  Kansas. 

If  all  of  us  were  to  follow  Karen's  enthusiasm  for 
oing  Christ's  work,  there  would  be  no  worry  for 
le  church  of  tomorrow. 

Mrs.  Weldon  Howell 
aint  John,  Kansas 

AMINE  IN  SMALL  CHURCHES 

The  August  Messenger  with  its  reports  on 
innual  Conference  was  especially  good!  Each 
lonth  Messenger  is  a  very  welcome  visitor. 


The  hunger  program  (September)  should 
report  small  churches  starving  for  leadership. 
"Who  will  go?"  cries  the  famous  prophet! 

M.  D.  Neher 
Pompano,  Fla. 

TWO  MORE  NINETY-NINERS 

I'd  like  to  add  some  information  anent  the 
picture  "Remember  Roanoke  99"  in  the  October 
Messenger.  Two  of  my  sisters,  Anna  Mow  and 
Sara  Miller,  attended  the  1899  and  1974  con- 
ferences. However  they  were  busy  elsewhere 
when  the  picture  was  taken. 

M.ARY  Be.\hm  Baber 
West  Hyattsville,  Md. 

ENLISTING  COMMUNITY  SUPPORT 

Congratulations  on  the  remarkable  vitality  of 
the  September  Me.ssenger. 

During  the  1940s  Brethren  and  Mennonites 
were  in  close  cooperation.  One  of  their  programs 
on  hunger  should  interest  us  all — the  Mennonitc 
Auction. 

The  third  Mennonite  Auction  in  Goshen.  Ind.. 
four  years  ago  gathered  in  $50,000  in  relief 
funds.  The  fourth  auction  advanced  to  $75,000. 
The  fifth  event  reached  $100,000.  This  year's 
auction  yielded  $164,000  by  official  report. 

If  one  were  to  use  this  as  a  parable,  one  would 
say  the  Mennonites  arrange  the  event,  sign  the 
check,  and  let  the  total  community  decide  what 
figure  shall  be  written  in. 

This  is  a  good  illustration  of  volunteer  Chris- 
tian service  for  youth  and  adults  right  where  you 
are,  with  a  worldwide  impact.  The  church  opens 
the  way  for  the  genercity  of  the  community  to 
reach  areas  of  world  need. 

Northern  Indiana  has  done  this  before;  let  us 
find  ways  to  continue  to  share  more  food  with 
more  people. 

Galen  Barkdoll 
Constantine,  Mich. 

WAITING  ROOM  BROWSING 

I  simply  must  write  to  tell  you  how  much  I 
like  your  church  magazine.  Messenger.  For  the 
past  year  I  have  been  reading  it  in  doctors'  of- 
fices and  waiting  rooms.  I  look  for  it  and  enjoy 
it  above  other  popular  magazines. 

This  past  week  1  found  the  September  issue  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  Lloyd  Morgan  at  Akron,  Ind., 
and  so  enjoyed  it  that  I  asked  permission  to 
bring  it  home  and  share  it  with  my  husband. 
Every  article  was  so  well  done  but  these  three  ar- 
ticles, "Loving  the  Lord  and  the  Soil,"  "Does 
God  Call  Everyone?"  and  "On  Being  Healthy  . . . 
On  Being  Whole"  were  just  for  us. 

1  am  a  Mennonite  but  have  a  great  love  for 
my  Brethren  friends  and  neighbors  in  our  com- 
munity. My  wise  father  taught  us  that  there  is 
much  good  in  every  denomination  and  truly  so. 

May  God  enable  and  guide  you  in  putting 
forth  such  a  worthwhile  magazine. 

Mrs.  Grace  Weldy 
Goshen,  Ind. 


At  a  time  when  recognition  is  being  ac- 
corded the  lOOth  anniversary  of  the  birth 
of  Albert  Schweitzer,  an  appropriate 
theme  is  "reverence  for  life."  Or,  as  dealt 
with  in  several  articles  in  this  issue, 
reverence  for  God's  creation — human, 
natural,  spiritual. 

Rick  Gardner,  editor  for  biblical 
resources  for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
looks  at  how  the  Bible  can  shape  the 
response  of 
Christians  to 
world  hunger 
today.  Alma 
Long,  a 

teacher  and 
homemaker. 
Ada,  Ohio, 
points  up  the 
spiritual  blessings 
that  come  in  fast- 
ing. Anita  Smith 
Buckwalter,  Lan- 
sing, Mich.,  along 
with  her  husband 
pastor/  photogra- 
pher Richard,  gives 
an  on-the-scenes  ac- 
count of  the  work  of  a  volunteer  couple 
in  Bangladesh.  Bonnie  J.  Mollis,  business 
editor  for  the  Vineland,  N.  J.,  Times 
Journal,  reports  on  how  one  York,  Pa., 
family  lives  and  shares  its  environmental 
concerns.  An  editorial  filed  from  the 
World  Food  Conference  in  Rome  com- 
pletes the  cluster  on  food  and  people  con- 
cerns. 

The  reverence  for  life  theme  does  not 
end  on  that  note,  however.  Mes.senger 
contributor  Emily  Sargent  Councilman, 
Burlington,  N.C.,  embodies  this  concern 
in  an  essay  on  nature.  And  the  writing  of 
William  Stafford.  Lake  Oswego,  Ore.,  a 
professor  of  English  at  Lewis  and  Clark 
College,  Portland,  Ore.,  and  former 
Civilian  Public  Service  worker,  upholds 
people  of  every  locality  by  stressing  that 
"art  is  the  life  of  all  the  people." 

Others  contributing  to  this  issue  are 
Sylvia  Eller  and  Steve  Longenecker, 
Brethren  Service  volunteers  at  the 
Washington  Office;  Leland  Wilson, 
pastor.  La  Verne,  CaliL;  Nancy  Curtis, 
writer,  Nappanee,  Ind.;  and  Estella  Hor- 
ning, missionary,  Uba,  Nigeria. 

Here  1  Stand  contributors  are  Noah 
Martin,  pastor,  Johnstown,  Pa.,  and 
Chauncey  Shamberger.  businessman. 
Fruitland.  Idaho.— The  Editors 


January  1975  messenger  1 


Warren  S.  Kissinger:  Life  in  the  library 


Not  every  rookie  author  can 
realistically  dream  of  cataloging  his 
own  book  in  the  Library  of  Congress, 
but  Warren  S.  Kissinger,  subject 
cataloger  of  religious  books  at  the 
world's  largest  library,  will  have  his 
own  work  set  on  his  desk  when  Ser- 
mon on  the  Mount:  A  History  of  In- 
terpretation and  Bibliography  is 
published. 

Kissinger's  book  is  a  history  of  the 
various  interpretations  of  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  and  concludes  with  a 
bibliography  on  the  sermon.  By  se- 
lecting this  project,  Kissinger  ex- 
plains that  he  is  continuing  the  work 
of  the  late  Harold  Row. 

At  the  Library  of  Congress, 
Kissinger  works  in  the  subject 
cataloging  department,  and  on  a 
typical  day  he  assigns  30  books  to 
their  proper  subject  headings.  All 
books  on  religions  except  for 
Buddhism,  Judaism,  and  Islam  are 
his  responsibility  as  well  as  church 
history,  Bible,  ethics,  theology,  and 
occult  sciences. 

Since  Kissinger  reads  several 
Western  European  languages,  all 
these  works  on  religion  are  given  to 
him,  and  he  handles  more  books  in 
foreign  languages  than  in  English. 

Kissinger  points  out  that  as- 
signing a  book  its  proper  subject 
heading  requires  much  specificity  (to 


use  a  Capitol  Hill  word). 

Having  degrees  from  Yale  Divinity 
School  and  the  Lutheran  Seminary  at 
Gettysburg  College,  Kissinger  serves 
the  Dranesville,  Va.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  as  a  part-time  pastor.  He  is 
also  the  moderator  of  the  University 
Park  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  sub- 
urban Maryland,  where  his  family 
attends. 

Other  schoolwork  for  Kissinger  in- 
cludes a  masters  in  Library  Science 
from  Drexel  University  and  a  bache- 
lor's degree  from  Elizabethtown. 

By  birth  a  Pennsylvania  Dutchman 
from  Akron,  Pa.,  the  parson- 
librarian  has  pastored  Brethren 
churches  in  Windber,  Carlisle,  and 
Drexel  Hill  (all  in  Pennsylvania),  and 
for  a  time  he  traded  his  pulpit  for  a 
podium  by  teaching  religion  at 
Juniata  College. 

Spending  his  last  five  years  suffer- 
ing through  madhouse  District  of 
Columbia  traffic,  the  quiet-spoken 
librarian  has  been  driven  to  shed 
Detroit  "horses"  for  his  own  feet  and 
a  ten-speed  bike  to  cover  the  seven- 
plus  miles  to  work. 

"Pedalist,"  preacher,  author, 
librarian — all  demonstrate  that  just 
as  Warren  Kissinger's  words  are  soft, 
his  actions  are  impressive  and  his 
mind  a  dynamo  of  activity.  —  Steve 

LONGENECKER 


iri^ 


Stella  Montes:  So  muci 

When  Stella  Montes  went  to  Japan 
last  summer  as  one  of  five  Americai 
in  a  Japanese-American  Youth  Peai 
Seminar,  she  was  returning  to  the 
land  of  her  birth.  Living  in  La  Vern 
California,  Stella  had  not  thought  c 
herself  in  terms  of  ethnic  identity. 
Yet,  her  father  is  Mexican-Americai 
she  sometimes  feels  hostility  from  hi 
peers,  who  want  to  see  in  her  a  moi 
militant  identification  with  her  MeJC^ 
ican  background.  And  her  mother  i 
Japanese.  The  parents  met  during  tH 
father's  military  service  in  Japan. 
Stella  was  born  in  Japan  and  lived 
there  during  her  first  three  years. 

As  the  seminar  approached,  Stellil 
says,  "1  began  to  want  to  see  the 
Japanese  part  of  myself.  I  thought  ( 
my  relatives,  an  uncle,  and  then  a 
cousin,  and  most  of  all,  my  grand- 
mother. I  really  wanted  to  see  her." 

It  was  the  second  Youth  Peace 
Seminar  sponsored  by  the  World 
Friendship  Center  in  Hiroshima, 
Japan,  and  its  American  Committee' 
Stella  was  selected  from  among 
applicants  across  the  country,  and 
had  scholarship  support  from  her 
congregation,  the  La  Verne  Church  i 
of  the  Brethren. 

The  concern  for  peace  was  a  con-i 
stant  theme  of  the  seminar.  Much 
time  was  spent  debating  whether  to 
go  to  South  Korea  to  protest  repres 
sive  measures  taken  by  that  govern- 
ment against  free  speech  and  reli- 
gious expression,  including  the  arres 
of  some  Japanese  youth.  Ultimately.) 
the  group  decided  against  going. 

For  Stella,  the  most  dramatic 
witness  to  peace  came  in  the 


2  MESSENGER  January  1975 


remonies  at  Hiroshima  on  August 
|commemorating  the  29th  anniver- 
ry  of  the  atomic  bombing. 
pXhe  ceremony  began  at  eight. 
:ssages  were  read.  Then,  as  8:15 
preached,  we  bowed  our  heads  in 
lyer  as  a  gong  rang.  It  was  such  an 
lotion-filled  experience,  I  could  not 
Id  back  the  tears.  I  could  picture  in 
'  mind  the  dead,  the  injured  and 
:  black  burned  bodies.  I  kept 
nking  to  myself  that  we  must  work 
^der  to  abolish  nuclear  weapons, 
^o,  we  must  help  those  who  still 
ffer." 

For  Stella,  "being  a  part  of  this 
ninar  has  helped  me  get  out  of  that 
lall  town,  middle-class  shell  that 
my  of  us  live  in.  I  have  opened  my 
nd  to  many  more  things  and  really 
come  aware  of  world  affairs  and 
Itural  happenings. 
"War  and  social  problems  cannot 
resolved  by  just  rioting  for  the 
;ht  man.  What  is  needed  is  direct 
d  effective  action.  I  feel  our 
deration  must  be  the  one  to  do  it, 
cause  if  we  don't,  the  world  may 
t  survive. 

■'Going  to  Japan  really  opened  my 
:s.  I  saw  people  working  for  peace 
Hiroshima.  The  World  Friendship 
nter  is  small,  but  it  is  helping  to 
ike  people  aware. 
"The  whole  experience  made  my 
igious  faith  mean  so  much  more  to 
:.  I  hope  I  can  keep  the  enthusiasm 
lave,  for  there  is  so  much  to  do." — 
iLAND  Wilson 


Herb  Fisher:  The  carpenter's  son? 


Herb  Fisher's  bulk  belies  his  occupa- 
tion. His  forthrightness  and  vigor,  his 
stature  and  sense  of  humor  could 
carry  him  into  any  factory  or  office, 
behind  any  desk,  onto  any  scaf- 
folding or  piece  of  farm  equipment. 
And  indeed  they  do!  He's  a  hard  man 
to  tag,  with  or  without  the  hard  hat 
he  wears.  He  wears  it  as  a  symbol  of 
the  workers  with  whom  he  associates 
at  least  four  to  six  volunteer  pastoral 
hours  per  week  at  the  Virginia  Elec- 
tric Company  (VEPCO)  "My  con- 
cept of  the  pastoral  ministry  is  that 
the  minister  serves  the  congrega- 
tion— and  more.  He  is  involved  in 
community  life  and  encourages  his 
people  to  be  the  same." 

This  pastor  of  the  Ivy  Farms 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Newport 
News,  Va.,  sees  an  industrial  age 
wherein  the  take-over  by  machines 
has  caused  tremendous  emotional 
strain  in  people  who  are  relieved, 
fired,  transferred,  or  retired  at  an  ear- 
ly age.  These  people  are  crying  for 
help;  many  of  them  belong  to  no 
organized  church.  Herb's  purpose  is 
not  to  evangelize,  but  to  be  there  as 
listener-counselor  at  whatever  level 
workers  find  themselves  confused  or 
needing  to  communicate. 

Pastor  Fisher's  entrance  into  the 
Industrial-Commercial  Ministry 
came  when  he  attended  a  program 
presented  to  the  local  clergy  associa- 
tion by  the  ICM  head,  Methodist 
Jerry  John.  He  immediately 
remembered  his  earlier  student  work- 
ing connections:  the  cereal  factories 
of  Battle  Creek,  a  Sears  store  and  a 
local  hardware  establishment.  The 


ICM  called  to  Herb  Fisher.  He 
became  deeply  involved  when  he 
attended  its  first  institute  in  1972, 
and  later  upon  traveling  to  England 
to  become  acquainted  with  the  long- 
established  program  and  Industrial 
College  there.  He  visited  with  English 
chaplains  located  in  industry;  he 
became  convinced  that  people 
everywhere  need  to  be  heard. 

Presently,  Herb  Fisher  is  serving 
on  the  executive  committee  of  the 
ICM  Institute,  planning  developmen- 
tal strategy  growing  out  of  his  deeper 
concerns.  He  has  been  involved  in 
clinical  trainmg  at  the  Pastoral 
Counseling  Center  in  Dayton  and 
always  enjoys  a  chance  to  minister  to 
persons  individually.  "The  ministry  is 
centered  in  life,  not  in  worrying 
about  the  future." 

Herb  may  talk  with  a  VEPCO 
worker  about  his  personal  problems 
for  several  days  before  the  worker 
finally  says,  "Hey,  who  are  you 
anyway?"  The  only  symbol  which  sets 
him  aside  from  the  workers  who 
receive  his  voluntary  hours  of  service 
is  the  emblem  on  the  left  pocket  of 
his  sport  coat.  Printed  in  Greek,  the 
emblem  depicts  a  saw  surrounded  by 
these  letters:  Oux  Outos 
Eotivotektwv.  In  Herb  Fisher's 
language  and  in  ours,  the  symbol  of 
his  concern  for  the  problems  of  per- 
sons reads  "Is  not  this  the  carpenter's 
son?" — Nancy  Curtis 


January  1975  messenger  3 


More  than  money  sought 
in  response  to  hunger 

A  Food  Production  Certificate  is  being 
issued  by  the  General  Board  to  individuals 
who  contribute  financially  to  the  church's 
food-related  ministries  abroad. 

The  intention,  however,  is  for  the  cer- 
tificate to  be  more  than  a  receipt  for  a 
donation.  Behind  it  is  to  be  a  conscious 
decision  by  the  donor  to  adjust  or  cut  back 
in  some  area  of  personal  consumption, 
applying  the  funds  thus  freed  up  to 


developmental  programs  overseas. 

"The  world  hunger  problem  requires 
more  than  money,"  explains  Shantilal  P. 
Bhagat  of  the  World  Ministries  staff.  "To 
remedy  its  causes  as  well  as  to  treat  its 
effects  calls  each  of  us  to  assess  our  style  of 
life  including  patterns  of  consumption." 

The  creation  of  Food  Production  Cer- 
tificates was  suggested  in  the  1974  Annual 
Conference  paper  on  "Brethren  and  World 
Hunger."  The  paper,  published  in  the 
September  Messenger,  outlined  more  than 
a  dozen  tangible  steps  by  which  indi- 
viduals, congregations,  and  the  brother- 


hood could  respond  in  meaningful  terms. 

Also  an  outgrowth  of  the  Annual  Con- 
ference paper  is  World  Ministries'  placing 
with  Shantilal  Bhagat  responsibility  for 
coordinating  and  stimulating  Brethren  ef- 
forts on  global  hunger  and  lifestyle  con- 
cerns. Assisting  him  in  this  task  is  Jan 
Martin  of  Annville,  Pa.,  a  former  volunteer 
assistant  in  the  BVS  program. 

In  line  with  the  actions  suggested  by  thei* 
Conference  paper,  the  team  has  prepared  a|[ 
World  Hunger  Educational  Packet  and  is 
offering  it  free  on  an  individual  basis.  Re- 
quests for  the  packet,  and  for  data  on  the  j) 


Food  production  abroad:  Where  the  Brethren  are 


Food  production  abroad  is  not  just  a 
vogue  concern  with  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  In  overseas  ministries  for  some 
decades  now  agricultural  development  has 
formed  an  integral  part  of  Brethren  mis- 
sions and  service. 

A  case  in  point  is  in  India,  where  as  the 
December  Messenger  reported,  the 
Vocational  Training  College  founded  at 
Anklesvar  50  years  ago  is  something  of  a 
model  yet  today  for  combining  education 
and  development  in  rural  areas  of  the 
world. 


Other  programs  in  which  Brethren  are 
engaged  significantly  in  food  production 
enterprises  are: 

Rural  Service  Center,  India.  Agricultural 
workers  are  trained  and  dispatched  to  50 
villages  throughout  Gujarat  State.  Brethren 
investment,  $24,000  a  year. 

Tidal  land  reclamation.  India.  This  new 
program  is  targeted  to  reclaiming  up  to 
2,500  acres  of  coastal  land  now  rendered 
useless  by  tidal  flooding.  The  General 
Board  has  earmarked  $15,000  for  the 
project. 

Agricultural  extension,  Vietnam.  A 
Brethren  agriculturalist  is  working  in  a 
recently  launched  extension  program  at 
Ban  Me  Thuout  in  the  Vietnam  highlands. 


concentrating  on  paddy  rice  and  cash  cropi 
demonstration,  fruit  tree  nurseries,  and 
irrigation  projects  among  resettled  Mon- 
tagnards.  General  Board  grant  to  Vietnami 
Christian  Service,  $20,000  a  year. 

Agricultural  programs.  Nigeria.  A 
cluster  of  projects  are  aimed  at  develop- 
ment and  food  production,  among  them 
agricultural  training  at  K.ulp  Bible  School, 
extension  work  in  the  Uba  District,  and 
well  digging  at  Lassa.  Current  expenditure, 
$22,500. 

Rehabilitation  of  nomads,  Niger  | 

Republic.  This  special  ministry  for  victims^ 
of  the  drought-ridden  Sahel  is  scheduled  to 
open  early  in  1975.  Of  the  $145,000  expen- 
diture projected,  $84,000  is  directly  related 
to  irrigation  and  to  the  production  and 
storage  of  food. 

Brethren  and 
United  Foundations. 
Ecuador.  Small-scale 
fish  culture  and  a 
poultry  industry  are 
thrusts  in  this  founda- 
tion program  with  In- 
dians of  the  Andes 


i 


India's  Rural  Serv- 
ice Center  director 
George  Mason,  left, 
confers  with 
workers  on  a  land  i\ 
leveling  project. 
Leveling  permits 
irrigation  which  in  i 
turn  enables  mul- 
tiple crops  to  be 
grown  each  year. 

9| 


4  MESSENGER  January  1975 


od  Production  Certificates,  may  be 
acted  to  Shantilal  P.  Bhagat  or  Jan 
artin  at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
neral  Offices,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
60120. 

eneral  Board  advises 
/oiding  ties  with  CIA 

smayed  by  reports  of  missionaries  in 
tin  America  being  used  by  the  Central 
elligence  Agency  for  cover  or  as  sources 
information,  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
neral  Board  has  voiced  its  stance  on 


)untains.  Current  grant,  $10,000. 
Agricultural  Exchange,  Poland.  In  its 
h  year,  this  two-way  program  has  in- 
ved  over  400  agricultural  specialists  in 
earch,  marketing,  and  study.  (See 
ters.)  Brethren  investment,  $18,000  an- 
illy. 

'iilRENE  development  work,  Morocco. 
ecumenical  venture,  EIRENE  is 
iculturally  oriented  in  its  work  for 
ice.  Brethren  investment,  $12,000  an- 
illy. 

Aide  aux  Enfants,  Haiti.  Headed  by  in- 
enous  leadership,  this  program  provides 
ilth  care  and  balanced  diets  to  preschool 
Idren.  Brethren  investment,  $15,840. 
Agricultural  unit,  Bangladesh.  Two 
urch  of  the  Brethren  volunteers,  a 
ritionist  and  an  agronomist,  are 
'eloping  a  winter  crop  diversification 
•gram  (see  story,  page  20).  $4,230  a  year, 
lecond  Brethren  couple  is  engaged  in 
gation  projects  and  nutrition  programs, 
e  time  General  Board  grant,  $5,000. 
Zhurch  World  Service,  CROP. 
lergency  food  shipments,  animal 
ibandry,  nutrition,  and  food  storage  are 
ong  hunger-related  services  performed 
these  agencies  throughout  Asia,  Africa, 
i  Latin  America.  Brethren  investment, 
,000  per  year,  plus  administrative  time 
staff. 

'leifer  Project,  Inc.  A  Brethren  venture 
ned  ecumenical,  this  agency  establishes 
:stock  programs  in  needy  areas  of  the 
rid.  A  BVS  couple  is  launching  an  ex- 
imental  dairy  herd  in  the  Republic  of 
maroon.  Other  Brethren  investment  in- 
des  a  General  Board  grant  of  $5,000  and 
ninistrative  leadership. 


CIA  activity  in  Third  World  countries.  The 
board  clearly  counsels  its  workers  "to 
avoid  any  relationship  with  the  CIA." 

Voted  by  a  strong  margin  at  the  fall 
meeting  of  the  General  Board,  the  state- 
ment commended  President  Ford  for  his 
candor  in  admitting  the  existence  of  CIA 
covert  operations  in  Chile.  However,  it  dis- 
agreed with  the  president's  contention  that 
such  operations  were  "in  the  best  interest 
of  the  people  of  Chile  and  certainly  in  our 
best  interest." 

The  resolution  further  called  on  the 
president  and  Congress  "to  instruct  the 
CIA  via  the  Forty  Committee  to  avoid  any 
actions  which  violate  the  United  Nations 
Charter,  or  which  disregard  international 
law  and  treaties  or  which  deny  the  rights  of 
nations  and  peoples  to  manage  their  own 
internal  affairs." 

The  statement  commended  Con- 
gressional efforts  to  release  information  on 
CIA  activities  in  Chile  and  encouraged 
concerned  Brethren  to  urge  legislators  to 
place  more  control  on  intelligence  work. 

The  point  of  centering  the  concern  on 
the  CIA's  role  in  the  Third  World,  ex- 
plained Ralph  E.  Smeltzer  of  the 
Washington  Office,  is  that  it  is  in  the 
developing  nations  that  the  problem  of  the 
CIA's  presence  is  most  sensitive. 

While  the  General  Board  formulated  the 
statement  on  its  own,  church  leaders 
elsewhere  voiced  similar  anxiety  about  the 
CIA. 

One  joint  declaration  came  from 
representatives  of  16  mission-related  agen- 
cies who  decried  that  interventions  of  the 
type  carried  out  in  Chile  are  "blatantly  in- 
compatible with  the  ideals  we  hold  as 
Americans  and  as  Christians." 

Resolution  sees  youth 
as  full  participants 

A  resolution  calling  for  more  youth  in- 
volvement in  the  church  as  a  whole  was 
passed  by  the  Parish  Ministries  Commis- 
sion during  the  Fall  General  Board 
meeting.  The  resolution  emphasized  "that 
the  youth  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
need  to  be  more  seriously  involved  in  the 
total  life  and  work  of  congregations,  dis- 
tricts, and  brotherhood." 

Ideas  about  a  possible  resolution  began 
forming  in  the  mind  of  Ralph  G.  Mc- 
Fadden  during  the  last  two  years  as  he 
worked  in  the  area  of  youth  ministries. 

"What  does  it  mean  to  be  full,  par- 


Glorieta  appeal:  "...  to  participate  as  ac- 
tive   members    of    today's    church. ...     " 

ticipating  members  of  a  congregation?"  was 
a  question  he  frequently  asked  as  he  visited 
various  districts  and  local  churches. 

McFadden  had  observed  "youth- 
empowerment"  teams  in  other 
denominations.  Comprised  of  18  to  25  year 
olds,  the  teams  were  to  bring  to  light  the 
possibility  of  youth  involvement  in  the 
church,  and  to  explore  the  kind  of  freedom 
and  growth  the  recognition  of  "youth"  as 
participating  church  members  could  bring 
about. 

At  National  Youth  Conference  in 
August  the  issue  was  dealt  with  in  a 
seminar  on  "Youth  Empowerment"  led  by 
McFadden.  Out  of  the  seminar  there 
developed  a  small  group  of  concerned  peo- 
ple who  wondered  if  there  might  be  con- 
crete steps  taken  by  the  conference.  Mc- 
Fadden shared  with  the  group  a  draft 
resolution  and  left  it  in  the  hands  of  the 
youth  to  decide  what  to  do. 

The  group  finalized  the  resolution  and 
presented  it  to  the  conference  body. 
Though  only  two  days  remained  of  the 
conference  the  resolution  drew  support  in 
the  form  of  1,100  signatures. 

In  part  the  resolution  said:  "We,  the 
youth  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
recognize  our  responsibility  to  participate 
as  active  members  of  today's  church,  reap- 
ing the  benefits  of  experience,  and  adding 
the  insights  of  youth.  We  see  youth  in- 
volvement as  an  important  step  towards 
unity  within  the  church." 

Declared  Ralph  McFadden  at  the 
General  Board  meeting:  "What  happens  to 
the  resolution  from  this  point  is  dependent 
on  the  serious  thought  and  action  given  to 
it  by  congregations,  districts,  board 
members,  and  nominating  committees." 


January  1975  messenger  5 


Scripture  societies  plan 
new  readers  program 

To  finance  the  translation,  production  and 
distribution  of  Scriptures,  without  doc- 
trinal note  or  comment,  in  languages  peo- 
ple everywhere  can  understand  and  at 
prices  they  can  afford  is  the  goal  of  the 
United  Bible  Societies. 

Toward  this  end,  the  fellowship  of  56 
national  Bible  societies  voted  a  record 
World  Service  budget  of  $10.9  million  for 
1975.  Nearly  $1  million  will  be  used  for  the 
Good  News  for  New  Readers  program,  a 
12-year  project  launched  in  September 
1973  aimed  at  publishing  Scriptures  for 
many  of  the  800  million  illiterates  in  the 
world  who  now  are  learning  to  read  and 
write. 

Allotments  go  24  percent  to  Africa,  24 
percent  to  Asia,  23  percent  in  the 
Americas,  and  1 1  percent  in  Europe.  The 
sums  represent  the  deficit  remaining  in  the 
various  countries  after  local  contributions 
and  returns  on  sales  have  been  received. 

The  United  Bible  Societies  report  that 
since  the  invention  of  printing  at  least  one 
book  of  the  Bible  has  been  published  by 
Bible  societies  and  various  other 
organizations  in  1,526  languages  and 
dialects. 

The  American  Bible  Society,  head- 
quartered in  New  York,  is  a  member  of  the 
25-year-old  world  fellowship  of  Bible 
societies.  Matthew  M.  Meyer,  consultant 
on  evangelism  for  the  General  Board,  is 
Church  of  the  Brethren  representative  to 
the  American  Bible  Society. 

The  United  Bible  Societies'  executive 
committee  met  in  -Warsaw,  Poland,  mark- 

For  new  literates,  new  light,  new  hope 


ing   the  first   time   it   has  convened   in  an 
Eastern  European  country.  For  nearly  160 
years  there   has   been   uninterrupted   Bible 
Society  work  in  Poland;  a  shop  well 
stocked  with  Scriptures  is  maintained  on 
one  of  the  main  streets  of  Warsaw. 

Religious  study  drafted 
for  schools  in  Nigeria 

New  ecumenical  religious  education  syllabi 
prepared  for  use  in  schools  in  Nigeria  are 
gaining  approval  from  some  of  the  nation's 
churches — Protestant  and  Catholic.  They 
will  go  into  effect  when  they  have  been 
accepted  by  the  churches  and  passed  by  the 
several  state  governments. 

The  new  outlines  and  the  projected  text- 
books are  of  special  significance  for  the 
states  where  government  has  taken  over  the 
schools  formerly  run  by  voluntary  agencies 
(mostly  missions).  In  Northeastern  State 
where  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  main- 
tained a  large  primary  school  system  until 
the  late  1960s,  the  schools  are  completely 
state-operated. 

Under  that  arrangement,  teachers  may 
be  transferred  by  local  and  state  school 
boards  without  regard  to  their  religious  af- 
filiation or  the  prior  sponsorship  of 
schools.  This  led  to  deep  concern  over 
whether  pupils  would  receive  adequate 
Christian  instruction.  The  northern  states 
of  Nigeria  are  heavily  Moslem. 

Although  no  state  has  officially  adopted 
the  new  Christian  syllabi  yet,  some  state 
governments  have  indicated  their 
willingness  to  try  them  once  they  have  been 
tested  —  one  for  primary  grades,  another 
for  secondary  schools. 

Ivan  Eikenberry,  Brethren  missionary  in 
Nigeria,  and  since  1958  education  secretary 
for  the  Northern  Education  Advisory 
Council  (a  liaison  group  of  voluntary  agen- 
cies) describes  the  new  syllabi  as  "Christ- 
centered,  taught  in  the  context  of  Nigerian 
culture."  According  to  Dr.  Eikenberry  an 
increased  effort  through  Sunday  schools 
and  after-school  weekday  teaching  to  aug- 
ment the  public  school  classes  has  already 
begun  to  be  developed  by  some  of  the 
churches. 

Eikenberry  attributes  some  of  the  im- 
petus for  the  new  syllabi  to  the  pressure  of 
secularly  developed  material  and  the  call  in 
1972  of  the  Nigerian  Catholic  Bishops 
Conference  for  other  churches  to  cooperate 
in  planning  for  religious  and  moral  educa- 
tion within  the  Nigerian  school  system. 


Eikenberry.  however,  goes  on  to  say,  "I 
think  there  was  a  general  feeling  that  we 
were  not  teaching  effective  religious  truths 
and  principles  which  had  actual  effect  upon 
the  everyday  morals  and  living  of  those 
who  went  through  the  schools." 

The  primary  syllabus  has  been  printed 
and  distributed  in  outline,  booklet  form, 
and  textbooks  are  now  in  preparation.  By 
April  1975,  the  syllabus  for  secondary 
schools  is  expected  to  be  ready  for  distribu- 
tion. 

The  federal  government  of  Nigeria  has 
decided  to  work  for  universal  primary 
education  by  1980.  This  will  require  36,000 
additional  classrooms  by  1976  and  150,000 
by  1980,  and  the  teachers  to  staff  them. 
"The  mushroom  expansion,"  says 
Eikenberry,  "is  one  of  the  reasons  for  the 
urgency  of  a  joint-all-Christian  syllabi  for 
Christian  teaching  in  the  primary  and 
secondary  schools." 

Methodist  opposition 
voiced  on  lotteries 


Revision  of  federal  laws  to  assist  state 
lottery  operations  has  been  staunchly  op- 
posed by  the  top  law  and  justice  official  of 
the  United  Methodist  Church. 

"The  official  sponsoring  of  gambling  . . . 
must  not  be  given  the  further  sanctioning 
of  the  federal  government."  John  P. 
Adams  said  in  a  letter  to  US  Attorney 
General  William  B.  Saxbe. 

Adams,  a  minister  who  is  director  of  law 
and  justice  and  community  relations  for 
the  United  Methodists'  Board  of  Church 
and  Society,  wrote  after  Mr.  Saxbe 
notified  13  states  operating  lotteries  that 
they  were  in  violation  of  federal  laws.  The 
attorney  general  proposed  legislative  acts 
to  exempt  states  from  bans  on  using  the 
mail  and  interstate  commerce  to  conduct 
and  promote  lotteries. 

Adams  objected  to  changes  in  the  law. 
in  letters  to  all  members  of  Congress  he 
voiced  the  United  Methodist  Church's 
"clear  and  firm  opposition  to  any  such 
revision  of  the  federal  code." 

While  the  United  Methodist  Church 
is  often  listed  among  the  nation's  more 
liberal  denominations,  it  maintains  an 
unequivocal  stand  against  all  forms  of 
gambling. 

In  the  letter  to  Congress,  Adams  said 
that  while  states  organized  lotteries  as  a 
"painless"  way  to  extract  revenues  from 
citizens,  the  fiscal  return  has  been 


6  MESSENGER  January  1975, 


PDiidlsirDDDnis^ 


linimal" — far  below  initial  predictions. 
Changing  existing  federal  laws  to  permit 
e  13  state  lotteries  to  continue,  he 
Glared,  would  "only  encourage  the  other 
states  to  initiate  lotteries,  thus  ultimate- 
inundating  the  nation  with  a  philosophy 
:ich  could  be  detrimental  to  our  whole 
ciety." 

In  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  only 
ild  protest  has  been  visible  in  most 
eas  where  states  have  introduced  the 
tteries. 

However,  at  Greenville,  Ohio,  one 
'ethren  layman,  Myron  Eikenberry,  a 
peer  and  community  leader,  made  clear 
B  stand  on  Ohio's  new  lottery.  He  spon- 
red  ads  announcing  lottery  tickets  would 

I  be  available  in  the  two  local  super- 
irkets  he  operates. 

nabaptist  churches 
Ian  new  curriculum 

le  Foundation  Series,  a  new  in- 
denominational  curriculum  planned  by 
ennonite  and  Brethren  bodies,  will  make 
debut  in  September,  1977.  Three  chief 
itors,  along  with  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  as  consul- 
it,  have  been  named  by  a  21 -member 
itorial  council. 

The  editors,  each  representing  a  full 
onsoring  denomination,  are  Cornelia 
hn  of  the  General  Conference  Men- 
nite  Church,  Newton,  K.ans.,  James  E. 
3rsch,  Mennonite  Church,  Scottdale, 
...  and  John  Arthur  Brubaker,  Brethren 
Christ  Church,  Nappanee,  Ind.  Paul  M. 
derach,  of  the  Mennonite  Church,  Scott- 
le.  Pa.,  is  executive  director  of  the  pro- 
:t.  Task  teams  for  the  three  age  divisions 
5  being  named. 

In  initial  planning,  two  days  of  which 
;re  convened  at  the  Church  of  the 
ethren  General  Offices,  an  overall  objec- 
e  and  themes  for  each  grade  level  were 
Toduced.  Theological  concerns  at  the 
tset  were  raised  about  the  "saved"  status 
children,  the  avoidance  of  proof-texting 
the  use  of  the  Bible,  and  the  need  to 
eak  to  justice  as  well  as  judgment  in  the 
ntent. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  Parish 
inistries  Commission  and  the  Brethren 
ess  have  opted  for  a  cooperative  user 
le  rather  than  as  full  production  partners 
the  project.  Nonetheless  the  arrangement 

II  entitle  Brethren  congregations  to  com- 
jte  use  of  the  curriculum. 


FARMERS  TO  CHINA    . . .  Three  Brethren  families  will  be  repre- 
sented in  a  21-member  delegation  of  farmers  to  visit  the 
People's  Repiiblic  of  China  for  three  weeks,  beginning  Jan. 
12.   Named  by  the  tour  host,  The  Guardian,  the  tour  members 
include  three  lowans,  Charles  Sheller   of  Eldora  and  Max  and 
Helen  Grossnickle   of  Laurens,  and  Harley  Kline   of  Manassas, 
Va.   Alternates  are  Dale  and  Evel yn  Snell   of  McFarland,  Calif, 
and  Harry  and  Karen  Stine   of  Adel,  Iowa. 


STUDENTS  TO  HONDURAS 


Ten  Manchester  College  stu- 


dents will  spend  three  weeks  in  January  in  hurricane-stripped 
Honduras  for  a  work  and  study  experience  related  to  disasters. 
Jan   Thompson ,    assistant  dean  of  students,  will  lead  the  pro- 
gram, which  was  planned  with  Brethren  Service  Disaster  co- 
ordinator Kenneth  McDowel 1   and  World  Ministries  Latin  American 
representative  Merle  Crouse . 

GLOBAL  INTERCHANGE    ...  A  second  Brethren  appointee  to 
Honduras  is  Chester  Thomas   of  Chicago,  who  is  regional  advisor 
there  for  Church  World  Service.   Thomas  has  had  four  years 
of  service  in  the  Peace  Corps  in  Colombia  and  holds  a  degree 
in  international  affairs. 

"Missionary  service"  in  return  will  begin  June  1  when 
Rene  Calderon  of  the  United  Evangelical  Church  of  Ecuador 
commences  a  pastoral  assignment  wit±i  one  of  Ohio's  parent 
congregations.  Lower  Miami  near  Dayton. 

Craig  Horn   of  the  Emmanuel  church,  Dayton,  Ohio,  is  com- 
pleting a  six-month  student  exchange  in  Quito,  Ecuador.   The 
pilot  program  was  worked  out  by  the  congregation  and  World 
Ministries  personnel. 

Former  India  missionaries  William  and  Susan  Weybright 
of  Middlebury,  Ind. ,  spent  November  and  December  assisting 
Hospital  Castaner  in  Puerto  Rico. 

HONORED   ...  One  of  the  few  women  jet  pilots  in  the  nation 
is  Cheryl   Peters  Ritchie,   Atlanta,  Ga. ,  a  former  member  of 
1±ie  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Roanoke,  Va.   She  flies  for 
Piedmont  Airlines.  .  .  .  New  co-chaiirman  of  the  Reptiblican 
National  Committee  is  Richard  D_.    Obenshain ,   a  Richmond,  Va. 
lawyer,  and  1971-72  president  of  the  Bridgewater  College 
Alumni  Association.  .  .  .  Moderator  of  the  Southern  Plains 
District  Paul  Schnaithman  and  family,    Billings,  Okla. ,  re- 
ceived the  Farm  Family  of  the  Year  award  from  radio  station 
WKY,  Oklahoma  City.   The  runner-up  family  was  the  Leslie 
Holder reads   of  Gushing,  Okla. ,  also  Chtjrch  of  the  Brethren 
members . 

AT  RANDOM   . . .  Seeking  names  and  addresses  of  the  Breth- 
ren who  have  moved  to  the  Washington,  D.C.,  area  is  the  Uni- 
versity Park  Church  of  the  Brethren,  4413  Tuckerman  St., 
Hyattsville,  Md.  20782.   The  church  will  share  the  informa- 
tion with  the  Brethren  parish  in  closest  proximity.  ...  In 
its  second  printing  is  "This  Land:   Ours  for  A  Season,"  the 
report  of  the  Church  and  Agriculture  Study  Committee.   The 
findings  were  stommed  up  in  a  column  syndicated  at  the  time 
of  the  World  Food  Conference  by  UPI  religion  writer  David 
E.   Anderson   and  earlier  by  the  AP's  George  Cornell. 


January  1975  messenger  7 


\u]pdmt(B 


CONGREGA TIONS   across  the  Brotherhood  are  spelling  Mission  in 
several  ways  in  their  coitmunities. 

The  Topeka ,    Kans.,  church  offers  a  gracious  hospitality; 
anyone  who  goes  to  Topeka  for  hospitalization  is  invited  to 
stay  in  the  home  of  one  of  the  local  Brethren.  ...  The  Mill 
Creek  Church,   Harrisonburg,  Va.,  had  a  budget  item  for  church 
indebtedness  for  years.   Now  the  church  mortgage  has  been 
burned,  so  the  budgeted  $4,000  is  continuing — designated  for 
outreach.   In  1974-75  it  will  go  to  help  the  pastoral  program 
of  the  Smith  Creek  Church ,   Franklin,  W.Va.  ...  The  board  of 
the  recently  dissolved  Larchmont   church,  Sacramento,  Calif, 
voted  to  use  $1,500  to  buy  three  acres  at  the  Heifer  Project 
International  Ranch  near  Little  Rock,  Ark.   Honoring  the 
founder  of  HPI  the  land  will  be  known  as  Dan  West  Memorial 
Acres. 

COMMEMORATIVE  CELEBRATIONS:      100   years    (great  number!): 
Cedar  Lake,   Wawaka,  Ind. ,  in  September;  Sugar  Run,   Mt.  Union, 
Pa.,  Aug.  4.  75  years:    Indiana's  Goshen  City   through  November 
and  Huntington  City ,   Dec.  1;  Piney  Creek   church,  Tarreyton, 
Md.  Oct.  19  and  20.  60   years:      First   Church,    Canton,  Ohio, 
Sept.  15.  50_  years :    Pennsylvania's  West   York   church  Oct.  2 
and  Cherry  Lane,    Everett,  Aug.  18.  ...  Hamilton,    Ohio  dedi- 
cated new  furnishings  at  their  celebration. 

MORTGAGE  BURNING  OCCASION   brought  thanksgiving  and  a  sense 
of  accomplishment  at  First  Church,   Akron,  Ohio  which  also 
marked  its  54th  birthday  Sept.  8.  The  parish  immediately 
started  upon  a  second  building  fund  to  complete  the  original 
sanctuary  design.  Other  mortgage  burnings:  Central   Church, 
Roanoke,  Va. ,  28th   Street  Church,    Altoona,  Pa. ,  Little  Swat- 
ara.   Pa. ,  and  Michigan  City ,   New  Salem   and  PI ymou th   all  in 
Indiana.  ...  First  Church,    Harrisburg,  Pa.,  and  Middlebury , 
Ind.,  have  liquidated  the  debt  on  their  parsonages. 

GROWTH ,    NEW  BUILDING — improvements — greenup!  Dedications: 
Hartville,    Ohio  cornerstone  laying  Sept.  29;  Akron ,   Pa.,    new 
facilities ;_  Mt_.  Olivet,   Newport,  Pa.,  an  addition.  ...  New 
educational  wings:  Bermudian,    East  Berlin,  Pa.;  Oak  Dale,    W. 
Va. ;  Oak  Grove,   Md.  ...  Remodeled-refurbished  churches:  Sugar 
Run,    Mt.  Union,  Pa.;  Concord  Church,    Fairfield,  Va.  ;  £>i  eh  J '  s 
Crossroads  Church,   Curryville,  Pa.;  Glendale,   Ariz.  ...  New 
buildings:  Montezuma,    Va.;  Sugar   Creek,    S.  Whitley,  Ind.; 
Spindale,   Tenn.  ...  Mill   Creek,    Spartansburg,  S.C.,  has  pur- 
chased a  new  parsonage  as  has  Union  City,    Ind.  First  Church 
Pontiac ,   Mich. ,  has  purchased  7h   acres  as  a  building  site  for 
their  relocated  church.  Stone  Church,    Huntingdon,  Pa.,  dedi- 
cated new  chimes  and  a  rebuilt  organ. 

CLOSINGS   come  too.  Pueblo  First   Church,    Colo.,  dissolved 
Dec.  31,  members  absorbed  by  a  fellowship  group  with  Menno- 
nites,  other  Brethren  and  community  churches. 

MISSION   is  spelled  F-O-O-D  by  the  Upper  Conewago   church 
where  members  grew  and  processed  1,481  quarts  of  corn  and  52 
gallons  of  applesauce  in  a  Lord' s  acre  project   last  summer. 
Cans  of  food  were  sent  to  New  York's  Bowery  Mission,  Rescue 
Mission,  Teen  Encounter;  York,  Brethren's  Home  and  others. 

8  MESSENGER  January  1975 


POCSDSO  rSpOFlc 


Examples 

to  imitate 

T\, 

as  mora 

teachei 


Television  for  children  can  project  impor 
tant,  positive  lessons  and  serve  as  a  mori 
teacher,  recent  research  in  communicatio 
has  revealed. 

"The  Swing,"  a  30-second  public  servicj 
announcement  designed  to  lift  up  alter- 
natives to  violent  behavior  among  childre 
depicts  two  youngsters  on  a  playground 
arguing  over  a  swing.  As  a  solution,  one 
the  children  suggests  that  they  swing  one 
another.  A  voice  off  camera  comments, 
"There  are  lots  of  things  you  can  do  wh© 
two  people  want  the  same  thing.  One  is  t 
take  turns." 

Unique  in  the  production  of  "The 
Swing"  was  the  extensive  testing  with 
children  carried  out  before  its  release. 
Robert  M.  Liebert,  a  psychology  profess( 
at  the  State  University  of  New  York,  heac 
ed  the  research  effort  to  see  if  prosocial 
behavior,  as  opposed  to  anti-social  patten 
can  be  stimulated  by  a  miniature  tv  story 

In  tests  before  children  of  ages  four  to 
nine,  "The  Swing"  scored  significantly 
higher  in  understanding  and  attention  tha 
product  commercials.  As  to  behavioral 
patterns,  children  after  viewing  "The 
Swing"  were  two  to  three  times  more  will 
ing  to  work  cooperatively  in  a  conflict 
situation  than  children  who  had  not  seen' 
the  spot. 

"These  results  have  far-reaching  im- 


plications  for  broadcast  industry  decision- 
makers," explained  Ben  Logan,  United 
Methodist  producer.  "We  now  have  im- 
pressive evidence  to  support  our  contention 
that  prosocial  tv  programming  can  secure 
good  viewer  attention." 


Jroduced  as  a  cost  of  $10,000,  "The 
Swing"  was  the  first  of  three  spots 
developed  for  national  distribution  by  the 
United  Methodist  Church,  the  Christian 
Church  (Disciples  of  Christ),  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  USA,  and  the 
Episcopal  Church,  along  with  assistance 
from  the  Lilly  Foundation,  Inc. 

The  series  of  spots  is  but  part  of  the  ef- 
fort of  church  communicators  to  counter 
the  steady  diet  of  television  violence.  A 
second  facet  has  included  testimony  before 
the  US  Senate  subcommittee  on  com- 
munications. 

Nelson  Price,  chairman  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  Broadcasting  and 
Film  Commission,  declared  that  the  US 
has  not  faced  the  fact  "that  a  diet  of 
violence  on  television  increases  our 
tolerance  for  violence  in  our  society  and 
for  international  violence  in  our  world. 
Our  culture  is  based  on  the  idea  of  persons 
willing  and  able  to  live  in  harmony  with 
one  another.  If  we  lose  that  voluntary 


acceptance  of  the  rules  of  our  culture,  we 
will  lose  our  way  of  life." 

Nelson  Price  and  Ben  Logan,  United 
Methodist  broadcast  executives,  have 
helped  spur  a  related  effort  to  counter 
violence — a  national  center  for  media 
research  to  coordinate  projects  for  positive 
programming  for  children.  A  seed  grant  of 
$45,000  has  been  invested  in  the  center  by 
United  Methodist  Communications. 

Located  at  the  State  University  of  New 
York,  the  center  is  directed  by  Robert  M. 
Liebert.  Efforts  center  on  interpreting 
research  findings  to  producers,  writers,  ex- 
ecutives and  sponsors  and  applying 
the  findings  in  the  creation  of  new 
programs. 

In  an  address  to  the  Broadcasting  and 
Film  Commission  Dr.  Liebert  cited 
research  studies  which  indicated  that  the 
amount  of  aggression  in  a  tv  program  sub- 
stantially influences  how  aggressive  the 
behavioral  choices  young  viewers  make 
afterwards. 

Developmental  psychologists  have  found 
that  children  learn  simply  from  watching 
others,  he  said.  "And  they  learn  as  well,  or 
better,  from  the  casual  observation  of 
others  on  television  and  film  as  they  do 
from  live  contact.  What  is  more,  children 
act  on  such  learning:  sometimes  im- 
mediately and  sometimes  not  until  later 


"The  Swing"  demonstrates 
that  prosocial  behavior  can 
be  stimulated  by  a  tv  story 


when  the  circumstances  for  imitation  are 
inviting." 

Liebert  said  that  specific  studies  already 
reveal  that 

•  for  boys,  exposure  to  television  at  age 
9  was  significantly  linked  to  aggressive 
behavior  10  years  later,  at  age  19. 

•  exposure  to  a  deviant  television  model 
induces  more  rule  violation  in  elementary 
school  age  youngsters  than  exposure  to  no 
example  or  to  a  conforming  one. 

•  the  effect  of  a  deviant  televised  exam- 
ple was  as  potent  as  that  of  a  live  example. 

•  for  young  observers  such  behavioral 
acts  as  generosity  and  friendliness  can  be 
instigated  by  viewing  television  models. 

"At  the  simplest  level,  one  implication  of 
all  the  research  is  clear:  Television  is  a 
moral  teacher,  and  a  powerful  one," 
Liebert  declares.  "Contemporary  entertain- 
ment television  is  saturated  with  violence 
and  related  antisocial  behavior  and  lessons, 
which  have  a  clear  and  (by  most  standards) 
adverse  effect  on  young  viewers'  moral 
development  and  behavior." 

He  maintains,  however,  that  it  is  not 
television  which  stimulates  antisocial 
behavior,  but  certain  types  of  television 
content.  "If  certain  content  can  teach  un- 
desirable moral  lessons,  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that  other  types  of  con- 
tent might  be  equally  potent  in  teaching 
positive  prosocial  lessons  instead." 

With  the  aid  of  research  he  feels  creative, 
positive  broadcasting  can  compete  with 
entertaining,  commercial  broadcasting. 


J.n  the  Senate  subcommittee  hearing 
Nelson  Price  also  observed,  "It  is  in- 
teresting to  note  that  we  are  careful  about 
training,  selecting,  and  certifying  our 
teachers.  Some  of  that  same  care  needs  to 
go  into  our  decisions  about  how  we  use 
this  newly  acknowledged  teacher — 
television. 

"Television  will  inevitably  play  a  signifi- 
cant role  in  which  way  the  future  turns.  We 
are  deeply  committed  to  helping  make  that 
role  a  positive  one." — h.e.r. 

January  1975  messenger  9 


Home  for  International  Gift  Shop, 
added  facilities   ^y  TTT"*  1  ^ 

./„,«,..« jNew  Windsors 
new  Old  Main 


International  Gift  Shop,  relocated  in  lower  level,  exhibits  handcrafted  SERRV  items. 


Having  stood  its  ground  for  over  120  years, 
Old  Main,  the  oldest  building  at  the 
Brethren  Service  Center  in  New  Windsor, 
Md.,  was  due  for  major  repair  work.  It  was 
either  that  or  tear  it  down,  which  would 
have  felled  walls  that  had  seen  Brethren 
history  develop  over  many  years. 

Buik  between  1842  and  1850  by  a 
Roman  Catholic  group,  the  structure  and 
its  surrounding  campus  passed  through 
various  ownerships,  including  Brethren. 
From  1913  to  1937  it  was  Blue  Ridge 
College.  In  1944  the  Brethren  secured  it  as 
a  material  aid  center  and  as  a  base  for 
Civilian  Public  Service  units. 

In  late  1970  Old  Main  was  closed  for 
safety  reasons,  and  for  18  months  was  un- 
used. A  decision  by  the  World  Ministries 
Commission  was  made  in  June  1971  to 
renovate  the  first  three  floors,  leaving  the 
fourth  and  fifth  vacant  for  the  time  being. 
The  Service  Center  Operations  Fund 
covered  the  cost. 

Totally  booked  for  weekends  through 
1975,  Old  Main  appears  restored  for 
service  for  quite  some  time  to  come. 


10  MESSENGER  January  1975 


Above,  wesl  side  of  Old 
Main  features  new  entrance 
from  parking  lot.  In  photo 
at  immediate  left  is  ap- 
proach to  gift  shop. 

Facilities  in  Old  Main  in- 
clude 3  conference  rooms, 
1 7  bedrooms  and  an  apart- 
ment, augmenting  accom- 
modations of  Zigler  and 
Windsor  Halls. 

Facing  page,  from  far  left, 
the  view  of  Old  Main  at 
crest  of  campus  remains  the 
same.  Interior,  however, 
was  virtually  gutted  for  the 
renovation. 

January  1975  messenger  11 


o  bG  a  nsw  cr^dion  m^ans  the 


cnUrin 


12  MESSENGER  January  1975 


)ur  c^rkf  is  in  Christ /bq  fst^lla  Horning 


Read  2  Corinthians  5:16-19 

Paul  ran  into  difficulties  with  his  ministry 
in  Corinth.  There  had  been  heated 
arguments,  power  struggles,  and  personal 
attacks  on  him  and  his  authority.  From  a 
human  point  of  view  things  looked  pretty 
bleak.  Some  of  the  problems  were  gradual- 
ly worked  out.  Paul  was  eager  to  restore 
the  broken  relationships,  but  what  could  be 
done?  Paul  said  that  the  only  way  is  to 
become  new  persons. 

The  idea  appeals  to  us.  But  how?  Most 
of  us.  at  least  secretly,  think  of  a  few  things 
in  ourselves  (and  in  others)  that  we  would 
like  to  change  for  the  better.  Our  fairy  tales 
cater  to  this  longing  with  stories  like 
Cinderella  and  The  Little  Tailor.  Adver- 
tisers exploit  our  yearning  with  the 
assurance  that  we  will  become  a  new  per- 
son (successful,  beautiful,  powerful,  happy) 
if  we  consume  enough  of  their  product. 
PsNchiatry  wrestles  with  the  urge  for 
human  transformation  by  having  us  search 
our  inner  self.  We  try  to  change  our  nature 
by  moral  resolutions  (New  Years,  Annual 
Conference,  United  Nations).  Some  of 
today's  youth  have  pinpointed  the  blind 
spots  in  our  legends,  our  consumer  culture, 
our  moral  inconsistency,  and  our  psy- 
choanalytic efforts.  They  are  trying  to 
become  new,  authentic  persons  by  "doing 
their  own  thing." 


At  is  curious  that  such  an  old  book  as  the 
Bible  is  so  preoccupied  with  the  "new."  It 
begins  with  the  creation  of  a  new  world, 
and  ends  with  the  promise,  "Behold,  I 
make  all  things  new"  (Rev.  21:5).  A  con- 
stant theme  is  the  newness  of  life  that  God 
brings. 

The  Bible  gives  us  many  examples  of 
human  efforts  to  become  a  new  person.  It 
tells  us  about  the  false  starts  people  have 


made  since  the  beginning  of  time.  Modern 
advertising  only  varies  the  lie  of  the  serpent 
in  the  garden:  "When  you  eat  of  it  your 
eyes  will  be  opened,  and  you  will  be  like 
God."  Did  advertisers  take  their  clue  from 
the  successful  sales  pitch  to  Eve?  Cain  tried 
the  way  of  competitive  free  enterprise.  His 
motto  was:  Wipe  out  the  competition. 

Abraham  was  called  to  become  a  new 
person.  He  was  to  go  to  a  new  land  and 
begin  a  new  nation  focused  on  God  and  his 
will.  Abraham  made  a  few  false  starts.  He 
succumbed  to  moral  compromise  for  the 
sake  of  survival  when  he  went  with  Sarah 
into  Egypt.  He  later  despaired  of  God's 
power  and  tried  to  take  things  into  his  own 
hands  by  taking  Hagar  to  bear  him  a  son. 
We  see  him  finally  accepting  that  God  can 
be  trusted  to  fulfill  his  promise,  even  if 
Isaac,  the  son  of  God's  promise,  were  to 
die  (Gen.  22). 

Jacob  tried  to  become  the  new  man  by 
playing  to  other  people's  weaknesses:  his 
brother's  appetite,  his  mother's  affection, 
his  father's  blindness  and  innocence,  his 
uncle's  laziness. 

Israel  was  called  out  of  Egypt  to  become 
a  new  people  in  the  promised  land.  A 
whole  generation  died  in  the  wilderness. 
They  lacked  the  trust  and  obedience  to 
become  something  new. 

On  returning  from  exile,  the  remnant  of 
Israel  built  a  new  people  on  religious  and 
moral  resolution.  Obedience  to  law  would 
create  the  new  person,  the  new  nation,  the 
people  of  God.  That  their  moral  resolution 
was  not  totally  successful,  we  gather  from 
the  descriptions  of  a  carpenter-preacher 
(Mk.  7:1-23)  and  the  ambivalent 
meditations  of  an  ex-pharisee  concerning 
the  law  (Rom.  5:50—8:2). 

Then  God  tried  a  new  thing.  The  good 
news  is  that  Jesus  actually  was  the  new  per- 
son. He  did  it!  He  tells  us  how  and  he 
shows  us  how.  There  is  a  changed  attitude. 


a  changed  center,  a  changed  relationship  to 
persons,  things,  God  and  self.  "You  must 
be  born  anew."  "I  do  nothing  on  my  own 
authority,  but  speak  as  the  Father  has 
taught  me."  "1  am  the  vine,  you  are  the 
branches.  He  who  abides  in  me  and  I  in 
him  bears  much  fruit.  Apart  from  me  you 
can  do  nothing."  "Nevertheless,  not  my 
will,  but  thine  be  done." 


T. 


he  truth  is  that  we  are  free  to  become  a 
new  person  only  when  we  allow  God  to  be 
the  center  of  our  lives.  We  no  longer  look 
at  what  happens  from  the  human  point  of 
view.  His  will  becomes  our  will.  He  is  the 
source  of  our  strength  and  our  joy.  Our 
love  becomes  a  channel  of  God's  love 
rather  than  a  circle  which  we  draw  around 
ourselves. 

This  does  not  mean  that  our  unique  per- 
sonality will  be  obliterated.  The  man  Jesus, 
whose  life  was  totally  centered  in  God,  was 
one  of  the  most  memorable  persons  who 
ever  lived.  The  apostle  Paul  preached  with 
power  when  he  put  God  at  the  center  of 
life.  It  was  only  when  he  looked  at  things 
from  a  human  point  of  view  that  he 
became  rigid  and  defensive.  Wealth,  power, 
prestige,  adjustment,  friendship,  love,  con- 
flict all  look  different  from  God's  point  of 
view. 

Near  the  end  of  his  ministry  Paul  was 
able  to  say,  "Our  old  self  was  crucified  with 
him"  and  "it  is  no  longer  I  who  live,  but 
Christ  who  lives  in  me." 

To  be  a  new  person,  a  new  creation 
means  that  our  center  is  in  Christ.  The 
result  is  the  ordering  of  our  human 
relationships.  "The  old  has  passed  away, 
behold  the  new  has  come.  All  this  is  from 
God,  who  through  Christ  reconciled  us  to 
himself  and  gave  us  the  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation." 

It  is  God  who  does  this  new  thing.   D 


nio  ncwnci^ 


January  1975  messenger  13 


^  €M'^ 


-^^ 


jf^< 


^ 


-^ifr* 


■ -"ii. 


HUNGER 


A  BIBLICAL  PERSPECTIVE 


by  Rick  Gardner 

In  the  midst  of  a  worldwide  food  crisis  of 
growing  proportions,  the  topic  of  world 
hunger  is  very  much  "in."  The  forum  of 
discussion  reaches  all  the  way  from  local 
congregations  wrestling  with  the  1974  An- 
nual Conference  paper  on  world  hunger  to 
the  deliberations  of  the  recent  World  Food 
Conference  in  Rome,  sponsored  by  the 
United  Nations.  With  millions  of  our 
fellow  human  beings  facing  the  prospect  of 
mass  starvation,  the  issue  is  simply  too  real 
to  evade. 

It  is  appropriate  therefore  to  consider 
the  question:  How  does  the  biblical 
message  of  the  church  relate  to  the  subject 
of  world  hunger?  The  Bible  addresses  itself 
at  several  levels  to  the  matter  of  food, 
eating,  and  hunger. 

Eating  is  better  than  going  hungry.  Food 
is  preferable  to  famine.  Feasting  is  better 
than  fasting.  There  is  an  earthy  quality  to 
biblical  faith  which  affirms  that  our 
physical  appetites  are  essentially  good  and 
that  the  satisfying  of  those  appetites  is 
good.  It  is  in  such  a  context  that  the  writer 
of  Deuteronomy  depicts  the  desirability  of 
the  land  of  Canaan:  "The  Lord  your  God  is 
bringing  you  into  a  good  land  ...  a  land  of 
wheat  and  barley,  of  vines  and  fig  trees  and 
pomegranates,  a  land  of  olive  trees  and 
honey,  a  land  in  which  you  will  eat  bread 
without  scarcity,  in  which  you  will  lack 
nothing"  (Deut.  8:7-9). 

This  positive  attitude  toward  food  and 


eating  is  reinforced  by  material  we  find  in 
the  gospels.  In  the  prayer  which  we  call 
The  Lord's  Prayer,  Jesus  teaches  the  dis- 
ciples to  pray  "Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread"  (Matt.  6:11,  Luke  11:30).  The  quest 
for  nourishment  is  thus  a  legitimate  quest. 
In  Mark  2:23-28  we  have  the  story  of  Jesus 
and  the  disciples  strolling  through  the 
grainfields  on  the  Sabbath — and  of  the  dis- 
ciples breaking  off  heads  of  grain  to  eat.  As 
you  will  recall,  the  incident  provoked  a 
strong  reaction,  because  the  disciples'  ac- 
tion violated  sabbath  regulations.  Jesus 
defended  the  disciples'  action,  however, 
arguing  that  the  satisfying  of  a  human  need 
such  as  hunger  took  priority  over  a  literal 
adherence  to  the  law. 

Even  more  striking  in  the  gospels  is 
Jesus'  whole  life-style  as  contrasted  with 
that  of  John  the  Baptist.  John  practiced  a 
very  ascetic  kind  of  faith,  restricting 
himself  to  the  limited  fare  of  the 
wilderness,  and  called  his  followers  to  fast 
regularly  as  a  sign  of  their  commitment. 
Jesus  however  indulged  his  appetites,  (so 
much  so  that  his  opponents  dubbed  him  a 
glutton  and  a  wino),  relieved  his  followers 
from  the  obligation  to  fast  as  a  regular  dis- 
cipline, and  in  fact  made  meals  and  feasts  a 
distinctive  trait  of  the  new  community 
which  began  to  grow  up  around  him  (Matt. 
11:16-19;  Mark  2:15  ff;  2:18  ff;  Luke  7:36 
ff,  Luke  19:1  ff). 

In  Jesus'  meals  with  his  followers  we 
observe  still  another  dimension  of  the 
positive  evaluation  of  food  and  eating  in 


The  Bible  not  only  endorses  eating,  but 
affirms  it  as  having  spiritual  significance 


the  Bible.  Not  only  does  the  Bible  endorse 
eating  as  a  physical  response  to  a  physical 
desire;  it  suggests  that  eating  can  be  a  very 
religious  or  spiritual  event.  We  com- 
memorate a  significant  spiritual  happening 
by  sharing  together  in  a  time  of  bodily 
nourishment. 

So  it  is  that  Abraham  prepares  an 
elaborate  feast  for  the  angelic  visitors  he 
hosts  in  Genesis  18.  So  it  is  that  Moses  and 
the  elders  of  Israel  eat  a  meal  with  Jahweh 
to  ratify  the  covenant  at  Sinai  (Exod.  24:9- 
11).  So  it  is  that  the  father  of  the  prodigal 
son  calls  for  steaks  on  the  house  to 
celebrate  the  son's  homecoming  (Luke 
15:22ff).  So  it  is  that  Jesus  shared  in  a  final 
supper  together  with  his  disciples  to  mark 
the  beginning  of  a  new  covenant  (Mark 
14:22-25).  So  it  is  that  the  early  Christians 
in  Jerusalem  ate  together  as  an  expression 
of  the  new  community  (Acts  2:46).  And  so 
it  is  that  the  Bible  again  and  again  speaks 
of  life  in  the  Kingdom  yet  to  come  with  the 
imagery  of  a  banquet  or  feast:  "I  tell  you, 
many  will  come  from  east  and  west  and  sit 
at  table  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven"  (Matt.  8:1 1,  cf  Isa. 
25:6;  55:1-2;  Luke  14:15-24;  Rev.  19:9). 


T. 


^he  message  is  clear:  Unlike  those 
religious  traditions  which  advocate  denial 
of  physical  needs  and  their  satisfaction,  the 
Bible  affirms  the  legitimacy  of  desiring  a 
full  belly.  For  physical  and  spiritual 
reasons,  eating  is  better  than  going  hungry; 
feasting  is  better  than  fasting. 

God  Himself  is  the  Liberator  of  the 
hungry,  One  who  manifests  compassion 
toward  those  in  need  of  food.  Having 
created  us  with  appetites  and  desires,  God 
is  constantly  concerned  to  provide  us  with 
resources  to  meet  our  needs. 

In  several  places  the  Psalmist 
acknowledges  the  creative  power  of  God  as 
the  ultimate  source  of  our  food  resources. 
It  is  God  who  sets  in  motion  the  processes 
of  nature  which  enable  the  earth  to  yield 
food  for  our  needs — or  as  the  psalmist  puts 
it  more  poetically  in  65:1 1:  "You  crown  the 
year  with  your  bounty;  the  tracks  of  your 
chariot  drip  with  fatness."  Psalm  104:27-28 
makes  the  same  point  when  it  affirms,  "All 
creatures  depend  on  you  to  feed  them 
throughout  the  year,  you  provide  the  food 
they  eat,  with  generous  hand  you  satisfy 
their  hunger"  (Jerusalem  Bible). 

Beyond  this  continuing  emphasis  on 

January  1975  messenger  15 


The  Bible  calls  for  a  response  shaped  by 
the  good  news  of  liberation,  not  by  guilt 


nature  as  God's  original  world  food  bank, 
the  Bible  singles  out  special  acts  of  God  on 
behalf  of  the  hungry.  Very  early  in  the 
biblical  story,  God  acts  through  Joseph  to 
build  up  grain  supplies  in  Egypt  in  the  face 
of  an  imminent  famine — and  thereby 
spares  his  people  from  the  disaster  of  star- 
vation (Gen.  41 — 47).  A  little  further  on  in 
the  drama  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  peo- 
ple of  God  find  themselves  hungry  in  the 
Sinai  wilderness,  and  God  comes  to  their 
rescue  via  manna  and  quail  (see  Exod.  16; 
Ps.  105:40). 

At  a  much  later  point  in  the  history  of 
Israel,  God's  role  as  the  Liberator  of  the 
hungry  takes  on  a  more  radical  character. 
God  champions  the  cause  of  the  hungry 
poor  against  the  indifference  of  the 
overstuffed  rich.  The  prophet  Amos  speaks 
for  God  with  stinging  words,  castigating 
the  rich  for  wanton  gluttony  accompanied 
by  exploitation  of  the  poor  (Amos  6:4-6; 
8:4-6).  In  a  similar  way  Jeremiah  speaks  in 
judgment  against  those  who  "have  grown 
fat  and  sleek"  but  who  at  the  same  time  fail 
to  defend  the  rights  of  the  needv  (Jer.  5:27- 
28). 

Note  the  contrast  here  to  the  first  theme 
we  spoke  of.  Although  it  is  right  and  good 
for  me  to  seek  food  to  satisfy  my  hunger,  it 
is  despicable  if  1  become  callous  to  the 
needs  of  others  in  the  process  of  satisfying 
my  own.  The  prophets  bear  witness  to  a 
God  who  identifies  with  the  hungry  poor, 
who  pleads  their  cause  through  the 
prophets,  and  who  judges  those  who  in- 
dulge in  fullness  at  the  expense  of  others' 
emptiness. 


J.n  the  New  Testament,  Jesus  takes  this 
role  of  God  as  the  Liberator  of  the  hungry 
poor  and  makes  it  his  own.  Luke's  version 
of  the  beatitudes,  which  is  less  edited  than 
Matthew's,  puts  it  quite  clearly:  "Blessed 
are  you  poor,  for  yours  is  the  kingdom  of 
God.  Blessed  are  you  that  hunger  now,  for 
you  shall  be  satisfied"  (Luke  6:20-21).  All 
this  is  in  keeping  with  the  calling  which 
Jesus  announces  for  himself  in  Luke  4:16,  a 
calling  to  preach  the  good  news  to  the 


poor,  to  set  at  liberty  the  oppressed  (see 
also  Luke  1:52-53). 

It  is  in  this  context  that  the  gospel 
narrative  of  the  feeding  of  the  five  thou- 
sand is  to  be  viewed,  whether  one  un- 
derstands that  meal  to  be  a  literal  miracle 
or  a  symbolic  event:  The  God  who  has 
promised  an  End-time  banquet  for  all  is 
taking  action  now  to  bring  his  reign  of 
fullness  to  the  hungry.  Through  Jesus  he  is 
acting  to  deliver  the  hungry  poor  from 
their  plight. 

The  third  theme  of  the  Bible  relating  to 
hunger  concerns  our  own  responsibility: 
God  calls  us  to  be  agents  of  liberation,  co- 
partners in  the  struggle  to  feed  the  hungry 
poor.  Nowhere  does  the  New  Testament 
state  and  develop  this  theme  in  a 
systematic  fashion.  What  we  do  find  in  the 
New  Testament  is  a  set  of  clues  which 
point  us  in  this  direction. 

One  such  clue  is  the  picture  of  the  early 
church  which  emerges  in  Acts — a  picture 
of  a  community  of  people  sharing  all  that 
they  have  with  one  another,  including  their 
meals.  In  terms  of  Luke's  own  understand- 
ing of  history,  this  community  and  its  style 
of  life  is  a  prototype  of  a  reality  destined  to 
become  worldwide. 

Another  clue  is  the  appeal  which  Paul 
makes  in  2  Corinthians  8 — 9  for  Christians 
in  the  Gentile  world  to  assume  responsibili- 
ty for  the  hunger  needs  of  famine-stricken 
believers  in  Jerusalem.  Though  strictly 
speaking  this  involved  a  network  of  con- 
cern limited  to  the  church,  it  is  the  har- 
binger of  a  style  of  caring  which  reaches 
beyond  all  boundaries,  religious,  cultural 
and  territorial. 

Still  another  clue  is  found  in  the  ad- 
monitions of  the  book  of  James,  whose 
author  stands  in  the  tradition  of  the 
prophets.  Rebuking  the  rich  who  fatten 
their  lives  by  making  others  lean  (Jas.  5:1- 
6),  the  author  urges  believers  to  make  faith 
concrete  in  works  of  love  which  clothe  the 
ill-clad  and  feed  the  hungry  (Jas.  2:14-17). 

Finally,  of  course,  there  is  the  passage  so 
dear  to  Brethren,  the  parable  of  the  sheep 
and  the  goats  in  Matthew  25:31-46.  Here 
we  are  reminded  in  no  uncertain  terms  that 


God  identifies  with  the  hungry,  so  closely 
in  fact  that  what  we  do  or  do  not  do  for 
the  hungry,  we  do  or  do  not  do  for  God. 
All  this  adds  up  to  a  clear  mandate:  God 
calls  us  to  carry  on  the  work  of  liberating 
the  hungry  announced  by  Jesus. 

To  do  so  is  to  fulfill  a  calling  assigned  to 
humanity  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  bib- 
lical story,  the  calling  to  exercise  domin- 
ion over  the  earth  (Gen.  1:26-31).  Unfor- 
tunately, this  text  is  in  disrepute  in  many 
circles,  which  see  it  giving  license  to  a 
reckless  exploitation  of  our  resources.  This 
is  not,  however,  its  intention.  What  the  text 
actually  does  is  call  us  to  a  serious  kind  of 
global  concern  and  global  responsibility. 

In  so  doing  Genesis  l:26ff  supplies  an 
overarching  perspective  for  our  response  to 
human  hunger.  It  calls  us  to  something 
more  than  a  jumbled  collage  of  do-gooder 
actions.  It  calls  us  to  a  systemic  approach 
to  world  hunger,  an  approach  looking 
seriously  at  all  the  factors  bearing  on  the 
capacities  and  limitations  of  the  planet 
earth.  With  that  kind  of  perspective,  and 
with  a  vision  shaped  by  the  New  Testament 
texts  already  cited,  we  have  a  clear  indica- 
tion of  the  style  of  mission  God  expects 
from  us  in  the  midst  of  a  hungry  world. 


A, 


,11  of  this  bears  directly,  I  believe,  on 
the  kind  of  appeal  we  should  be  making  to 
one  another  in  terms  of  our  response  to 
world  hunger.  At  the  level  of  motivation 
and  strategy  alike,  the  biblical  witness  has 
something  to  say  to  us  as  Brethren. 

In  terms  of  motivation,  the  Bible  calls 
for  a  response  to  hunger  shaped  by  the 
good  news  of  liberation  rather  than  by 
asceticism,  moralism,  or  a  guilty  con- 
science. In  spite  of  the  fact  that  some  of  us 
could  well  profit  from  eating  less,  the 
biblical  message  does  not  call  us  to  an 
ascetic  denial  of  our  physical  appetites.  In 
spite  of  the  fact  that  moral  action  is 
necessary,  the  biblical  message  does  not 
call  us  to  respond  to  the  hungry  primarily 
out  of  a  sense  of  oughtness.  In  spite  of  the 
fact  that  we  need  to  judge  severely  our  in- 
sensitivity  and  our  overconsumption,  the 
biblical  message  does  not  call  us  to  respond 
out  of  our  guilt  but  rather  out  of  our 
wholeness.  The  appeal  to  act  which  the  Bi- 
ble commends  to  us  is  an  appeal  to  become 
partners  with  God  through  Christ  in  his 
program  to  feed  the  hungry.  And  that  is 
good  news — for  us  as  well  as  the  hungry. 


16  MESSENGER  January  1975 


In  terms  of  strategy,  the  Bible  calls  for  a 
response  to  hunger  that  moves  toward  a 
global  solution,  a  solution  which  goes 
beyond  local  efforts,  band-aid  activism, 
and  heroic  gestures.  This  follows,  I  believe, 
both  from  the  scope  of  liberation  which 
God  announces  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth  and 
from  the  scope  of  responsibility  assigned  to 
us  in  Genesis  I. 

So,  although  the  local  community  is  the 
most  immediate  arena  in  which  to  respond 
to  hunger  needs,  we  need  to  recognize  the 
interrelated ness  of  the  total  human  com- 
munity and  frame  our  actions  in  that  larger 
context.  Although  relief  programs  play  a 
vital  role  in  response  to  particular  famines 
and  shortages,  we  need  to  work  at  develop- 
ing a  new  style  of  activism  which  works  at 
solving  the  root  causes  of  food  shortages. 
Although  heroic  gestures  of  cutting  back 
our  consumption  provide  a  parabolic 
model  for  others  to  see,  we  need  to  work  at 
a  larger  strategy  effectively  interrelating  in- 
dividual, church,  governmental,  and  inter- 
national responses  to  the  food  crisis.  More 
specifically,  we  need  to  contribute  to  the 
development  of  a  global  strategy  which 
works  simultaneously  at  reducing  our  own 
food  consumption,  at  using  our  capacities 
for  production  to  meet  the  needs  of  others, 
and  at  stabilizing  population  growth  on  a 
worldwide  basis. 

The  writer  of  1  John  poses  a  question 
which  is  both  an  indictment  and  a 
challenge:  "If  any  one  has  the  world's 
goods  and  sees  his  brother  in  need,  yet 
closes  his  heart  against  him,  how  does 
God's  love  abide  in  him?"  (1  John  3:17). 
The  appropriate  response  to  that  question 
is  not  a  matter  of  words  but  a  matter  of 
life — a  life  which  manifests  the  love  of  God 
for  the  hungry  through  opening  ourselves 
to  the  needs  of  others.  As  those  already 
sharing  in  the  messianic  banquet,  we  ex- 
tend to  others  the  hope  proclaimed  by 
Second  Isaiah:  "Ho,  every  one  who 
thirsts,  come  to  the  waters;  and  he  who 
has  no  money,  come,  buy  and  eat!  Come, 
buy  wine  and  milk  without  money  and 
without  price!"  (Isa.  55:1).  D 


Vhat  we  do  or  do  not 
do  for  the  hungry,  we 
•  or  do  not  do  for  God 


January  1975  messenger  17 


by  Alma  Long 


"Aren't  you  going  to  eat  anything?"  Mrs. 
Hassell  asked  as  I  returned  with  only  a 
glass  of  water  from  the  food-laden  table  of 
the  band  potluck  supper  at  school. 

"I'm  fasting  today,"  I  said  simply. 

"Really!  Do  you  do  this  often?" 

"On  Thursdays." 

"Won't  you  get  hungry?  Don't  think  1 
ever  knew  anyone  who  did  that." 

Why  would  anyone  decide  to  fast?  What 
good  would  that  do? 

It  has  taken  five  years  to  find  out. 

"This  kind  cannot  be  driven  out  by 
anything  but  prayer  and  fasting"  (Mark 
9:29).  Although  these  words  had  been  read 
many  times  before,  this  time  they  jumped 
off  the  page  and  I  really  began  to  think 
seriously  about  the  verse.  Prayer  and  Bible 
study  had  been  a  daily  practice  . . .  but 
fasting?  Is  there  a  special  power  that  comes 
from  this  discipline?  What  does  the  Bible 
actually  say  about  it?  Why  observe  it  to- 
day, and  what  happens  when  this  discipline 
is  practiced? 

Both  the  natural  world  and  the  power  of 
God  within  have  been  my  intense  interests 
since  childhood.  Why  not  explore  this  per- 
sonally? It  may  prove  as  exciting  as 
hybridizing  irises  or  hunting  fossils  and 
maybe  as  rewarding.  Little  did  I  know  the 
blessings  that  await  this  pursuit. 

All  the  65  references  which  the  Bible 
listed  on  fasting  were  looked  up  as  daily 
devotions.  Studying  these  for  reasons  and 
results,  I  found  that  many  Old  Testament 
persons  and  groups  fasted  for  purification, 
in  grief,  and  while  seeking  the  will  of  God 
for  themselves,  their  nation  or  others,  often 
with  amazing  results  (David  in  2  Sam. 
12:16,  Nehemiah  in  Neh.  1:4,  Ahab  in  1 
Kings  21:27). 

Jesus  assumed  fasting,  he  did  not  deny 
it:  "When  ye  fast"  ...  not  if  {Luke  5:33-35). 
He  put  it  in  its  proper  place,  as  an  inside 
discipline  with  outer  as  well  as  inner 
results.  His  only  caution  was  that  one  be 
sincere  (Matt.  6:16). 

Moses,  Elijah  and  Jesus  fasted  40  days 
and  then  were  able  to  reveal  God  to  man  in 
new  and  meaningful  ways  (Ex.  34:28,  I 
Kings  19:8,  Matt.  4:2). 

Then  the  early  church  practiced  fasting 
before  commissioning  leaders,  or  seeking 
guidance.  "While  they  were  worshiping 
the  Lord  and  fasting,  the  Holy  Spirit  said, 
'Set  apart  for  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for 
the  work  to  which  I  have  called  them!' 
Then  after  fasting  and  praying  they  laid 

18  MESSENGER  January  1975 


FASTING 

A  ROAD  TO  DISCOVERY 


their  hands  on  them  and  sent  them  off 
(Acts  13:1-3).  "And  when  they  had  ap- 
pointed elders  for  them  in  every  church, 
with  prayer  and  fasting  they  committed 
them  to  the  Lord  in  whom  they  believed" 
(Acts  14:23).  Thus  fasting  was  an  impor- 
tant practice  and  method  at  crucial  times. 

Five  years  ago,  after  Bible  study  and 
prayer,  I  decided  to  try  this  discipline 
myself,  choosing  at  least  one  day  a  week  to 
go  without  solid  food.  And  on  occasion,  I 
have  fasted  with  family  and  friends  for 
longer  periods  for  special  causes. 

On  fast  days,  I  first  read  the  scriptures 
relating  to  food  for  meditation  and  I  found 
special  meaning  for  these  verses.  In  the 
beginning,  one  does  get  hungry  . . .  eating  is 
a  habit.  Soon  it  became  apparent  to  me 
just  how  food-oriented  our  society  really  is. 
Food  is  so  much  a  symbol  that  once  one 
puts  food  in  its  proper  place,  other 
desires — for  material  possessions,  power, 
selfishness — find  their  place  as  lesser 
priorities.  Much  of  the  body's  energy  is 
used  to  digest  and  assimilate  food.  Fasting 
frees  this  energy  to  be  used  in  other  areas 
of  mind  and  spirit. 

Two  years  ago,  I  wondered  if  fasting  was 
just  becoming  a  habit  or  ritual.  Having  had 
the  freedom  to  fast,  now  I  needed  the 
freedom  noi  to.  So  I  skipped  a  week  and 
found  what  Jesus  said  to  be  true:  "I  have 
food  to  eat  of  which  you  do  not  know" 
(John  4:32).  "My  food  is  to  do  the  will  of 
Him  who  sent  me,  and  to  accomplish  his 
work"  (John  4:34).  "Man  shall  not  live  by 
bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  pro- 
ceeds from  the  mouth  of  God"  (Matt.  4:4). 

Strange  as  it  may  seem  it  is  difficult  to 
tell  what  fasting  really  does.  It  is  a  per- 
sonal, nonverbal  reality  that  must  be  ex- 
perienced. How  can  anyone  relate  how  it 
feels  to  be  a  parent  for  the  first  time?  Or 
describe  the  serenity  of  soul  as  one  sees 


the  sun  set?  Somehow  words  spoil  it.  It 
happens  slowly,  like  a  caterpillar  becoming 
a  butterfly.  Suddenly,  one  day  I  noticed 
one  or  more  of  these  truths: 

—  Food  is  no  longer  a  temptation,  on 
fast  day  or  other  times. 

— One  is  seldom  hungry;  less  food  is  re- 
quired to  sustain  one. 

—  Although  food  is  not  craved,  it  tastes 
better  when  eaten.  (Corn  on  the  cob  in 
season  continued  a  challenge  for  a  long 
time!) 

—  Body  processes  are  slowed  down; 
heart  beat  and  breath  rate  are  decreased; 
one  is  more  relaxed  and  less  keyed  up,  uses 
less  energy,  requires  less  sleep. 

—  One  has  more  energy  on  fast  days  and 
often  is  more  rested  at  the  end  of  a  day  of 
fasting  than  at  its  beginning. 

— There  is  an  energy  from  other  than 
food  that  sustains.  Jesus'  words,  "I  am  the 
bread  of  life;  he  who  comes  to  me  shall  not 
hunger,  and  he  who  believes  in  me  shall 
never  thirst"  (John  6:35)  are  experienced 
afresh. 

— One  has  more  patience  and  is  more 
serene. 

—  It  is  easier  to  let  others  excel;  there  is 
less  need  to  compete  with  others. 

— One  comes  "to  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth"  (2  Tim.  2:4)  because  "When  the 
Spirit  of  truth  comes,  he  will  guide  you 
into  all  the  truth"  (John  16:13). 

—  One  can  feel  with  others  more  easily; 
"Rejoice  with  those  who  rejoice,  weep  with 
those  who  weep"  (Rom.  12:15). 

— One  sees  oneself  more  clearly,  loses 
one's  temper  less,  is  less  harried. 

—  Ideas  come  more  clearly  and  concise- 
ly. One  knows  where  the  needs  are  and 
better  how  to  let  the  Spirit  be  used  to  meet 
them. 

—  Scripture  and  the  words  of  Jesus 
become  clearer  with  study;  prayer  is  more 


personal,  a  constant  communion. 

— One  sees  one's  sins  more  clearly — the 
secret  ones — and  knows  they  must  be  dealt 
with  openly  and  honestly  if  the  Spirit  is  to 
flow  through  to  others  and  one  is  to  have 
peace  within  oneself. 

— Somehow,  fasting  brings  a  new  sen- 
sitivity, an  added  dimension,  a  more  lively 
awareness  that  cannot  be  explained. 

The  above  are  results,  not  reasons  how 
and  why.  How  does  a  butterfly  tell  you 
how  it  came  to  be?  Given  the  right  con- 
ditions, growth  and  new  life  take  place.  We 
experience  what  "Behold,  I  make  all  things 
new"  (Rev.  21:5)  means,  because  we  find  it 
happening  in  and  through  us.  A  kind  of 
metamorphosis  transforms  us. 

Fasting  does  not  eliminate  problems. 
One  still  has  them.  It  was  after  Jesus  had 
fasted  that  the  devil  tempted  him,  but  he 
had  the  power  to  resist  then.  The  change 
occurs  more  inside  than  out.  Suddenly,  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  about  attitudes  and 
motives  comes  clearly  into  focus.  It 
sharpens  the  spiritual  tone.  One  sees  sins 
now  which  one  never  knew  existed  before, 
not  because  they  were  not  there  before,  but 
in  growing  toward  God,  one  realizes  how 
unholy  one  is.  He  sees  why  Isaiah  could 
say,  "Woe  is  me!  For  I  am  lost;  for  I  am  a 
man  of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell  in  the 
midst  of  a  people  of  unclean  lips;  for  my 
eyes  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts" 
(Isaiah  6:5). 

More  miracles  are  made  manifest  on  fast 
day:  healings  of  body,  mind,  and  spirit  oc- 
cur. The  knotty  problems  of  life  somehow 
are  solved.  Relationships  are  more  real. 
Pretense  is  more  easily  put  away.  Compas- 
sion becomes  more  complete. 

Fasting  helps  unmask  us  to  see  our- 
selves as  we  are,  and  God  as  he  is.  Fasting 
helps  purge  impurities.  The  physical  body 
can  clean  itself  of  poisons,  and  rebuild. 
The  mind  can  clean  out  its  clutter,  and 
the  spirit  is  set  free  to  accomplish  its 
purposes. 

Someone  may  say,  "Surely,  fasting  didn't 
make  that  much  difference!"  All  I  can  say 
is  this:  "I  know  that  I'm  different  now.  It 
hadn't  happened  before."  I  was  my  own 
"control"  in  this  experiment.  I  had  not  then 
read  any  of  the  more  popular  books  on 
fasting  (God's  Chosen  Fast  by  Wallis, 
Rational  Fasting  by  Ehret,  Journal  of  a 
Fast  by  Smith,  Restoration  Through 
Fasting  by  Prince,  Fasting — A  Neglected 
Discipline  by  Smith)  or  really  talked  with 


anyone  who  had  had  personal  experience 
with  this  discipline.  However,  in  reading 
more  recently  in  this  area  and  discussing  it 
with  others,  including  our  son  Doyle  who 
had  experienced  a  100-day  liquid  fast,  I 
find  most  of  my  experiences  parallel  those 
of  others  who  have  attempted  fasting  as  a 
discipline. 

This  experiment  was  not  begun  to  prove 
something  to  anyone  else,  but  to  find  for 
myself  what  the  values  of  fasting  actually 
were. 

The  purpose  of  this  sharing  is  not  to 
convince  anyone,  because  I've  found  when 
we  try  to  convince  another,  that  is  the  very 
time  we  can't.  It  is  when  we  state  simply 
where  we  are  and  let  others  choose  for 
themselves,  when  we  don't  try  to  convince, 
that  others  choose  for  themselves  what  is 
most  convincing. 

To  me  fasting  is  part  of  a  process:  one 
segment  of  a  continuum  of  spiritual  seek- 
ing. Spiritual  healing  and  the  miracles  of 
Jesus  have  been  a  continuing  interest  and 
area  of  exploration  since  childhood.  In- 
tercessory prayer  was  studied  in  depth,  dis- 
cussed, and  practiced  with  college  friends. 
Later  while  teaching  public  school,  when 
classroom  discipline  became  a  problem,  it 
was  revealed  to  me  that  it  was  because  I 
lacked  self-discipline  and  inner  serenity. 
Then  followed  the  decision  to  arise  each 
morning  before  the  family  for  personal 
devotions — a  practice  that  has  continued 
for  over  15  years.  This  provided  opportun- 
ity to  pray,  to  study  the  scriptures  and 
writings  of  saints  and  seekers,  and  to  in- 
vestigate Christian  doctrine,  principles,  and 
practices.  As  the  Spirit  led,  new  areas  have 
been  explored.  So  fasting  has  been  just  one 
interest,  the  others  paving  the  way  for  the 
discipline  required  for  this  undertaking. 

Hebrews  12  was  an  incentive  and  points 
up  the  need  for  discipline  if  one  is  to 
become  a  disciple  of  our  Lord:  "My  son, 
do  not  regard  lightly  the  discipline  of  the 
Lord. . . .  For  the  Lord  disciplines  him 

whom  he  loves It  is  for  discipline  that 

you  have  to  endure. ...  He  disciplines  us 
for  our  good,  that  we  may  share  his 
holiness.  For  the  moment  all  discipline 
seems  painful  rather  than  pleasant;  later  it 
yields  the  peaceful  fruit  of  righteousness  to 
those  who  have  been  trained  by  it"  (Heb. 
12:5-7,  10,  II). 

The  decision  to  fast  is  a  very  personal 
one  and  needs  study,  discipline,  and  com- 
mitment if  it  is  to  become  the  blessing  it 


can  be;  one  must  seek  the  leading  of  the 
Spirit.  An  extended  fast  requires  prepara- 
tion and  study  of  what  happens  inside  the 
body  as  it  cleanses  itself.  Also  one  learns 
how  to  go  into  and  off  a  longer  fast,  which 
is  very  important. 

Is  there  a  relationship  between  one  per- 
son's decision  to  fast  and  the  wider  out- 
reaches  of  the  kingdom?  Can  feeling  the 
need  for  food  help  us  relate  to  the  hungry 
of  our  world? 

Can  we  be  made  actively  aware  of  the 
beatitude,  "Blessed  are  those  who  hunger 
and  thirst  for  righteousness"  (Matt.  5:6)  if 
we  have  never  really  felt  hungry  or  thirsty? 
Or  realize  what  a  blessing  it  is  to  be  filled 
once  we  have  been  empty? 

World  conditions  may  soon  demand  that 
we  eat  less.  Fasting  points  a  new  direction 
for  Brethren  who  historically  have  prided 
ourselves  for  our  food-laden  tables. 

What  could  happen  in  our  homes, 
churches,  communities  if,  after  prayer  and 
fasting,  we  as  individuals: 

—  became  less  hooked  on  food  and  ate 
less  at  home  and  at  church  functions,  thus 
freeing  food  and  money  for  the  famine 
areas  of  the  world? 

— could  become  aware  in  a  real  way 
what  hunger  is  all  about,  giving  us  a 
chance  to  tighten  our  belts  and  take  up  the 
towel? 

—  took  seriously  Matt.  18,  admitted  our 
pride  and  came  clean  with  God  and  each 
other? 

—  became  sensitive  to  the  joys,  sorrows, 
and  needs  of  our  brothers  and  sisters? 

— would  spend  more  time  in  silence,  so 
the  seeds  of  the  soul  could  sprout? 

— could  choose  our  priorities,  and  let  the 
simple  life  become  manifest  among  us? 

— allowed  Christ  and  his  message  for 
our  day  to  become  incarnate  in  us? 

Fasting  is  one  way  to  the  Way.  The 
method  dare  not  become  an  end:  only  God 
and  Christ  should  be.  I  have  found  prayer 
and  fasting  effective  in  opening  the  way  to 
"the  way,  the  truth  and  the  life"  (John 
14:6),  and  found  renewed  freedom  and  a 
greater  understanding  of  who  Christ  is  and 
why  he  came  to  earth  and  what  my  role  is 
as  one  of  his  followers. 

Fasting  is  not  new.  It  is  a  time-tested 
practice  that  continues  to  be  a  blessing.  I've 
looked  at  things  from  both  sides  now,  and 
can  say  that  fasting  is  one  road  I  am  glad  I 
was  led  to  travel  because  it  has  opened 
vistas  I  may  never  have  seen  otherwise.  □ 


January  1975  messenger  19 


by  Anita  Smith  Buckwalter 


BANGLADESH 


SOYBEANS  AND  DISCIPLESHIP 


"Bangladesh?  Where's  that?"  or  "Why  are 
you  going  there?"  were  the  two  most  fre- 
quent responses  we  heard  from  friends  and 
acquaintances  who  discovered  we  were 
traveling  there.  For  us  the  answers  were 
simple  in  contrast  to  the  explanations 
necessary  when  Duane  and  Ramona  Smith 
Moore  decided  to  spend  three  years  in  this 
new  little  country  located  east  of  the  sub- 
continent of  India  and  at  the  northern  edge 
of  the  Bay  of  Bengal. 

Bangladesh — topographically  a  delta, 
climatologically  tropical,  economically 
destitute,  politically  inexperienced,  and 
humanly  a  struggle  for  survival  against 
heat,  mildew,  insects,  and  disease — is  not 
exactly  a  vacation  paradise,  much  less  a 
place  to  work  for  three  years.  Located  half 
way  around  the  world  from  home  in  In- 
diana, it  seemed  very  far  away  to  those  of 
us  who  were  family  and  close  friends  of 

20  MESSENGER  January  1975 


Ramona  and  Duane.  But  they  did  go — 
accepting  a  call  from  the  Mennonite  Cen- 
tral Committee  and  support  by  Church  of 
the  Brethren  World  Ministries,  to  serve  as 
agronomist  and  nutritionist  in  the  Land  of 
Bengal. 

Through  tapes,  letters  and  slides  they 
had  attempted  to  interpret  their  ex- 
periences, bridge  the  physical  distance  and 
thus  fill  the  emotional  void  we  all  felt.  But 
we  wanted  more  and  so  18  months  after 
Ramona  and  Duane  left  we  followed  them, 
eager  to  embrace  them  again  and  anxious 
(in  both  senses  of  the  word)  to  see,  smell, 
hear,  taste,  and  touch  their  new  environ- 
ment. 

On  location  and  now  half-way  through 
their  term,  Ramona  and  Duane  again 
reflected  with  us  on  the  "why?"  question 
(by  this  time  we  were  certain  about  where 
Bangladesh  was).  They  came  to  Bangladesh 


for  adventure,  and  to  gain  a  better  un- 
derstanding of  what  life  is  like  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  especially  the  Third 
World.  Their  country  choice  grew  out  of  a 
curiosity  and  interest  in  Asia,  fostered  by 
reading  Edgar  Snow  and  making  Asian 
friends  at  Purdue  University.  They  also 
had  a  desire  to  serve  people  with  "no 
strings  attached — political  or  ideological." 

At  present,  Duane  and  Ramona  feel 
motivated  and  supported  by  a  sense  of  be- 
ing part  of  some  larger  goal  that  goes 
beyond  their  daily  activities,  beyond  the 
project  aims,  and  beyond  their  own  lives. 
During  the  three  weeks  we  lived  with  them, 
we  participated  in  these  three  areas  of  their 
experience. 

The  goal  for  the  Bangladesh  unit  is  to 
work  toward  the  development  of 
nutritional  self-sufficiency  through  winter 
crop  diversification.  During  the  four- 


At  left.  Ramona  and 
Duane  Moore  publish 
Bangladesh  Soybean 
Newsletter  to  promote 
widespread  use  of  the 
native    Asian    legume. 

At  right,  the  Moores 
and  co-worker  Mark 
Blosser  introduce  new 
produce    to    Bengalis. 

Below,  Duane  and  vil- 
lage extension  workers 
examine  a  demonstra- 
tion plot  of  soybeans. 


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i'Hi 

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'-irVSf 

1 

H^i  .'j 

month  summer  rainy  season  80  percent  of 
the  fertile  farmland  of  the  country  is  in  use, 
mostly  in  rice  production.  Assuming  there 
are  no  natural  disasters,  this  provides  a 
minimal  supply  of  food  for  the  country. 

However,  in  a  land  where  hand-to- 
mouth  existence  is  the  norm,  a  situation 
such  as  this  past  summer's  extra  high  water 
level  quickly  results  in  famine.  In  addition 
to  increased  food  production,  non- 
industrialized  Bangladesh  also  needs 
agricultural  products  for  foreign  exchange. 
I  In  spite  of  this  obvious  need  for  increased 
agricultural  production  only  10  percent  of 
the  land  is  cultivated  during  the  other  two- 
thirds  of  the  year — the  dry  winter  season. 

There  are  several  factors  for  the  land 

remaining  idle  through  most  of  the  year. 

Many  farmers  don't  know  how  to  grow 

:  anything  but  rice  and  believe  nothing  can 

a  be  grown  without  a  large  quantity  of  water. 


To  dispel  this  idea  the  unit  of  volunteers 
has  cultivated  successful  demonstration 
plots  of  corn,  wheat,  vegetables,  sorghum, 
sunflowers,  and  soybeans  during  the  dry 
season.  When  additional  water  was  needed, 
the  many  rivers  and  canals  provided  irriga- 
tion supplies.  Still  some  farmers  feel  they 
have  worked  enough  after  two  rice  crops 
and  are  satisfied  to  get  by  on  their  present 
harvest  until  the  next  rainy  season.  Also 
the  mechanics  of  a  widespread  irrigation 
network  are  yet  to  be  established.  There 
are  many  irrigation  pumps  sitting  idle  in 
warehouses  due  to  lack  of  personnel  to  in- 
stall them,  and  lack  of  fuel  to  operate 
them. 

For  their  part  of  the  project  goal,  the 
Moores'  interests  and  expertise  have  led 
them  to  concentrate  primarily  on  soybeans. 
They  began  working  with  soybeans  rather 
than  other  indigenous  grams  and  pulses  for 


two  reasons.  First  of  all,  soybeans  grown  in 
Bangladesh  are  very  high  yielding — twice 
the  amount  of  the  same  seed  grown  in  the 
US.  Secondly  there  is  an  abundance  of  in- 
formation regarding  the  cultivation, 
prevention  of  diseases,  and  processing  of 
soybeans  which  is  based  on  extensive 
agricultural  research  with  the  crop. 

In  addition  to  the  agricultural  potential 
of  soybeans  in  Bangladesh,  Duane  and 
Ramona  feel  soybeans  also  have  high 
nutritional  and  industrial  potential  in  the 
country.  Nutritionally  soybeans  are  high  in 
carbohydrates  and  protein,  both  in- 
gredients deficient  in  the  average  Bengali 
diet.  From  an  economic  standpoint,  in- 
dustry built  on  processing  soybeans  for  oil 
and  other  products  would  provide  in- 
creased employment  and  a  broader  base 
for  the  economy.  Bangladesh  currently  im- 
ports 70  percent  of  its  cooking  oil  which 

January  1975  messenger  21 


The  Moores  with  two  other  Brethren  volun- 
teers in  Bangladesh.  Mildred  and  Ralph 
Townsend.  a  nurse  and  a  dairy  consultant. 


severely  drains  its  supply  of  foreign  ex- 
change. It  is  because  of  this  oil  shortage 
that  soybeans  were  first  introduced  in 
Bangladesh. 

Following  the  "liberation  war"  US  AID 
shipped  quantities  of  soybean  oil  as  part  of 
its  relief  program.  This  oil  was  distributed 
in  sealed  tins  from  government  ration 
shops  and  people  came  to  trust  its  quality 
over  that  of  the  local  mustard  oils  which 
were  frequently  adulterated  to  increase  the 
supply.  It  was  in  this  climate  of  high  in- 
terest in  soybeans  that  the  Moores  began 
their  work. 

Duane  and  Ramona  have  planted  their 
own  demonstration  plots  and  helped  local 
farmers  learn  to  plant  and  cultivate  the 
crop.  They  also  have  distributed  seed  kits 
and  information  to  primary  school 
teachers,  other  foreign  voluntary  agencies, 
local  agricultural  agencies  and  Bengali 
research  people.  The  seed  kits  contain 
several  varieties  of  soybean  seed,  in- 
noculum,  planting  instructions,  and  a  data 
sheet  for  recording  procedure  and  results. 
This  data  sheet  provides  feedback  for  the 
Moores  to  evaluate  which  people  really  are 
interested  as  well  as  how  well  soybeans 
yield  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 

During  the  last  six  months  Ramona  and 
Duane  have  traveled  widely  distributing 
seed  kits,  giving  slide  lectures  and 
demonstrations  on  the  cultivation  and  use 
of  soybeans,  and  making  follow-up  visits  to 
places  already  growing  soybeans.  While 
they  have  been  encouraged  by  requests  for 
more  seed,  they  have  discovered  a  lack  of 
knowledge  about  the  cultivation  and 
processing  of  soybeans.  This  need  has  led 
to  the  publication  of  the  Bangladesh  Soy- 
bean Newsletter,  which  for  many  areas  of 

22  MESSENGER  January  1975 


the  country  is  the  prime  or  only  source  of 
information  about  soybeans.  Through  the 
newsletter,  the  Moores  also  hope  to  coor- 
dinate the  soybean  work  being  done  in 
Bangladesh  and  to  encourage  cooperation 
and  sharing  of  information  among  the  peo- 
ple and  agencies  involved  in  this  work. 

Ramona  and  Duane  have  done  a  lot  of 
experimenting  with  soybeans  as  food.  They 
have  used  the  whole  beans  in  preparation 
of  such  Bengali  staples  as  dhal  and  curry. 
They  have  also  worked  with  local  equip- 
ment to  find  methods  by  which  Bengalis 
can  easily  make  their  own  soyflour  and 
soymilk.  They  then  experimented  with  us- 
ing soyflour  in  the  preparation  of  local 
breads  such  as  chapatties,  parathas,  and 
puries.  The  results  of  these  experiments  are 
being  published  in  a  Bangladesh  Soybean 
Cookbook  edited  by  Ramona.  Further 
testing  of  the  recipes  has  been  done  by  a 
Bengali  couple,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sarkar,  who 
prepared  all  of  the  new  foods  in  their  home 
in  Dacca.  They  made  helpful  suggestions 
and  recommendations  for  making  the 
recipes  more  practical  for  the  average 
Bengali. 

In  addition  to  researching  and 
promoting  soybeans,  Duane  and  Ramona 
have  been  involved  in  packaging  and  dis- 
tributing seed  kits  for  the  winter  vegetable 
program.  Ramona  has  written  several 
pamphlets  which  were  included  in  these 
kits.  One  article  explained  vitamins  and 
vegetables  and  why  they  are  important. 
Another  explained  methods  for  nutritional 
preparation  of  foods,  such  as  not  using  too 
much  water  or  cooking  longer  than 
necessary.  A  third  article  charted  the  com- 
parative nutritional  value  of  a  wide  variety 
of  vegetables. 

Ramona  has  attempted  to  work  with 
village  women  in  nutrition  programs,  but 
in  the  conservative  Bengali  society  she 
often  finds  such  contacts  difficult  and 
frustrating.  Many  Bengali  Moslems  prac- 
tice purdah,  in  which  women  must  be 
veiled  in  public  and  many  never  leave  their 
own  compounds.  To  help  her  bridge  this 
cultural  gap  Ramona  has  hired  a  Bengali 
woman,  a  Catholic,  who  has  helped  carry 
out  a  limited  kitchen  gardening  program 
with  some  women  even  though  gardening 
is  traditionally  not  women's  work. 
Ramona's  co-worker  has  also  been  in- 
strumental in  conducting  a  small 
nutritional  survey  of  local  dietary  practices 
and  beliefs. 

In  the  midst  of  cultural  differences  and 
yet  similar  human  needs  and  desires. 


Ramona  and  Duane  continually  struggle 
with  how  to  respond  to  the  problem  of  be- 
ing white  among  dark-skinned  people  and 
of  being  wealthy  and  powerful  when  com- 
pared to  Bengalis  and  other  Third  World 
peoples.  The  cultural-economic  discrepan- 
cy is  hard  to  deal  with  but  it  is  further  in- 
tensified in  light  of  Christian  respon- 
sibilities. In  their  searching  for  answers  the 
New  Testament  and  the  writings  of  Gandhi 
have  provided  inspiration  and  direction. 
They  are  committed  to  finding  a  life-style 
which  witnesses  to  Christian  love  and 
justice  for  the  world.  ] 

Last  spring  their  search  led  in  the  direc-  I 
tion  of  radically  reducing  their  personal 
consumption  as  the  best  way  to  respond  to 
worldwide  inequities  of  resources  and  the 
resulting  starvation.  So  they  approximated 
the  living  conditions  of  middle  class 
Bengalis  in  Dacca.  But  they  were  not 
satisfied  with  this  response  to  the  dilemma. 
They  discovered  they  were  spending  all 
their  time  just  trying  physically  to  survive. 
Although  they  had  reduced  their  consump- 
tion they  felt  they  were  making  little  im- 
pact on  the  total  problem. 

The  Moores  came  to  feel  they  could  con- 
tribute more  to  reducing  world  hunger  by 
sharing  their  skills  in  agronomy  and  nutri- 
tion even  though  it  meant  spending  more 
money  to  hire  Bengalis  to  cook  and  do 
household  maintenance.  Now,  even  though 
their  life-style  is  much  simpler  and  less 
technological  than  the  average  American's, 
it  is  still  upper  class  by  Bengali  standards. 
So  they  continue  to  struggle  with  the 
dilemma. 

As  we  discussed  this  dilemma  Ramona 
and  Duane  challenged  us  to  search  also.  "If 
America  was  morally  right,  much  of  the 
physical  problems  elsewhere  wouldn't  exist. 
Do  you  realize  that  one  American  child 
consumes  as  much  as  six  children  here?" 
That  really  changes  the  whole  population 
control  discussion.  The  population 
problem  (control)  in  the  Third  World  is 
directly  related  to  the  consumption 
problem  (control)  in  the  First  World. 

As  Christians  we  are  called  to  examine 
closely  our  values,  life-style  and  use  of  the 
world's  resources.  We  need  to  be  sensitive 
and  alert  so  that  our  giving  to  foreign  relief 
is  only  part  of  our  response  to  world  need. 
Many  times  we  can  make  the  most  effective 
witness  in  our  home  communities.  We  need 
to  be  cautious  that  giving  our  money  is  not 
an  easy  way  to  soothe  our  consciences  and 
avoid  taking  a  hard  look  from  a  global 
perspective  at  our  everyday  lives.  □ 


HOMESmUMNG 

ONE    FAMILY'S    ALTERNATIVE    LIFE-STYLE 


by  Bonnie  J.  Hollis 


Harold  (Tim)  and  Grace  Lefever  have 
homesteaded  in  Spring  Grove,  Pa., 
southwest  of  York,  for  some  20  years. 
Their  hfe-style  embodies  the  current  im- 
pulse of  many  young  adults  to  choose  the 
"simple  life,"  one  which  is  less  complicated 
in  its  relationship  to  the  world  and  in  its 
social  competitiveness  than  has  been 
characteristic  of  Americans  for  decades. 


Ironically,  as  more  and  more  people 
realize  the  merits  of  less  involvement  in 
frenetic,  consumptive  social  striving,  the 
lives  of  Tim  and  Grace  grow  more  com- 
plex. Theirs  is  not  only  a  life-style  which 
they  find  gratifying  but  one  which  they 
eagerly  share  with  others. 

With  farsightedness,  a  love  for  the  land 
and  an  advocacy  for  the  natural  process  of 

January  1975  messenger  23 


composting  and  recycling,  the  couple 
provides  a  workable  alternative  to  a  world 
which  is  rapidly  exhausting  its  resources. 
Their  experience  and  their  profession  of 
the  simple  life  make  them  professors  for  a 
new  generation. 

Grace  and  Tim  grew  up  in  York.  Their 
grandparents  were  farmers,  so  life  on  the 
farm  did  not  seem  at  all  alien  to  them.  Tim 
explains  that  they  are  homesteaders  and 
not  farmers,  however.  "We  make  our  lives 
on  the  farm  but  we  do  not  make  our  living 
by  farming." 

Both  are  college  graduates,  but  formal 
education  is  of  dubious  value  to  the  couple 
and  they  clearly  discourage  their  five 
children  from  advanced  schooling.  They 
believe  in  self-help  and  learning  by  doing. 
Tim  points  to  a  vivid  example  of  the  prin- 
ciple. 

"Our  helpers  are  people  who  want  to  get 
out  of  the  rat  race,"  he  relates.  "One  man 
completed  four  years  in  agricultural  studies 
and  then  came  here  to  learn." 

Evangelists  for  the  inherent  value  of  a 
prudent  approach  to  nature,  Tim  and 
Grace  welcome  visitors  to  their  home 
where  one  sees  that  morality  is  partially 
defined  in  terms  of  diligence  and  a 
carefulness  not  to  waste. 

The  Lefevers  tell  about  the  flow  of  re- 
quests they  receive  from  individuals  who 
have  visited  the  farm  or  who  have  read  or 
heard  about  its  success.  Others  want  to 
learn  homesteading,  in  an  effort  to  return 
to  nature.  "We  welcome  them,"  Tim  says. 
"The  only  thing  we  ask  is  that  they  work  as 
hard  as  we  do." 

The  order  is  a  big  one  and  Tim  ap- 
parently realizes  that  few  people  will  match 
his  ingenuity  or  his  energy.  Nevertheless, 
the  welcome  stands  and  future 
homesteaders  come  and  go  on  the  Lefever 
property,  working  and  learning. 

As  generous  as  they  are  with  their  land, 
so  they  are  with  its  produce.  They  manage 
a  health  food  store  which  has  a  reputation 
for  being  the  busiest  in  the  area  and  the 
least  expensive.  The  store  is  another  exam- 
ple of  the  family's  persistent  campaign  for 
proper  diets  and  a  judicious  use  of  the 
land. 

Grace  says  that  profit  making  is  an- 
tithetical to  their  chosen  life-style.  The 
Lefevers  do  not  support  many  of  the 
government's  spending  practices  and  the 
family's  desire  to  keep  their  living  at  a  sub- 
sistence level  has  a  concurrent  advantage. 
Seldom  have  they  had  to  pay  income  taxes, 
one  yardstick  by  which  they  measure  their 


own  success  as  homesteaders. 

The  Lefevers  call  their  60  acres  of  land 
Sonnewald  Homestead,  Sonnewald  being 
the  Pennsylvania  Dutch  word  for  Sunny 
Woods.  The  Amish  and  the  Mennonite  as 
well  as  several  Brethren  congregations  have 
concentrated  in  the  area.  All  of  them  are 
denominations  which  historically  have  af- 
firmed the  simple  life. 

James  Poling  is  pastor  of  West  York 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  the  Lefever's 
church  home.  Grace  is  a  song  leader  and 
the  resource  to  whom  Pastor  Poling  went 
for  his  recent  message  about  world  hunger. 

The  Lefevers  care  about  the  world  and 
about  the  hungry  people  of  other  countries 
as  well  as  for  those  in  the  United  States. 
They  believe,  however,  that  our  American 
greed  as  well  as  our  wastefulness  is  a  good 
deal  to  blame  for  the  poverty  which  exists. 
After  talking  with  the  couple,  one  feels  that 
satisfaction  with  what  one  can  cultivate  is 
more  ethical  than  the  constant  desire  to 
have  more. 

"Our  system  is  pretty  well  devoid  of 
morality,"  Tim  asserts.  "A  few  choices  is 
more  human  than  a  lot  of  choices." 

Tim  defines  human  by  characterizing  the 
socialist  society  as  a  "giving"  populace,  the 
capitalist  as  "getting"  and  the  human  as 
"earning." 

"No  society  is  any  good  if  it  doesn't  have 
a  high  degree  of  earning,"  he  declares. 

As  models  of  that  philosophy,  the 
Lefevers  work  together  and  for  each  other. 
The  gardener  sometimes  becomes  the  food 
packer  and  the  meal  planner.  Whatever  has 
to  be  done  is  done  by  whoever  is  available 
to  do  it.  Meat  is  not  often  included  in 
meals  but  when  it  is,  it  is  steam  cooked  and 
is  from  animals  they  have  raised 
themselves. 

The  one  modern  convenience  which 
Grace  says  the  family  would  not  want  to 
do  without  is  the  blender.  At  least  once  a 
day,  the  homesteaders  "drink  their  weeds," 
which  Grace  advocates  for  health  and  well 
being.  The  "green  drink"  varies  according 
to  which  weeds  are  available  but  a  typical 
recipe  includes  two  cups  of  unsweetened 
pineapple  juice  or  fresh  apple  cider.  The 
Lefevers  freeze  cider  made  from  their  own 
apples  so  they  always  have  it  on  hand. 

To  the  juice,  the  cook  of  the  day  adds 
alfalfa  water  drained  from  soaking  alfalfa 
sprouts  or  enough  water  to  total  four  cups 
of  liquid.  One  organically  grown  lemon  in- 
cluding seeds  and  peel  is  added  to  the  mix- 
ture in  the  blender.  Six  pitted  dates,  six 
almonds,  a  tablespoon  each  of  sunflower 


seeds,  pumpkin  seeds,  sesame  seeds,  and 
chia  seeds  and  the  combination  is  ready  foi 
a  variety  of  greens. 

A  novice  will  need  some  education  to 
determine  which  weeds  are  edible  and 
which  are  poisonous  but  Grace  may  use 
such  greens  as  celery  leaves,  beet  leaves, 
carrot  tops,  endive,  escarole,  spinach,  kale 
dandelion,  swiss  chard,  strawberry,  or 
violet  leaves,  and  chickweed.  The  flavor 
may  be  different  each  day  as  herbs  such  as 
thyme,  rosemary,  oregano,  savory,  or  j 

fennel  may  be  added.  1 

Grace  was  an  assistant  director  of 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service  when  she  met 
Tim  who  was  a  widower  with  three 
children  and  who  was  already  convinced 
that  organic  farming  was  superior  to  so-       , 
called  modern  farming  techniques  which 
resulted  in  "adulterated"  produce.  It  was  19  ) 
years  ago  that  Grace  says  her  husband  in- 
fluenced her  to  change  her  life-style.  She 
believes  without  question  that  their  dietary  . 


Low  gluten  grain  bread  rolls  in  process. 
Grace  speaking  at  1973  Annual  Conference. 


24  MESSENGER  January  1975 


habits  lead  to  a  better  balanced  and  more 
natural  life  cycle. 

A  missionary  for  "restoration  of  real  life 
to  our  bodies,"  Grace  says,  "I  feel  1  want  to 
share  with  others  as  we  seek  God's  vital 
harmony.  We  need  to  obey  God's  laws,  for 
we  are  what  we  eat  and  what  goes  into  our 
bodies." 

Because  she  is  convinced  that  people  will 
support  production  of  organic  food  once 
they  are  educated  to  its  merits,  she  fre- 
quently speaks  to  college  audiences,  com- 
ipunity  groups,  church  groups,  and  visitors 
Ijto  the  family  health  store.  Every  few  days, 
she  also  takes  groups  on  "weed  walks"  to 
teach  recognition  of  edible  greens. 

The  schedule  has  led  to  a  complicated 
li\ing  which  she  and  Tim  both  say  they 
vvant  to  simplify  as  much  as  possible.  Food 
preparation  is  kept  easy.  Apparel  and 
home  furnishings  are  kept  to  a  minimum. 

Two  mottos  characterize  Grace's 
jhilosophy.  "Use  it  up.  Wear  it  out.  Make 


it  do.  Or  do  without."  The  other  was 
coined  by  T.  Wayne  Rieman  in  his  recent 
Messenger  plea  for  the  simple  life.  That 
motto,  "Caring — Sparing — Sharing"  is 
posed  in  the  Lefever  home  where  the  fami- 
ly frequently  entertains  and  evangelizes 
visitors. 

"We  have  to  re-educate  our  whole  selves 
including  our  taste  buds,"  Grace  asserts, 
and  part  of  the  re-education  is  the  self- 
sacrifice  which  comes  with  not  eating  at  all. 
Fasting,  she  advocates,  is  essential  for 
"cleaning  the  inside  as  well  as  the  outside 
of  the  body."  Her  own  goals  prompt  her  to 
fast  approximately  one  day  a  week  and 
periodically  for  longer  intervals. 

Among  Grace's  suggested  changes  in 
diet  are  the  sprouting  of  grains  for  con- 
sumption, in  one's  own  kitchen.  She 
says  an  alfalfa  sprout  is  "the  father  of 
all  foods"  because  of  its  high  mineral, 
vitamin  and  protein  content.  "Alfalfa 
is  the  most  perfect  green  we 


Cheese  sliced  by  Nancy,  fruits  and  vegetables  become  fare  for  family  and  guests.   Tim 
[hecks    temperature    of  compost    designed    by    son    Dan.     The    solar    heated   home. 


#^^i:^ 

4 

•    'T  ifBa—if" 

r^!<^  ^M 

gij 

^->  , 

i 

t"'" "  ^ 

can  get,"  Grace  notes  and  adds  that 
nuts  in  their  natural,  unoiled  and  un- 
roasted  forms  are  likewise  conducive  to 
physical  well-being.  Kelp  seaweed,  she 
suggests,  should  be  used  as  a  substitute  for 
salt. 

As  convinced  as  the  Lefevers  are  about 
the  merits  of  their  own  dietary  habits  and 
of  their  campaign  for  other  food  producers 
to  return  to  natural  cycles  of  growth,  their 
advocacy  is  not  an  easy  one. 

Finding  grain  producers  who  grow  their 
crops  organically  rather  than  witli  synthetic 
fertilizers  and  insect  sprays  takes  some 
searching.  Similarly,  pure  water  necessary 
for  soaking  grains  is  not  always  readily 
available. 

The  health  food  advocates  believe  a 
return  to  the  soil  as  God  intended  is  possi- 
ble, although,  they  say,  as  our  bodies  need 
cleansing  from  misuse,  so  must  the  land. 
Grace  suggests  that  as  a  beginning,  farmers 
may  gradually  change,  for  economic 
reasons,  by  alternating  sections  for 
agricultural  use. 

"We  think  of  the  reversal  of  farming 
methods  as  a  renewing,  revitalizing  quali- 
ty." she  says.  "You  can  get  the  things  just 
as  God  has  put  them  here  for  you.  We  have 
not  worked  against  nature  but  with 
nature." 

The  life-style  at  Sonnewald  Homestead 
goes  one  step  further  in  its  harmonization 
with  nature.  In  addition  to  producing  what 
they  use,  recycling  waste,  and  keeping  their 
material  possessions  to  a  minimum,  they 
make  use  of  the  sun  for  energy  to  heat  their 
home. 

It  was  25  years  ago  that  Tim  built  the 
home,  which,  with  scientific  use  of  metal 
collectors  and  industrial  glass,  helps  to 
keep  the  house  warm  in  the  winter  and 
cool  in  the  summer.  Solar  heat  is,  for  the 
most  part,  only  in  experimental  stages 
throughout  the  United  States.  In  Penn- 
sylvania, two  residences  are  solar-heated 
homes;  Tim  Lefever  built  the  first.  A  series 
of  cloudy  days  may  cause  a  problem,  so 
fossil  fuels  are  used  sparingly  on  these  oc- 
casions. Again  the  family  life-style  which 
includes  simply  wearing  warmer  clothing 
on  cool  days  has  kept  annual  fuel  bills 
within  the  $70  range. 

A  peaceful  pride  pervades  the  Lefevers — 
Tim,  Grace,  their  children  and  the 
"helpers"  who  live  on  the  land.  They  never 
seem  to  have  doubted  that  their  un- 
customary life-style  was  right.  Now  they 
may  be  even  more  certain  because  what 
they  have,  others  obviously  want.    □ 

January  1975  messenger  25 


Life  happens 

where 
you  are 


Others  can  talk  about  simplicity — usually  in  com- 
plicated language — but  there  is  one  American  poet 
who  hardly  needs  to  mention  simple  living:  it  is  so  in- 
tegral a  part  of  his  life  and  art. 
People  who  know  William  Stafford  tend  to  forget 
that  Bill  won  the  National  Book  Award  for  poetry  in 
1963,   that  he  served  as  poetry  consultant  at  the 
Library  of  Congress  in  1970-71,  that  he  was  recently 
designated  Poet  Laureate  of  Oregon,  or  that  some 
critics   would   put   his  poems  on  the  shelf  they 
reserve  for  classics. 
Instead,  when  they  think  of  Bill,  it  is  usually  a 
particular  poem  that  comes  to  mind,  a  few  lines 
free    from   pretense   and    unencumbered    by 
rhetoric.  Here  are  samples  of  his  poetry  that 
can  speak  for  themselves,  but  note  first  what 
Bill  Stafford  tells  us  he  aims  for  in  writing: 
"1  would  like  to  make  a  book  that  stands  in- 
dividual:  a  level  delivery  of  non-rhetorical 
poems,  each  its  own  local  event,  not  forced  at 
the  reader,  but  offered  simply  as  what  it  is." 
In  another  context  he  writes,  "All  events  and 
experiences  are  local,  somewhere.  And  all  human 
enhancements  of  events  and  experiences — all  the 
arts — are  regional  in  the  sense  that  they  derive  from 
immediate  relation  to  felt  life. 
"It  is  this  immediacy  that  distinguishes  art.  And 
paradoxically  the  more  local  the  feeling  in  art,  the 
more  all  people  can  share  it;  for  that  vivid  en- 
counter with  the  stuff  of  the  world  is  our  com- 
mon ground. 
"Artists,    knowing   this   mutual   enrichment 
that  extends  everywhere,  can  act,  and  praise, 
and  criticize,  as  insiders — the  means  of  art  is 
the  life  of  all  people.  And  that  life  grows  and 
improves  by  being  shared.  Hence,  it  is  good 
to  welcome  any  region  you  live  in  or  come 
to  or  think  of,  for  that  is  where  life  happens 
to  be,  right  where  you  are." 


Every  Autumn 


Traveling  Through  the  Dark 


Mo  matter  how  fast  we  hurry,  winter 
jtters  an  occasional  breath,  in  the  North. 
We  hold  our  hands  out,  accepting 
but  never  sure:  how  kind  the  world 
,s,  in  summer,  for  a  while! 

The  birches,  their  green  hands 
s  begging,  move  toward  the  lake, 
I  afraid,  unable  to  forget.  And 
I  the  lake,  any  color  the  sky  offers, 
J  juggles  brilliantly  toward  winter  its 
||nillions  of  little  pieces  of  the  world. 

Passing  Remark 

[n  scenery  I  like  flat  country. 

In  life  I  don't  like  much  to  happen. 

In  personalities  I  like  mild  colorless  people. 
And  in  colors  I  prefer  gray  and  brown. 

My  wife,  a  vivid  girl  from  the  mountains, 
says,  "Then  why  did  you  choose  me?" 

Mildly  I  lower  my  brown  eyes  — 
there  are  so  many  things  admirable  people 
do  not  understand. 

At  Any  Airport 

The  plane  sits  above  its  big  shadow. 
The  people  beside  it  with  little 
shadows  all  look  ahead  at  the  sky. 

Here  comes  the  pilot. 
The  plane  opens,  the  pilot  enters, 
the  people  enter.  The  sky 
opens,  the  plane  enters. 

And  back  there  now  no 
plane,  no  people,  no 
shadow — only  a  little  speck 
and  the  sky's  blue  shadow. 


Traveling  through  the  dark  I  found  a  deer 

dead  on  the  edge  of  the  Wilson  River  road. 

It  is  usually  best  to  roll  them  into  the  canyon: 

that  road  is  narrow;  to  swerve  might  make  more  dead. 

By  glow  of  the  tail-light  I  stumbled  back  of  the  car 
and  stood  by  the  heap,  a  doe,  a  recent  killing; 
she  had  stiffened  already,  almost  cold. 
I  dragged  her  off;  she  was  large  in  the  belly. 

My  fingers  touching  her  side  brought  me  the  reason — 
her  side  was  warm;  her  fawn  lay  there  waiting, 
alive,  still,  never  to  be  born. 
Beside  that  mountain  road  I  hesitated. 

The  car  aimed  ahead  its  lowered  parking  lights; 
under  the  hood  purred  the  steady  engine. 
I  stood  in  the  glare  of  the  warm  exhaust  turning  red; 
around  our  group  I  could  hear  the  wilderness  listen. 

I  thought  hard  for  us  all — my  only  swerving — , 
then  pushed  her  over  the  edge  into  the  river. 


The  Farm  on  the  Great  Plains 


A  telephone  line  goes  cold; 
birds  tread  it  wherever  it  goes. 
A  farm  back  of  a  great  plain 
tugs  an  end  of  the  line. 

I  call  that  farm  every  year, 
ringing  it,  listening,  still; 
no  one  is  home  at  the  farm, 
the  line  gives  only  a  hum. 

Some  year  I  will  ring  the  line 
on  a  night  at  last  the  right  one, 
and  with  an  eye  tapered  for  braille 
from  the  phone  on  the  wall 

I  will  see  the  tenant  who  waits — 
the  last  one  left  at  the  place; 


through  the  dark  my  braille  eye 
will  lovingly  touch  his  face. 

"Hello,  is  Mother  at  home?" 
No  one  is  home  today. 
"But  Father — he  should  be  there.' 
No  one — no  one  is  here. 

"But  you — are  you  the  one  . . .  ?" 
Then  the  line  will  be  gone 
because  both  ends  will  be  home: 
no  space,  no  birds,  no  farm. 

My  self  will  be  the  plain, 
wise  as  winter  is  gray, 
pure  as  cold  posts  go 
pacing  toward  what  I  know. 


William  Stafford:  the  means  of  art  is  the  life  of  all  people 


January  1975  messenger  27 


Stopping  by  Frost 

Whose  lines  these  were  I  thought  I  knew. 
His  claims,  though,  Lawrance  Thompson  blew 
so  high  our  inner  weather  changed: 
I  watch  my  bookshelf  fill  with  rue. 

My  little  children  think  it  strange 
to  see  the  Frost-line  rearranged. 
They  think  there  must  be  some  mistake. 
And  they  deserve  in  youth  to  range  — 

This  book  is  lovely,  deep  and  dark: 
so  they  shall  have  its  "downy  flake" 
and  poems  to  love  before  they  wake, 
and  poems  to  love  before  they  wake. 


A  Meeting 
in  Downtown  Portland 


In  Camp 

That  winter  of  the  war,  every  day 
sprang  outward.  I  was  a  prisoner. 
Someone  brought  me  gifts.  That  year 
now  is  far:  birds  can't  fly 
the  miles  to  find  a  forgotten  cause. 

No  task  I  do  today  has  justice 

at  the  end.  All  I  know  is 

my  degree  of  leaning  in  this  wind 

where — once  the  mind  springs  free — 

every  cause  has  reason 

but  reason  has  no  law. 

In  camps  like  that,  if  I  should  go  again, 

I'd  still  study  the  gospel  and  play  the  accordion. 


CREDITS;  "In  Camp,"  "At  Any  Airport."  and  "Stopping  by 
Frost"  with  permission  from  Nurihv\esi  Review.  University  of 
Oregon.  "A  Meeting  in  Downtown  Portland"  was  read  by  Stafford 
on  the  occasion  of  his  being  acclaimed  Poet  Laureate  of  Oregon. 
"On  Being  Local."  "The  Farm  on  the  Great  Plains,"  and  "Every 
Autumn"  with  permission  from  the  poet.  "Passing  Remark"  and 
"Traveling  Through  the  Dark,"  from  the  books  The  Rescued  Year 
and  Traveling  Through  the  Dark,  with  permission  from  Harper  and 
Row,  Publishers,  New  York. 


The  luxury  of  meeting  on  easy  occasions 

when  the  subject  is  art  — 
The  luxury  of  being  contemporaries, 

of  breathing  together  in  this  city 

in  our  state,  in  the  world  — 
The  luxury  of  being  a  writer,  moving  a  hand 

and  having  meaning  flow  out  of  it  — 

strange,  when  you  think  about  it — 
Or  letting  a  sound  fall  into  the  air  and 

hearing  it  bounce  along  over  the  little 

bumps  of  history  — 
All  the  old  writers  are  whirling  like  bobbins, 

the  threads  of  their  work  weaving 

for  all  of  us — 
The  luxury  of  sharing  this  time,  making 

an  occasion  for  that  part  everyone  knows, 

that  part  of  our  lives  when  we  turn 

from  the  how  to  the  why, 

and  we  never  found  out,  but  we 

share  the  wonder — 
The  luxury  of  this  ceremony:  no  claims, 

no  promises.  We  meet,  and  the  subject 

is  art,  something  that  says,  "Meaning!" 

in  all  of  our  lives, 

no  matter  what  else  is  happening — 
The  luxury  of  it. 


28  MESSENGER  January  1975 


On 


ne  hundred  years  ago  this  month,  on 
;  January  14,  Albert  Schweitzer  was  born  in 
i  Kayserberg,  France,  a  village  in  the  Vosges 
Mountains,  only  a  few  kilometers  from  the 
Rhine  River  that  separates  France  from 
Germany.  Many  a  tourist,  enjoying  the 
quiet  mountain  loveliness  of  Alsace  and  the 
quaintness  of  half-timbered  dwellings 
crowded  along  winding  streets  or  overlook- 
ing scenic  bridges,  may  fail  to  notice  the 
,  building  that  served  not  only  as  a  residence 
I  for  the  Louis  Schweitzer  family  but  also  as 
!a  meeting  place  for  the  small  Protestant 
I  congregation  of  which  Albert's  father  was 
(the  pastor. 

Kayserberg  is  worthy  of  an  overnight 
(visit  entirely  on  its  own  merits — a  central 
(square  with  a  fountain  and  an  ancient 
church,  an  abundance  of  picturesque 
houses  with  flower  boxes  at  almost  every 
window  —  but  Schweitzer  fans  will  want  to 
spend  a  few  minutes  at  his  birthplace, 
inoting  that  a  modest  steeple  still  marks  it 
'as  having  been  a  place  of  worship.  Most  of 
ithem  will  push  on  soon  to  Gunsbach, 
janother  Alsatian  village  not  far  away  on 
the  road  from  Colmar  to  Munster,  where 
the  Schweitzer  family  moved  a  few  months 
jafter  Albert's  birth  and  where  he  spent  the 
jhappy  years  of  his  boyhood  and  youth. 
j     Here  there  are  many  attractions  for 
anyone  wishing  to  pay  homage  to  the  great 
humanitarian  and  artist,  the  respected 
|theologian  and  physician,  whose  ac- 
jcomplishments  in  several  diverse  fields  still 
icommand  respect.  Here  is  the  school  that 
-Albert  attended,  the  parish  church  of 
which  his  father  was  pastor  and  where  he 
played  the  organ  before  his  legs  were 
scarcely  long  enough  to  reach  the  pedals. 
Here  is  the  Schweitzer  House,  which 
became  his  European  home  in  1929  and 
which  now  contains  his  library,  the  piano 
he  used  in  Africa,  and  many  other  objects 
associated  with  his  long  and  useful  life. 


A. 


ind  what  a  life  it  was  —  his  ninety  years 
would  credit  enough  accomplishments  for 
several  independent  careers.  If  you  knew 
only  the  recordings  of  Bach's  organ  works, 
and  had  read  Schweitzer's  biography  of 
Bach  or  his  studies  devoted  to  organ  play- 
ing and  organ  building,  you  would  rank 
him  high  as  musician  and  artist.  If  you  had 
read  only  his  critical  and  historical  studies 
relating  to  the  New  Testament,  and 
recalled  that  he  was  the  principal  of  a 


In  honor  of  one  who  belonged  not  to 
a  single  country  but  to  humanity 

The  centenary  of 
Schweitzef  s  birth 

by  Kenneth  I.  Morse 


theological  seminary,  you  would  class  him 
among  respected  scholars  and  teachers.  If, 
however,  your  interest  was  in  philosophy, 
you  would  be  impressed  by  his  studies  in 
broad  areas  of  thought  and  belief  and  his 
concept  of  "reverence  for  life."  Yet  all  of 
these  credits  need  to  be  viewed  alongside  a 
momentous  decision  Schweitzer  made, 
while  still  a  young  man,  to  prepare  for  a 
totally  different  career  as  a  jungle  doctor,  a 
decision  that  committed  him  to  a  life  of 
service  in  Africa,  far  from  the  libraries. 


A   modest  steeple  reveals  the  Schweitzer 
home  was  at  one  time  a  place  of  worship 


churches,  and  concert-halls  of  Europe. 

This  year,  the  centenary  of  Schweitzer's 
birth,  will  undoubtedly  call  forth  new 
assessments  of  the  man  who  deservedly 
received  worldwide  honors  and  whose  con- 
tributions are  recognized  still  in  so  many 
fields.  Perhaps  because  he  grew  up  in  a 
land  that  was  sometimes  a  part  of  France 
and  sometimes  a  part  of  Germany,  perhaps 
because  he  spoke  both  French  and  German 
and  had  cultural  ties  to  each  country, 
perhaps  because  he  endured  the  strains  of 
two  world  wars  that  swept  over  the 
peaceful  valleys  of  his  childhood, 
Schweitzer  seems  to  belong  to  humanity 
rather  than  to  any  one  country. 

l\|o  matter  how  Schweitzer's  life  may  be 
re-evaluated,  central  to  his  entire  career  as 
a  humanitarian  and  a  Christian  is  the  call 
to  service  that  he  describes  in  these  words: 

"One  brilliant  summer  morning  at 
Gunsbach  — it  was  in  1896 — there  came  to 
me,  as  1  awoke,  the  thought  that  I  must  not 
accept  this  happiness  as  a  matter  of  course, 
but  must  give  something  in  return  for  it  . . . 
I  settled  with  myself  before  I  got  up,  that  I 
would  consider  myself  justified  in  living  till 
I  was  thirty  for  science  and  art,  in  order  to 
devote  myself  from  that  time  forward  to 
the  direct  service  of  humanity.  Many  a 
time  already  had  1  tried  to  settle  what 
meaning  lay  hidden  for  me  in  the  saying  of 
Jesus,  'Whosoever  would  save  his  life  shall 
lose  it,  and  whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for 
my  sake  and  the  Gospels  shall  save  it.'  Now 
the  answer  was  found."  D 

January  1975  messenger  29 


m7(Q)[rdl  '^ir(n)\m  'm/mmhmmtQ)^ 


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(/ 

Congress  and  the  religioi 


by  Sylvia  Eller 

My  BVS  term  here  in  the  Washington  Of- 
fice of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  began 
just  a  few  months  ago.  Although  I  majored 
in  peace  studies  and  considered  myself 
more  "politically  aware"  than  the  average, 
the  experience  of  being  immersed  in  the 
center  of  our  national  political  scene  has 
been  a  real  eye-opener.  I  offer  here  some  of 
the  impressions  I  have  gathered  as  a  new- 
comer in  Washington. 

My  first  observation  is  that  we 
Americans  tend  to  e.xpect  too  much  of  our 
government  and  the  people  in  it.  We  e.xpect 
our  presidents  and  legislators  somehow  to 
be  "better"  than  we  are.  We  expect  them  to 
know  all  about  the  issues  that  face  them 
and  to  make  intelligent  and  moral 
decisions  on  each  one  of  these  issues. 

The  fact  is  that  government  people  are 
very  much  like  you  or  I — they  react  to 
issues  and  situations  on  the  basis  of  largely 
unquestioned  assumptions  that  they  have 
held  since  childhood.  For  instance,  re- 
quests for  more  money  or  more  bombs 
from  the  Defense  Department  are  almost 
automatically  approved  by  Congress 
because  legislators,  like  most  Americans, 
have  been  taught  that  military  might  is  the 
best  defense  a  country  has.  Likewise.  Con- 
gresspeople  resist  attempts  to  regulate  big 
business  because  they,  like  most 
Americans,  have  been  taught  that  private 
enterprise  is  the  touchstone  of  a  free 
economy.  They  tend  not  to  think  through 
their  assumptions  any  more  than  most  of 
us  do.  So  when  we  expect  more  of  govern- 
ment people  than  we  do  of  ourselves,  we 
are  bound  to  be  disappointed.  Presidents 
and  legislators  are  human  and  should  be 
treated  that  way. 


M> 


^y  second  observation  has  to  do  with 
the  sheer  amount  of  work  that  a  Con- 
gressperson  has  to  do.  Contrary  to  popular 
belief.  Congress  does  not  spend  a  major 
part  of  its  time  in  drafting,  studying,  and 
deliberating  over  important  legislation. 
There  is  a  plethora  of  very  minor  bills  that 
go  through  Congress,  of  a  kind  that  I  never 
would  have  imagined.  For  instance,  this 


week  35  minor  bills  were  called  up  before 
the  House,  dealing  with  such  things  as  the 
renaming  of  a  dam  in  New  Mexico  and 
authorizing  recordings  of  military  band 
music  for  the  nation's  bicentennial. 

Of  the  major  legislation  that  does  come 
up.  it  would  be  virtually  impossible  for  any 
one  person  to  be  familiar  with  all  the  ins 
and  outs  involved.  Bills  are  extremely  com- 
plex legal  documents,  which  must  be 
looked  at  not  only  in  terms  of  their  moral 
aspects,  but  also  in  reference  to  past 
legislation  on  the  subject  and  possible  con-i 
sequences  on  other  areas.  Because  of  the 
vast  interdependence  of  our  peoples  and 
economies  both  at  home  and  abroad,  it  is 
virtually  impossible  to  enact  a  major  piece ; 
of  legislation  that  will  not  affect  somebody,- 
somewhere  in  an  adverse  way. 

Related  to  this  obstacle  is  the  fact  that 
there  are  thousands  of  paid  lobbyists  in 


Behind  Congressional  votes\ 

are  many  factors  which\i 

may  or  may  not  have> 

anything  to  do  with  the\ 

moral  concerns  at  stakel 


Washington  alone,  all  looking  out  for  their 
own  special  interests  and  pushing 
legislators  to  do  likewise.  Obviously,  the 
church  is  only  one  voice  in  this  crush  of 
special  interests.  Because  of  workloads  and 
all  the  things  a  Congressperson  must  con- 
sider when  deciding  how  to  vote,  shortcuts 
often  are  taken  in  lieu  of  careful  and 
thoughtful  consideration  of  legislation. 

My  third  observation  is  that  the  single 
most  important  thing  to  any  Congressper- 
son is  to  get  re-elected.  Legislators  have 
time  and  again  made  it  clear  that  this  is 
their  primary  concern.  In  order  to  ensure 
their  re-election.  Congresspeople  always 
keep  an  eye  out  for  what  the  people  back 
home  think.  Rather  than  being  leaders, 
Congresspeople  are  oftentimes  the  worst 
kind  of  followers,  voting  for  whatever  they 
perceive  the  constituents  think,  but  with 


30  MESSENGER  January  1975 


pmmunity 


ittle  real  awareness  since  only  the  extrem- 
sts  on  either  side  of  an  issue  are  likely  to 
express  their  opinions.  The  Congressperson 
s  thereby  forced  to  guess  on  the  views  of 
he  majority. 

All  this  is  to  say  that  often  behind  Con- 
jressional  votes  are  factors  which  may  or 
nay  not  have  anything  to  do  with  the 
noral  considerations  at  stake.  These  in- 
liude  the  person's  individual  views  and 
leliefs,  the  amount  of  pertinent  informa- 
ion  at  hand,  and  the  desire  to  protect  cer- 
ain  interests  or  parties,  including  the  Con- 
;ressperson's  constituency,  influential  lob- 
)yists,  and  party  leaders.  Obviously, 
egislating  is  a  much  more  complicated 
iirocess  than  most  of  us  are  inclined  to 
hink. 

Considering  all  these  factors,  what  can 
he  religious  community  do  to  insure  that 
mportant  moral  considerations  will  be 
laken  into  account?  Obvious  but  difficult 
|nswers  include  electing  only  intelligent, 
orward-looking  persons  to  Congress,  and 
naking  systemic  changes  which  would  rid 
Tongresspeople  of  some  of  their  minor 
asks. 

Since  these  two  solutions  are  long-range 
n  nature,  we  must,  in  the  meantime,  find 
vays  of  getting  more  positive  action  out  of 
Congress.  Because  most  legislators  are 
;enuinely  concerned  about  the  views  of  the 
)eople  back  home,  it  is  our  responsibility 
IS  citizens  to  keep  them  informed  of  where 
ve  stand  on  various  issues  and,  as 
■hurchpeople,  to  point  up  the  moral  im- 
jieratives  involved  in  issues.  Evidence  is 
hat  Congresspeople  will  respond  when 
faced  with  strong  constituent  opinion. 

!  X  hese  observations  hopefully  help  clarify 
how  and  why  our  government  acts  as  it 
loes.  Although  the  government  is  not  by 
my  means  what  it  should  be,  I  am  excited 
ibout  the  possibilities  and  trends  toward 
mprovement  and  hope  you  will  be  too. 
'    P.S.  We  at  the  Washington  Office  (100 
Maryland  Ave.,  N.E.,  Washington,  D.C. 
20002)  are  ready  and  willing  to  provide  in- 
ormation  and  suggestions  on  legislative 
:oncerns  that  you  may  have.  Just  write 
ind  ask.  D 


GnUeYcwirself 
Shis  Chrisfmas 

BVS  takes  your  gift  of  time  and  talent 
and  gives  you  to  a  neighbor  in  need. 

What  do  you  get  back?  Growth. 

Experience.  Maturity.  But  even  if 

all  you  get  is  the  satisfaction 

of  your  neighbor's  smile— where 

can  you  get  more? 

Give  yourself  to  BVS— and  be 
surprised  at  what  you  get  back. 


\j^ 


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"To  proclaim  it  (victory  in  Jesus)  is  to 
live  it  and  to  live  it  is  to  receive  it." 


E.  Stanley  Jones 

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the  new  meaning  and  possibilites  for  his 
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January  1975  messenger  31 


DITilSdlDg] 


Another  season  for  'plays  on  film' 


by  Kenneth  1.  Morse 

A  second  season  of  film  theater  —  motion 
pictures  based  upon  contemporary  plays  — 
will  be  launched  this  month  in  several  hun- 
dred movie  theaters  in  the  US  and  Canada 
when  the  first  of  five  films  is  released  by 
The  American  Film  Theatre. 

On  five  Mondays  and  Tuesdays  between 
now  and  the  end  of  May  subscribers  will 
see  new  screen  versions  of  "Galileo,"  by 
Bertolt  Brecht;  "In  Celebration,"  by  David 
Storey;  "The  Maids,"  by  Jean  Genet;  "The 
Man  in  the  Glass  Booth,"  by  Robert  Shaw, 
adapted  by  Edward  Anhalt:  and  "Jacques 
Brel  Is  Alive  and  Well  and  Living  in 
Paris,"  by  Eric  Blau. 

32  MESSENGER  January  1975 


Once  again  actors  and  actresses  of  inter- 
national reputation  will  carry  important 
roles,  among  them  Glenda  Jackson,  Alan 
Bates,  Susannah  York,  John  Gielgud, 
Topol,  Maximilian  Schell,  Vivien 
Merchant,  Luther  Adier  and  Jacques  Brel. 

The  current  season  is  less  ambitious  than 
the  initial  effort  of  The  American  Film 
Theatre  last  year  which  presented  eight 
films  in  more  than  500  theaters.  Not  all  of 
them  were  entirely  successful,  in  the  eyes  of 
the  critics  or  in  the  opinions  of  viewers,  but 
taken  together  they  offered  to  audiences 
that  had  few  opportunities  to  see  serious 
drama  a  selection  of  plays  that  was  well 
worth  watching — and  not  only  for  enter- 
tainment. In  several  communities  church 


groups  viewed  the  films  and  met  together 
afterwards  to  discuss  the  implications  of 
what  they  had  seen. 


T. 


.he  religious  and  ethical  issues  that  sur- 
face in  drama  are  not  necessarily  related  tc 
specifically  religious  subject  matter.  Two  o 
the  first  season's  films  centered  on  obvious 
ly  religious  figures:  John  Osborne's  play. 
"Luther,"  and  "Lost  in  the  Stars,"  a 
musical  based  on  Alan  Paton's  novel  Cry 
the  Beloved  Country  which  portrays  the 
anguish  of  a  black  pastor  whose  son  is  no; 
only  a  prodigal  Absalom  but  the  uninten- 
tional murderer  of  a  white  man  working 
for  racial  harmony.  But  some  of  the  other 


films,  in  which  there  was  no  mention  of 
•-eligion,  brought  to  mind  questions  of  faith 
iind  meaning  all  the  more  intense  because 
hey  probed  into  the  lives  of  people  apart 
■Tom  any  labels. 

•    Sometimes  the  importance  of  faith  is  un- 
derscored by  what  seems  to  be  the  lack  of 
;t.  One  minister,  after  seeing  Harold 
Pinter's  play,  "The  Homecoming,"  com- 
Tiented,  "With  Christianity  withering 
iway,  this  is  what  is  left.  Let  the  proudly 
anchurched  take  note."  Yet  we  doubt  if 
nost  viewers,  churched  or  unchurched, 
vere  quite  that  Judgmental.  Looking  at  a 
^ondon  family  in  "The  Homecoming,"  or 
hinking  about  a  family  of  well-to-do  sub- 
jrbanites  in  Edward  Albee's  "A  Delicate 
balance,"  one  is  moved  to  feel  compassion 
i'or  persons  whose  lives  are  so  lacking  in 
meaning  that  they  flee  from  some  kind  of 
itrange  terror.  In  another  play,  filmed  for 
ast  season,  Eugene  O'Neill  examines  the 
pipe  dreams  that  comfort  but  do  not  satisfy 
|he  derelicts  who  gather  at  a  New  York 
)ar.  As  illusions  drop  away  in  "The  Iceman 
!ometh,"  one  wonders  if  there  is  really  no 
lope  for  them  but  only  the  certainty  of 
leath. 


L 


ast  year's  subscribers  voiced  mixed 
eactions  to  one  film,  an  example  of  the 
heater  of  the  absurd.  Eugene  lonesco's 
■Rhinoceros"  offers  a  frightening  vision  of 
I  world  in  which  people  are  turning  into 
(inimals — but  even  more  frightening  are 
jhe  explanations  they  offer  for  joining  the 
fierd.  The  self-examination  this  film 
prompts  is  almost  as  searching  as  the 
questions  raised  for  viewers  in  Butley,  an 
ntense  encounter  with  a  British  teacher 
jivho  alienates  the  persons  he  most  needs  to 
("elate  to. 

1    Though  American  Film  Theatre 
pfferings  vary  in  interest  and  value,  the 
first  round  of  eight  films  proved  to  be 
stimulating  and  thought-provoking.  The 
promise  for  1975  is  evident  in  the  titles 

flready  announced. 
Persons  interested  in  attending  either  in- 
flividually  or  with  a  study  group  may  ob- 
tain a  helpful  discussion  guide  by  sending  a 
self-addressed  stamped  envelope  and  a  re- 
quest for  "Film  Feedback  on  the  American 
JFilm  Theatre"  to  Beatrice  Rothenbuecher, 
(editor,  Film  Information,  Broadcasting 
and  Film  Commission,  National  Council  of 
Churches,  Box  500  Manhattanville  Station, 
New  York,  N.Y.  10027.  D 


t^[y][r[n]D[n]g  pcDDoiil^^ 


Pastoral  Placements 

Gene  A-  Burry.  to  Garrison- 
Robins.  Missouri 

Galen  H.  Brumbaugh,  from  Buf- 
falo. Southern  Pennsylvania,  to 
East  Petersburg-Salunga.  Atlantic 
Northeast 

Rene  Calderon,  from  secular,  to 
Lower  Miami,  Southern  Ohio 

Fred  Dancy,  resigned  from  New 
Haven.  Southeastern 

James  Ford,  interim.  Morrill- 
Sabetha,  yoked  parish.  Western 
Plains 

Frederick  Hollingshead.  retiring 
Ml.  Morris.  Illinois/ Wisconsin 

Preston  Miller,  resigned.  Maple 
Grove.  West  Marva 

Jay  Tilley.  to  New  Haven, 
Southeastern 

Earl  Zigler.  retired  from  full-time 
pastoral  ministry 

Licensing/ordination 

Elizabeth  Detrick,  licensed  July 
14.    1974.  Stanley.  Illinois;  Wiscon- 

Robert  W.  Krouse.  licensed  Aug. 
18.  1974.  Martinsburg.  Middle 
Pennsylvania 

Eleanor  Painter,  ordained  Oct. 
13.  1974,  Northern  Indiana 

Charles  S.  Pitzer.  licensed  Sept. 
29.  1974.  Auburn.  Northern  In- 
diana 

Faith  Richards,  licensed  July  14, 
1974.  Stanley.  Illinois  Wisconsin 

Wedding  Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  Clark  Anspach. 
Lima.  Ohio.  62 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Raymond  Arman- 
trout.  Modesto.  Calif..  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lov  Bachman, 
Defiance.  Ohio.  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berger  Baker,  New 
Enterprise.  Pa..  59 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ovid  Barklow, 
Modesto,  Calif..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dorsey  Berkebile, 
Johnstown.  Pa..  64 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  Bopp. 
Johnstown.  Pa..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard  Button, 
La  Verne.  Calif..  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  M.  Carney, 
Nickerson,  Kans.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Silver  Cummins, 
Sebring,  Fla..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  Dear- 
dorff.  Monticello,  Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  Draper. 
Flora.  Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  Hendrickson, 
Modesto,  Calif.,  53 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emil  Henze. 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  56 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  W.  Keiper. 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  61 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  Keller. 
Modesto.  Calif..  51 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  E.  Loshbaugh, 
Westphalia,  Kans..  55 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elwood  Miller, 
Johnstown,  Pa..  57 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  Miller. 
McPherson,  Kans..  58 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oda  Neher,  Pom- 
pano,  Fla.,  55 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Den  Parrishes. 
Modesto.  Calif..  55 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leslie  Perry, 
Modesto,  Calif.  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarence  Peters. 
Dayton.  Ohio,  54 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hariey  Peterson, 
Modesto,  CaliL,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ralph  G.  Rarick, 
Elkhart.  Ind..  57 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  S.  Richey. 
Ashley.  Ind..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emery  Rover. 
Paris.  Ohio.  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norman  Schmitt. 
Modesto,  Calif..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  C.  Shaefer. 
Garnett.  Kans..  51 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elmer  Smeltzer, 
Mesa.  Ariz.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evan  A.  Watkins. 
Welda,  Kans.,  56 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dave  Wilson. 
Modesto.  Calif..  61 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Wirth. 
Modesto.  Calif..  56 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Wirth. 
Modesto.  Calif..  57 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emerson  Witmer. 
Polo.  111.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Homer  Zuck. 
Lanark.  111..  50 

Deaths 

David  Adam.  73,  San  Diego. 
Calif,.  Aug.  I.  1974 

Lee  Bacon.  69.  Roanoke,  Va.. 
Aug.  4.  1974 

Marv  W.  Baer.  80,  Friedens,  Pa.. 
July  19.  1974 

Goldie  Barnhart.  78,  Roanoke. 
Va..  Aug.  12.  1974 

Harrv  M.  Bixler.  72.  Carlisle, 
Pa.,  Jan.  29,  1974 

William  F.  Bouman,  77.  Easton, 
Md..  July  4,  1974 

Arthur  A.  Bouton,  83,  Lynn- 
brook,  N.  Y..  July  8,  1974 

Rosina  Bowers,  89,  Boonsboro. 
Md..  Aug.  19,  1974 

Ernest  W,  Brim,  78,  Eden.  N.C.. 
Sept.  22.  1974 

Walter  Buntjer,  64,  Polo,  III., 
July  22.  1974 

James  S.  Butterworth.  70.  Vin- 
ton, Va.,  Oct.  26.  1973 

Walter  K.  Cassel.  66,  Manheim, 
Pa..  Oct.  I.  1974 

Ludie  Holt  Clingenpeel,  62, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  April  22,  1974 

James  R.  Cox.  79.  Eden.  N.C.. 
Sept.  II,  1974 

Mrs.  Edris  D.  Crowder,  72, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  July  9,  1974 

Tracie  R.  Depoy,  83,  Tenth 
Legion.  Va.,  Sept.  II.  1974 

Henry  Francis,  78,  Parker  Ford, 
Pa..  Sept.  2,  1974 

Willie  F.  Flory,  82,  Harrison- 
burg, Va.,  Dec.  30,  1973 

John  W.  Garns,  65,  Eliza- 
bethtown.  Pa.,  May  30,  1974 

Noah  L.  Gentry.  75,  Bridgewater, 
Va.,  Sept.  II,  1974 

Herbert  George,  68,  Wakarusa, 
Ind.,  Sept.  6,  1974 

Norman  Gross.  75.  York,  Pa.. 
May  27,  1974 

Harry  Hale,  82,  York,  Pa..  Aug. 
17,  1974 

Claud  B.  Harner,  66,  Sebring, 


Fla..  Sept.  13,  1974 

Ella    Grace    Kurtz,   84,    Carlisle, 
Pa.,  March  27,  1974 

George    Lambert,   44,    Harrison- 
burg. Va..  July  17,  1974 

Clarence  Lennen,  70,  Greenville, 
Ohio.  Aug.  2.  1974 

Ocie  M.  Lockwood.  70.  Mexico. 
Ind,.  Aug,  7.  1974 

Matilda  G.  Mayer,  56,  Wilming- 
ton, Del..  Sept,  22.  1974 

Lloyd     McKinley.    49.    Mexico. 
Ind,.  July  3.  1974 

Gertrude  Miller.  92.  Boonsboro. 
Md..  July  28,  1974 

Lloyd    Miller,    70,   Fort   Wayne. 
Ind.,  July  30,  1974 

William    O.    Moomaw,    91.    La 
Verne.  CaliL.  Sept.  18.  1974 

Wilson  Morrison,  86,  San  Diego, 
CaliL,  June  S,  1974 

Lewis      Nafzinger,     78.      Hacks 
Point.  Md..  Aug.  18.  1974 

Mary    Nelson.    77.    York.    Pa.. 
Aug.  20.  1974 

Paul  W.  Norris,  82,  Ambler,  Pa., 
July  14.  1974 

Ethel  M,  Over.  81,  Mercersburg, 
Pa..  Sept.  26,  1974 

Howard    Overholser,    85.    North 
Manchester.  Ind..  Aug.  31.  1974 

Mildred   Paxon.  73.  Johnstown. 
Pa..  July  26.  1973 

J,   Earl  Pennypacker.  86.  Parker 
Ford.  Pa..  Sept.  14,  1974 

Margaret  Petry,  67,  Westminster, 
Md.,  Sept.  24.  1974 

Charles  Fletcher.  90,  Wakarusa, 
Ind..  Sept.  6.  1974 

Katie  Poe.  93.  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.. 
Sept.  5.  1974 

Ray    Price.   72.    Plymouth,   Ind.. 
Sept.  2.  1974 

Melvin     Reed,     84,     Nappanee, 
ind,.  Aug.  25,  1974 

Doris        Ann        Rhodes,        20. 
Lewistown.  Pa.,  July  28,  1974 

Mabel    Rich.    78.    Lake   Odessa. 
Mich..  July  14.  1974 

Glenn   Rike.  63,  Sterling,  Ohio, 
June  30,  1974 

Rolley  Robbins,  69,  South  Bend. 
Ind..  July  7.  1974 

Cora     Peck     Schrock.     91,     La 
Verne.  Calif..  Sept.  24,  1974 

H.   Powell  Sheller,  61,  Newville. 
Pa..  Aug.  20.  1974 

Jesse    Adam    Smeltzer,    87,    La 
Verne,  Calif..  Sept.  2.  1974 

Carrie  H.  Suavely,  79.  Manheim. 
Pa..  Sept.  12.  1974 

Mabel    Snvder.    79,    York,    Pa., 
May  28.  1974' 

Earl  E.  Spidle,  75,  Carlisle.  Pa., 
March  16,  1974 

Henry    Stauffer,    89,    Polo,    111., 
Aug.  10,  1974 

Ona  Strayer,  73,  Johnstown,  Pa., 
July  16.  1974 

Rose  T,  Swenson,  88,  San  Diego, 
CaliL,  Aug.  27.  1974 

Allen  J.  Wade.  86,  Polo,  111..  Jan. 
17.  1974 

Minnie    Waite.    87,     Polo,    111., 
Sept.  10,  1974 

John  Wertz,  64.  South  Ford,  Pa., 
July  2,  1974 

William  I.  White  Sr..  73,  Carlisle, 
Pa.,  May  22,  1974 

Elmer    E.    Wise,    83,    Nappanee, 
Ind.,  Sept.  6,  1974 

January  1975  messenger  33 


:min]d 


Noah  S.  Martin 

A  new  direction  for 
seminary  education 

1  have  a  deep  concern  regarding  the  educa- 
tion of  our  ministers  and  leaders  of  the 
church.  I  have  gone  the  route  myself  and 
am  somewhat  aware  of  my  reactions  and 
feelings  concerning  it.  1  am  also  aware  that 
in  the  recent  months  a  number  of  promis- 
ing young  men  of  the  Western  District  here 
in  Pennsylvania  have  decided  not  to  enroll 
at  Bethany  because  of  the  high  cost  of  tui- 
tion and  living  expenses.  This  concerns  me 
that  we  are  losing  such  good  men  to  the 
training  our  seminary  would  offer.  It  is  out 
of  this  concern  and  others  that  I  would  like 
to  share  my  opinion.  1  do  so  openly, 
honestly  and  in  the  spirit  of  Christ. 

I  feel  that  seminary  training  for  our  peo- 
ple has  become  too  academic  and 
professional.  An  excellent  article  that 
appeared  in  Faith/ At/  Work  (September 
1974)  by  Stanley  N.  Jones,  says  that 
seminary  education  has  made  a  fatal  mis- 
take in  neglecting  the  personal  preparation 
of  the  whole  man  for  the  ministry.  A  stu- 
dent said.  "My  mind  is  sharp,  but  my  spirit 
is  so  dry  it  squeaks."  A  recent  seminary 
graduate  said,  "I  came  out  a  trained 
theologian,  but  I  go  clobbered  as  a  per- 
son." The  article  calls  for  ways  of  seminary 
communities  to  express  the  very  life- 
together  of  the  church — communities  of 
prayer,  caring,  honest  exchange,  account- 
ability and  personal  growth. 

We  need  to  find  a  way  to  break  theology 
down  to  where  .people  live,  to  personalize 
it,  to  let  our  theology  arise  out  of  the  gut 
issues  of  life;  to  build  our  models  of 
ministry  out  of  need  rather  than  theory.  I 
know  that  seminaries  have  been  moving  in 
that  direction,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that 
we  need  a  major  breakthrough. 

I  see  a  new  model  arising  for  the 
spiritual  training  of  our  people,  in  par- 
ticular, preparing  young  people  for  full- 


To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those 
in  the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or 
disagree  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation 
of  this  value,  and  to  an  open  and  prob- 
ing forum,  that  "Here  I  Stand"  is  dedi- 
cated. Reader  response  is  invited. 


time  Christian  service.  1  would  call  it  the 
Christ-Disciple  Model,  or  the  Mobile- 
Parish  Model.  In  this  model  we  see  the 
training  occurring  out  on  the  streets  of  life. 
It  would  be  a  very  mobile  model.  Again 
and  again  the  disciples  brought  questions 
and  problems  to  the  Master  Teacher  as 
they  went  throughout  the  country  "doing 
good."  1  could  see  the  Christ-Disciple 
Model  operating  like  this: 

Every  professor  is  assigned  as  the  pastor 
of  a  certain  church — let's  say,  in  the 
Chicago  or  wider  Illinois  area.  Seminary 
students  would  work  with  them  in  the 
parish  setting,  assisting  while  they  learn. 
The  churches  would  basically  support  the 
salary  of  the  pastor-teacher  of  the  church. 
The  students  would  gather  then  at  as- 
signed times  in  clusters  of  learning  with 
various  of  these  pastor-teachers  for  study, 
evaluation,  growth,  discussion  of  problems, 
potential,  etc.  The  theology  that  would 
emerge  would  quickly  arise  out  of  the 
needs  of  people  and  thus  be  more  respon- 
sive to  the  real  needs  of  the  church  and  of 
the  world. 

All  that  would  be  needed  in  the  way  of  a 
library  (there  are  already  seminary  libraries 
in  Chicago)  would  be  a  building  to  house 
the  books  and  perhaps,  also,  a  number  of 
rooms  for  records,  etc.  In  other  words, 
most  of  the  learning  and  preparation  for 
ministry  occurs  out  on  the  streets  of  life.  It 
would  be  very  mobile,  very  practical,  and  it 
could  continue  on  as  very  academic  and 
scholarly.  To  me  this  would  produce  the 
best  kind  of  theology. 

What  you  would  need  would  be  com- 
mitted teachers  with  a  pastor's  heart  who 
would  be  willing  to  become  involved  in  the 
parish  in  this  way.  and  a  cluster  of 
churches  that  would  open  themselves  to 
this  kind  of  learning  experience.  A  teacher- 
pastor  would  not  need  to  serve  as  full-time 
pastor.  He  might  serve  as  part-time,  even 
with  or  under  a  head  pastor.  Or,  with  his 
students  working  with  him,  much  of  the 
day-by-day  pastoral  work  would  be  shared 
by  them.  The  church  might  compensate 
him  for  his  work,  or  parts  of  it  would  come 
from  the  tuition  of  the  students.  But  once 
you  have  eliminated  the  cost  of  overhead, 
taxes,  maintenance,  and  probably  one  half 
of  the  salaries  paid  to  teachers  and  staff, 
much  of  the  energy  that  is  being  consumed 
to  successfully  operate  a  seminary  is  freed 
to  concentrate  on  the  quality  of  education. 

I  feel  that  this  kind  of  a  mobile-parish 
model  would  restore  a  real  sense  of  pur- 


pose to  a  seminary  education.  If  1  had  had 
that  kind  of  choice  some  years  ago  1  know 
I  would  have  chosen  it. 

Maybe  there  are  some  serious  flaws  in 
the  above  scheme,  but  if  the  basic  idea 
were  explored  I  could  see  a  new  sense  of 
freedom  and  excellence  for  higher 
theological  education.  I  would  not  worry 
about  accreditation  for  the  time  being.  If 
the  program  is  successful  it  will  achieve 
recognition  beyond  formal  accreditation. 

The  words  of  Isaiah  the  Prophet  always 
help  me  when  I  am  faced  with  a  new 
adventure.  God  said,  "Remember  not  the 
former  things  nor  consider  (be  bound  to) 
the  things  of  old.  Behold,  I  am  doing  a  new 
thing;  now  it  springs  forth,  do  you  not 
perceive  it?" 

When  we  are  willing  to  let  go  of  that 
which  is  binding  us  and  reach  out  for  the 
future,  that  is  the  time  and  place  when  God 
steps  in  and  begins  to  shape  a  new  future  — 
a  shape  that  is  always  more  responsive  to 
the  needs  of  man.  I  believe  that  we  are 
rapidly  coming  to  that  point  in  time  for  a 
new  direction  of  seminary  education.  Let 
us  not  speak  in  terms  of  what  we  have 
done  in  the  past  and  what  we  would  need 
to  sacrifice  to  achieve  these  kinds  of  goals. 
Rather,  as  we  reach  out  for  the  future  we 
are  less  bound  to  defend  the  past.  If  we 
could  set  such  an  idea  into  motion,  even  on 
an  experimental  basis,  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  would  become  an  innovator  in 
religious  higher  education. 

Thank  you  for  listening. 


Chaimcey  Shamberger 

We  need  to  try  harder 
on  church  growth 

About  every  so  often  there  is  a  census  of 
Protestant  denominations.  I'm  always  sur-f 
prised  to  see  the  names  and  numbers  of 
some  denominations  I  don't  remember 
even  hearing  about.  Some  of  them  show 
many  more  members  than  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  It  surprises  me  that  1  have 
never  heard  of  them.  I  wonder  why. 

Some  of  them  turn  out  to  be  an  ethnic 
group  who  live  in  a  comparatively  small 
geographical  area.  That's  easy  to  under- 
stand but  what  about  the  rest?  Whatever  it 
is  if  I  moved  into  a  community  where  onei' 
of  them  existed  I  don't  think  I'd  join  it. 
The  chances  are  if  there  weren't  a  Church  ■ 
of  the  Brethren  there  I  would  affiliate  withi 


34  MESSENGER  January  1975 


my  one  of  half  a  dozen  Protestant 
.hurches  that  1  do  know  about  and  in 
vhich  1  could  worship  and  serve. 

This  points  out  the  problem  confronting 
n  attempt  to  start  a  congregation  of  the 
rhurch  of  the  Brethren  in  a  community 
fcihere  it  is  not  known.  It  is  quite  a  different 
hing  to  open  a  church  in  Lancaster  Coun- 
y  or  the  Shenandoah  Valley  than  it  is  in 
,os  Angeles  County  or  the  Red  River 
'alley. 

Population  mobility  is  also  a  factor  to 
ike  into  account.  Consider  the  Southern 
laptist  Church  with  millions  of  members, 
'hey  scatter  out  over  much  of  the  United 
tates  and  in  most  places  where  a  new  con- 
regation  is  considered  there  is  a  nucleus  of 
imilies  who  would  rather  worship  there 
"lan  any  place  else. 

A  further  problem  confronting  the 
"hurch  of  the  Brethren  is  the  absence  of  a 
oncise  and  dynamic  image  and  a  well  con- 
idered  program  of  promotion.  A  good 
lany  of  us  become  rather  tongue-tied 
/hen  asked  "just  who  are  the  Brethren, 
low  do  they  differ  from  other  Protestant 
roups?"  Not  infrequently  the  answer 
escribes  the  church  as  it  used  to  be  more 
ccurately  than  the  church  it  now  is.  Ever 
tnce  the  word  "Dunkard"  eased  itself  out 
f  our  vocabulary  we  have  been  without  a 
lear  image. 

This  is  no  hint  that  we  should  have  held 
nto  the  term  "Dunkard."  It  is  not  a 
rowth  symbol  as  attested  to  in  the  Old 
)rder  Brethren. 

A  church  that  is  not  a  "brand  name" 
jeriously  needs  an  image  and  a  program 
f  promotion.  Wherever  1  have  gone, 
ooner  or  later,  1  have  seen  two  young  men 
tressed  in  black  suits  carrying  a  brief  case 
vith  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  it.  Doors  are 
lammed  in  their  faces  and  all  manner  of 
tiean  things  are  said  about  them,  but  some 
ay  a  "Stahe"  comes  into  existence. 

Week  after  week  people  young  and  old 
ome  to  my  door  selling  or  giving  me 
eligious  literature  1  don't  find  worth 
eading.  1  always  give  them  an  audience, 
lot  because  I'll  ever  be  influenced  by  them, 
)ut  because  their  zeal  so  far  surpasses 
nine.  Our  ability  to  regale  ourselves  about 
)ur  heritage  surpasses  our  capacity  to 
xeate  an  image  and  plan  an  effective 
)rogram  for  future  growth.  We  do  better  at 
estructuring  our  organization  than  we  do 
n  developing  a  pattern  for  growth  in  an 
irea  where  we  are  unknown.  We  do  better 
It  providmg  relief  in  areas  where  there  is 


calamity  than  we  do  in  building  a  growing 
church  where  hurricanes,  tornadoes  and 
famine  do  not  strike. 

There  is  no  intent  here  to  speak  critically 
of  the  service  program  of  the  church.  In 
fact  that  may  come  as  nearly  as  anything  to 
be  the  image  of  the  church.  However  it  has 
long  disturbed  me  to  contemplate  a  church 
which  declines  in  membership,  and  con- 
gregations, as  it  accelerates  in  benevolence. 
The  computer  might  suggest  that  there 
would  come  a  day  when  the  givers  would 
be  so  depleted  they  could  no  longer  con- 
tribute effectively.  Who  knows?  For  50 
years  I  have  had  the  disturbing  feeling  that 
this  matter  of  church  growth  has  been 
something  we  have  walked  around  rather 
than  buckled  down  to  do  something  about 
it. 

Be  that  as  it  may  there  can  be  very  little 
question  that  if  we  are  going  to  grow  we 
will  have  to  try  harder  whether  we  are 
number  two  or  one  hundred  and  two.    U 


''  If  you're  buying 
a  Bible  handbook, 
buy  THE  BEST. 

UNGER'S 
BIBLE 
HANOI 


"Easily 

the  best 

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—Wilbur  M.  Smith 


A  mountain  of  facts  right  at  your 
fingertips  .  .  .  including  a  book-by- 
book  commentary  on  the  entire 
Bible  •  pertinent  archeological 
discoveries  •  historical  back- 
grounds •  fascinating  explanations 
of  how  we  got  our  Bible  •  statis- 
tics, weights  and  measures  •  an 
outline  of  church  history. 

930  pages     $4.95 

At  your  Christian  bookstore  or  write 

51^  mooC)y  PRESS 

1  I   WM      Tt-»e    rsIAfVIE  VOU  CAfNJ  TRUST 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 


FAMILY  CAMPING  CENTER  DIRECTOR, 
Registrar  and  custodian  of  Brethren  Family 
Campground  in  Atlantic  Northeast  District. 
Full  time  during  summer,  part  time  in  off 
season.  Camping  trailer  provided  during 
season.  Contact  Ed  Poling,  Camp  Swatara, 
Rt.  1,  Bethel,  Pa.  19507.  Phone  717-933- 
8510. 

WANTED:  R,N.  to  be  in  charge  of  office  of  a 
two-doctor  partnership  general  practice. 
Hoping  to  develop  into  a  group  practice. 
Beautiful  rural  community  in  high  Southern 
Appalachians,  with  small  hospital.  Brethren 
church  with  warm  fellowship  12-15  miles 
away  Contact  — Fred  W.  Wampler,  M.D., 
Route  1,  Mountain  City,  Tennessee  37683  or 
phone  (615)  727-7708  or  727-5152. 

WANTED:  To  bring  together  beautiful  40- 
acre  tract  of  hardwoods,  planted  pines,  open 
meadow,  and  family  who  desires  same  in  an 
area  close  to  lakes,  ski  resorts,  hunting, 
fishing,  and  hiking  in  northern  Michigan 
Brethren  community.  Purpose  of  sale  is  to 
establish  revolving  trust  fund  to  help  provide 
housing  for  pastor  of  local  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  For  information  contact  Roy 
Howes,  chairman  Rau  Farm  Trust  Fund,  R 
#1,  Copemish,  Ml  49525.  Phone  (616)  362- 
4747. 

WANTED:  25  blue  hymnals  for  Brethren 
Hillcrest  Homes.  Pay  postage.  2705  Moun- 
tain View  Dr.,  La  Verne,  CA  91750. 

WANTED:  Physicians— General  or  Family 
Practice,  Internal  Medicine,  Pediatrics.  We 
are  two  of  four  physicians  in  small  communi- 
ty with  small,  newly  constructed  hospital.  We 
are  hoping  to  develop  a  group  practice.  En- 
joy rural  life  in  high,  beautiful  Southern  Ap- 
palachians, Brethren  church  with  warm 
fellowship  12-15  miles  away.  Contact  — Fred 
W.  Wampler,  M.D.,  Route  1,  Mountain  City, 
Tennessee  37683  or  phone  (615)  727-7708 
or  727-5152. 

FOR  RENT  — Wintering  in  Orlando,  Florida?  A 
Brethren  widow  has  available  for  a  married 
couple  one  bedroom,  shared  bath  and  use  of 
the  kitchen  facilities  in  a  comfortable  home, 
residential  area,  centrally  located.  (No  tobac- 
co or  alcohol).  Write  or  call:  Mrs.  Mabel 
Homman,  120  East  Kaley,  Orlando,  Fla. 
32806.  Phone:  305-422-9766. 

INVITATION  — If  you  are  planning  a  trip  to 
Florida,  why  not  worship  with  us?  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  7040  -  38th  Ave.  No., 
St.  Petersburg,  Fla.  33710.  Phone  341-3561. 
Sunday  School  9:15  A.M.  Morning  Worship 
10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor 

The  Carpenter's  Way  to  Build  Dynamic  Ser- 
mons. Send  for  Free  Information.  No  need  to 
write.  Mail  envelope  or  card  with  your  name 
and  address  to  Seaboard  Press,  153 
Blanchard  Road,  D18,  Drexel  Hill,  Pa.  19026. 

WANTED:  Readers  for  Warren  F.  Groff's  new 
book  about  the  stories  you  tell  and  the 
stories  you  live,  but  most  of  all  about  the 
greatest  story  in  the  world.  All  144  readable 
pages  of  "Story  Time:  God's  Story  and  Ours" 
can  be  yours  for  $2.95  plus  30<I:  postage  and 
handling.  Order  your  copy  today  from  The 
Brethren  Press,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  III. 
60120. 

WANTED:  To  buy  patchwork  quilts  made 
prior  to  1940.  Spark,  4858  E.  10th  St.,  Tuc- 
son, Ariz.  85711. 


January  1975  messenger  35 


[rss(Q)[U][r©s^ 


EXERCISING 
WILL  POWER 


Most  individuals  and  families  come  to 
bends  in  the  river — distinct  points  in  life 
that  produce  a  change  of  direction.  It  is  at 
all  these  junctures,  not  only  at  some  crisis 
moment  in  later  years,  that  thoughtful 
planning  needs  to  be  given  to  the  making 
of  a  will. 

To  motivate  and  assist  church  members 
to  engage  in  such  planning,  a  North 
American  Wills  Emphasis  is  being  carried 
out  in  1975  and  1976.  Educational 
materials  prepared  through  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  Wills  and  Special 
Gifts  Action  Team  and  by  denominational 
units  as  well  are  available. 

Districts  and  congregations  will  be  in- 
vited to  participate  in  the  Wills  Emphasis 
at  varying  times  in  the  coming  months.  In 
the  meantime,  information  about  plans  or 
resources  may  be  obtained  by  writing 
Stewart  B.  Kauffman.  Stewardship  Enlist- 
ment Team.  1451  Dundee  Avenue.  Elgin. 
Illinois  60120. 


^mi 

m 

from  'Bend  in  the  River'       1 

Where  turns  occur 

As  set  forth  in  the  new  Wills  Emphasis, 
there  are  eight  focal  points  of  change  in  the 
course  of  adult  life.  They  are:  The  single 
adult,  the  childless  couple,  home  establish- 
ment, child  bearing,  child  rearing,  child 
launching,  the  empty  nest,  and  the  single 
partner.  Each  turn  confronts  the  individual 
or  family  with  unique  factors  to  be  taken 

36  MESSENGER  January  1975 


into  account  in  making  a  will. 

To  inform  and  assist  persons  at  each 
stage,  the  Wills  Emphasis  is  offering  tape 
cassettes  and  leaflets  which  recount  the  ex- 
perience of  actual  persons.  Only  the  names 
are  changed. 

Among  those  interviewed  on  tape  is  one 
older  couple  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
A  widow  and  widower  at  the  time  they 
met.  with  their  families  grown,  they  chose 
to  protect  the  inheritance  rights  of  the 
children  from  the  previous  marriage.  The 
couple  describes  the  prenuptial  agreement 
they  had  drawn. 

The  tape  interviews  address  many  such 
situations  throughout  the  life  cycle. 


Total  program  package 


Mixed  media  helps 

"Educational  Resources  for  Christians 
Who  Want  to  Make  Wills"  is  the  title  given 
to  kits  of  mixed  media  resources  developed 
for  congregational  and  personal  use.  For 
most  Church  of  the  Brethren  con- 
gregations, the  basic  materials  are  con- 
tained in  what  is  called  the  "Promotion 
Module  and  Storage  Kit."  Its  contents  are 

—  Handbook  for  Local  Wills  Emphasis. 

—  Eight  Life  Cycle  Interviews  (four 
cassettes)  on  the  life  cycle  themes  outlined 
earlier. 

—  Eight  Life  Cycle  Pocket  Leatlets. 

— "Exercising  Will  Power."  a  filmstrip 
that  is  instructional  and  motivational. 

A  second  kit  termed  the  "Total  Program 
Package"  includes  all  of  the  above  plus  the 
film  and  guide  on  "Bend  in  the  River," 
described  later. 

Print  pieces  available  from  the  General 
Offices  in  Elgin  include  "37  Things  You 
Know  About  Wills  That  Aren't  Really  So" 
and  "Making  Your  Will." 


Willard  Waterman 


'Bend  in  the  River' 

The  experiences  persons  encounter  in  the 
turns  of  life  are  portrayed  in  "Bend  in  the 
River,"  a  16  mm  sound,  color  film.  It 
stresses  the  importance  of  making  a  will 
withm  the  framework  or  context  of  one's 
values  and  beliefs. 

The  motion  picture  stars  Willard  Waler-i 
man,  an  articulate  actor  of  Great 
Gildersleeve  fame.  He  and  his  wife  who 
have  long  had  wills  have  recently  rewritten 
them,  and  have  included  bequests  for  the 
church.  The  Watermans'  keen  interest  in 
the  subject  goes  beyond  the  film  itself. 

A  use  guide  makes  the  motion  picture  a 
strategic  tool  for  congregational  showing. 

The  film  also  has  wider  community  use 

for  all  who  ask.  why  bother  with  a  will. 

The  answer?  "Because  of  those  we  love— 
the  people  close  to  us.  and  Christ  who  in-  - 
spires  us  to  care." 


Wills  Emphasis  poster 


SEVEN  QUESTIONS 
JESUS  ASKED 

R.    Benjiimin   Garrison.   Jesus   was 
a  master  at  asking  and  answer- 
ing questions.  He  knew  the  person's 
needs,  fears,  and  yearnings, 
and  through  his  questions  and 
answers  there  developed  a  personal 
meeting.  From  these  meetings 
came  a  transformation  of  hves. 
You,  too,  can  find  renewal  at 
Easter  as  you  ponder  the  questions 
Jesus  asked.  Paper,  $2.75 

THE  SANCTUARY 
FOR  LENT,   1975 

Woodrow  A.  Geier.  From  Ash 
Wednesday   to  Easter  Day   is  a  time 
for   personal    growth — a   time   to 
rediscover   the   whole    good    news   of 
the  gospel  and  to  bring  one's  life 
into  true  focus  spiritually.  Dr.  Geier 
uses  the  Gospel  of  Matthew  as 
background  for  this  year's  inspiration- 
al messages.  Excellent  reading  for 
personal  devotions  or  group  medita- 
tions. Paper,  $13.50  per  100 

THE  SEVEN  WORDS 

Clovis  G.  Chappell.  Seven  vital 
sermons   by   one   of   America's    most 
outstanding  preachers  interpret  the 
last  words  from  the  cross.  He 
draws  out  the  deep  spiritual  meanings 
of  each  word — to  reach  the  hearers 
and  transform  their  lives.  $2.50 


THE  DRAMATIC  SILENCES 
OF  HIS  LAST  WEEK 

Wheaton  Phillips  Webb.  From  the 
silence  of  the  city  after  the  triumphal 
entry  through  the  silence  of  the 
Street  of  Splendid  Strangers  on  the 
road  to  Emmaus,  these  seven  Lenten 
meditations  portray  the  depth  of 
feeling  that  must  have  captured  the 
hearts  and  minds  of  those  who  were 
there  during  Jesus'  last  week.  $2.50 

THE  CRUCIBLE 
OF  REDEMPTION 

Carlyle  Marney.  Eight  brief  sermons 
for  Holy  Week  take  Easter  out 
of  its  traditional  garb  and  help  restore 
its  vitality  as  the  essential  affirma- 
tion of  a  valid  Christian  faith.  Offers 
no  easy  solutions,  no  placebos,  no 
comfort   without   challenge.    Forceful 
reading.  $2.95 

A  FEAST 

FOR  A  TIME  OF  FASTING 

Louis  Cassels.  In  topics  ranging  from 
contemporary  to  traditional,  one  of 
America's  most  popular  religious 
journalists  spreads  a  spiritual  feast 
before  every  reader.  Each  daily  read- 
ing is  based  on  Scripture  and  closes 
with  prayer.  These  are  challenging 
messages   to   start   you   on   a   pattern 
of   daily   meditation,   llliisirated. 
$2.95 


whom  are  you 

seeking? 


EASTER   BOOKS 
FOR   YOUR 
SPIRITUAL  QUEST 


An  enabling  process  tape  for  planning 
worship  in  preparation  for  Easter 

CELEBRATE— LENT 

Dennis  C.  Benson  helps  you  create 
new  forms  of  celebration  for  the 
Easter  sea.son  with  this  special  sixty- 
minute  tape.  He  focuses  on  a  plan 
of  worship  with  emphasis  on  step-by 
step  preparation  for  the  joyful 
triumph  of  Easter.  Tape  with  printed 
guide.  $7.95 


THE  EASTER  STORY 
FOR  CHILDREN 

Ralph  W.  Sockman;  illustrated  by 
Gordon  Laite.  An  effective,  unique 
story   of  Jesus'    life,   crucifixion,   and 
resurrection.  Dr.  Sockman  empha- 
sizes  that   Jesus'   victory   over   death 
is  God's  proof  to  mankind  of  his 
total  love  for  his  children 
and  his  concern  for  them  forever. 
All  ages.  $3.25 

EASTER  EGGS 
FOR  EVERYONE 

Evelyn  Coskey:  drawings  by  Giorgetta 
Bell  and  numerous  photographs. 
Tie-dyed  eggs,  egg  mobiles,  history 
of  the  egg — these  are  just  a  few  of  the 
delightful  treats  in  this  versatile 
and  colorful  how-to-do-it  book.  All 
ages,  $7.95 

A  Junior  Literary  Guild  Selection 
HUMBUG  RABBIT 

Written  and  illustrated  by  Lorna 
Balian.  Two  delightful  stories  take 
place  simultaneously.  Above  ground. 
Granny  can't  find  the  eggs  her  hen 
lays.  Just  below  ground  in  Granny's 
yard.  Father  Rabbit  insists  there 
is  no  Easter  Bunny.  However,  his 
bunny  children  believe  he  is  the  Easter 
Bunny  .  .  .  and  a  very  unusual 
Easter  develops.  Ages  3-7.  $5.95 


at  your  local  bookstore 


Qbingdon 


January  1975  messenger  37 


SEA  HORSE 


by  Emily  Sargent  Councilman 


Wh 


hen  we  heard  the  news  of  the  sea  horse  invasion,  we  hurriei 
right  away  up  the  beach  to  the  inlet.  At  least  I  hurried,  fast- 
walking  on  the  hard  wet  sand  just  above  the  waterline,  resistinf 
my  usual  compulsion  to  wade.  Bob,  as  usual,  came  along  abo> 
two  paces  behind,  lengthening  to  five,  to  eight,  to  ten,  so  that  i 
was  finally  difficult  to  carry  on  a  conversation.  But  I  tried. 

"Hurry!  Live  sea  horses!  Can  you  believe  it?" 

"What?  1  can't  hear  you." 

"Sea  horses!  Live  sea  horses.  Come  on!" 

"Say  hello  to  them  for  me  when  you  get  there." 

"What?  I  can't  hear  you.  Come  on!" 

"Say  hello  ...  oh,  never  mind.  Go  ahead.  I'U  catch  you." 
^  When  we  got  there,  first  and  last,  it  was  all  the  same.  The  tici 
was  going  out  and,  with  it,  the  uncaught  remnant  of  the  alien  i 
herd  of  sea  horses — alive.  Searchers  were  still  milling  around  i) 
and  out  of  the  shallow  wave-ends,  the  lucky  ones  excitedly  shov 
ing  their  rare  finds  to  fellow  searchers.  We  watched  one  of  the^ 
captured  small  horses  circling  his  improvised  aquarium  (a  bait  jj 
begged  from  a  fisherman),  circling,  circling.  He  moved  in  an  uf.' 
right  position  with  dignity,  slender  tail  gracefully  curved,  his 
equine  head  arched  over  his  fat  stomach  and  his  pop  eyes  seen 
ing  to  peer  through  his  prison  glass  at  the  strange  waterless  wori 
outside. 

"Look  Bob.  What  must  he  think?" 

"Think?  It's  a  fish.  Fish  don't  think." 

"Well  . . .  feel  then.  He  must  feel.  Look  at  him  swimming 
around  and  around  in  that  small  jar.  After  that  huge  ocean 

An  old-timer  from  the  fishing  pier  told  all  and  sundry,  "It's 
never  happened  before  to  my  knowing.  Not  live  ones.  IVIy  missi' 
found  a  dead  one  once.  Washed  up  after  Hurricane  Hazel,  it 
was,  19,  no  18  years  ago,  come  September.  Kept  it  in  the  cup 
board  and  showed  to  everybody  came.  It's  still  there,  I  guess.  IM 


heard  of  maybe  two,  three  others  found  — 
dead  ones.  Not  alive.  These  now — never 
seen  the  likes  of  these  before." 

Nor  had  anyone  else  on  the  beach. 

Gradually  the  crowds  drifted  away, 
carrying  jubilantly  their  rare  trophies  or 
lejectedly  their  disappointment  as  the  case 
might  be.  But  at  my  insistence  we  stayed 
on,  wading  back  and  forth  knee-deep  in  the 
slight  waves  lapping  the  shore,  bending 
over  each  momentary  clearing  of  foam 
from  water  rushing  in  and  returning  to  the 
iea.  1  clutching  the  empty  peanut  butter  jar 
I'd  brought  along.  Nothing. 

Finally  Bob  put  his  foot  down,  or  rather 
>et  both  feet  toward  the  cottage  now  only  a 
iim  speck  a  long  way  down  the  beach.  The 
Afhole  world  suddenly  appeared  to  melt 
nto  gray  in  the  unexpected  dusk. 

"Enough.  They've  gone,"  he  said. . . . 

"But—" 

"It's  too  dark.  I'm  going  back— the 
leven  o'clock  news — " 

"Oh,"  I  said,  "the  news,"  coming  back 
vith  a  jolt  to  the  world  of  happenings  and 
)f  hurricanes,  of  Hurricane  Ginger,  last 
■eported  stalled  200  miles  southeast  of  us. 
tlurricane  Ginger.  Something  about  the 
lurricane  must  have  dislodged  the  sea 
lorses,  swept  them  miles  and  miles  away 
rom  their  water  world  to  this  strange  sand 
)n  the  beach. 


We 


e  began  to  trudge  the  long  way  back, 
3ob  for  once  one  step  in  front  of  me  keep- 
ng  to  the  hard  sand  above  the  water  reach, 
I  wading  the  shallows,  trying  to  watch  the 
lark  and  swiftly  changing  pools  of  in- 
"ushing  water,  still  hoping  beyond  hope, 
itill  clutching  my  empty  jar. 

Bob  tried  to  hurry  me,  "We're  going  to 
Tiiss  the  news,"  and  also  to  comfort  me, 
'They  wouldn't  have  lived  anyway.  There's 
more  to  the  care  of  sea  horses  than  love 
ind  a  peanut  butter  jar  filled  with  sea 
ivater." 

But  1  was  not  to  be  hurried,  or  com- 
forted. I  marshalled  my  defenses. 

"We  could  call  Marineland.  Remember 
the  sea  horses  we  saw  there?  They  know 


there  about  proper  food  and  care." 

He  still  insisted,  "It  takes  experts.  The 
fish  would  only  die  with  us.  Besides,  what 
about  your  reverence  for  life — and  liberty? 
Do  you  think  sea  horses  want  to  become 
replacements  for  peanut  butter?  And  would 
you  want  to  be  denied  all  that  usual  ocean 
space?" 

"And  subjected  to  innumerable  perils  of 
ocean  dangers?"  I  shot  back.  "Do  you 
know  that  only  one  out  of  every  200  sea 
horses  born  even  sur\  ives  to  adulthood?  A 
recent  study,"  1  began,  a  la  Joyce 
Brothers — " 

He  broke  in,  "What  about  the  weightier 
matters — life,  liberty  and — " 

"And  you  are  the  one  who  said  fish  don't 
think!"  I  had  him  there. 

"But  you  insisted  they  can  feel!  Come 
on.  We're  going  to  miss  the  news." 

Obviously  we  were  going  around  in 
circles  verbally. 

"You  go  on."  1  said  finally.  "I  want  to 
keep  trying." 

Off  the  hook,  he  went  ahead,  and  I 
dawdled,  wading  all  the  way  back,  strain- 
ing my  eyes  to  see  beneath  the  fading 
streamer  of  white  foam  into  the  dark  swirl- 
ing of  each  returning  wave.  Hopeless.  Yes, 
it  was.  Even  if  there  were  a  sea  horse  left, 
I'd  miss  it  now.  It  was  too  dark. 

Bone-weary,  turnmg  toward  shore,  I 
almost  missed  him  —  the  sea  horse  brought 
in  by  the  last  wave  touching  my  retreating 
feet.  Frantically  I  stooped  and  unbelievably 
scooped  him  up  in  my  waiting  jar  of  sea 
water.  Even  in  the  now  night  dark  1  could 
see  him  moving.  He  was  alive.  And 
beautiful! 

All  weariness  suddenly  gone,  I  ran  across 
the  beach  wide  at  low  tide  and  up  the  five 
steps  to  our  cottage,  bursting  with  my 
news. 

"Look,  Bob!  Look!"  but  was  stopped  by 
the  look  on  his  face  where  he  sat  hunched 
over  the  small  transister  radio  and  by  the 
words  coming  through  the  static  like 
machine-gun  barrage. 

"...  warning      repeat  warning  to 
swimmers      dangerous  rip  tide      one 
believed  drowned      repeat  drowned 


aged  21       swimming  with  friend      dis- 
appeared     searchers      everything 
possible      coastguard      helicopter 
repeat  rip  tide      warning. ..." 

When  the  voice  faded  into  continuous 
static  Bob  turned  to  me.  IVly  eyes  found 
his,  my  hand  his  hand. 

"Oh,  Bob — 21 — so  young.  And  his 
friend,  his  family,  knowing  or  not  know- 
ing, waiting. ..." 

Find  shelter  in  his  arms,  I  heard  his 
whisper,   "Yes.    Let's   pray   for  them,   for 
him." 


L. 


/ater,  without  a  word,  we  walked  hand 
in  hand  over  to  the  table  where  1  had  put 
down  the  jar  with  the  sea  horse.  Yes,  he 
was  alive.  And  beautiful  with  life,  though 
his  large  eyes  looked  frightened  as  he 
circled  his  glass  prison,  no  break  in  his 
pattern  of  rhythm  as  he  moved  with  the 
grace  of  a  ballet  dancer  flowing  with 
life. 

Without  a  word  I  picked  up  the  sea 
horse  swimming  his  only  course  in  the 
small  jar  of  sea  water.  Bob  by  my  side,  in 
step  with  me,  oh  perfectly  in  step,  we 
walked  out  the  door,  down  the  steps  and 
across  the  wide  beach  to  the  ocean  beckon- 
ing us  with  counterpointing  sounds  of  ages 
caught  in  its  own  parodoxical  rhythms  and 
with  its  moving  white  ribbons  of  foam  still 
discernible  piercing  the  night  with  lumines- 
cent light.  We  walked  surely,  waded  into 
the  first  reaching  wave  and  gave  the  small 
creature  back  to  his  home,  the  perilous  sea. 
Without  words,  we  asked  the  sea,  "Be  kind 
...  be  kind." 

The  threat  of  Hurricane  Ginger  to  our 
coast  passed  with  the  night.  In  the  early 
morning  we  walked,  hand  in  hand,  the 
lonely  beach  stretching  wide  again  at  low 
tide,  and  without  looking  for  it,  found  on 
the  sand  a  dead  sea  horse. 

IVIy  eyes  asked  Bob  the  question,  "Do 
you  think  it's  ours?  Could  it  be  the 
same. . .  ?" 

He  answered  in  words.  "Even  if  it  is,  you 
gave  him  back  his  chance  for  life." 

Yes.  D 


sdlotoD^DSiD 


Will  God's  love  abide  in  us? 


Rome 
No  matter  what  misgivings  one  may  have  about 
the  attitudes  of  individual  countries  toward  the 
world  hunger  problem,  or  how  pessimistic  one 
may  be  about  the  impending  results  of  the  food 
conference,  one  cannot  escape  feeling  a  certain 
thrill  of  hope  upon  seeing  representatives  of  over 
100  nations  coming  together  to  work  at  a  problem 
affecting  them  all.  It  is  heartening  also  to  see  them 
face  the  reality  of  the  problem.  In  contrast  to  the 
World  Population  Conference  in  Bucharest  last 
summer  there  is  no  dispute  in  Rome  over  the  ex- 
istence of  world  hunger,  or  its  dimensions  and 
proportions. 

I  am  writing  these  lines  when  the  World  Food 
Conference  is  midway  through  its  course.  As  is 
the  nature  of  such  meetings  a  great  deal  of  time 
and  energy  is  expended  at  the  beginning  in  self- 
serving  speeches  by  various  delegations.  But 
above  the  noise  of  such  rhetoric  is  audible  the 
sound  of  proposals  being  hammered  out  which,  if 
adopted  and  implemented,  can  pull  the  world 
back  from  the  brink  of  mass  starvation. 

These  entail  immediate  emergency  aid,  longer 
term  assistance  programs,  the  building  up  of 
renewed  world  grain  reserves  and  food  aid,  an 
early  warning  system  on  food  and  climate 
prospects,  and  a  wholly  new  emphasis  on  the 
small  farm  sector  in  developing  lands. 


To 


administer  a  system  of  supervision  and 
monitoring  most  effectively,  the  best  hope  would 
seem  to  be  a  Food  Security  Council,  comparable 
in  composition  and  responsibility  to  the  present 
United  Nations  Security  Council.  But  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  caution  being  demonstrated  about 


the  setting  up  of  such  a  body,  ranging  from  US 
Secretary  of  State  Kissinger's  "open-minded"  but 
non-committal  stance  to  China's  call  for  Third 
World  countries  to  strive  for  salvation  through 
self-sufficiency. 

Everyone  knows  the  proposals  being  offered 
haven't  a  ghost  of  a  chance  for  success  without  the 
mobilization  behind  them  of  the  political  wills  of 
governments  and  people.  The  biggest  threat  to 
that  mobilization  is  the  gap  between  the 
developed  countries  and  the  developing 
countries  —  between  countries  with  technology 
and  large-scale  food  production  and  countries 
without  them  —  between  countries  with  fewer  peo- 
ple and  more  food  and  countries  with  more  peo- 
ple and  less  food.  Behind  that  threat  lies  human 
pride,  greed,  and  selfishness. 

r\s  1  left  the  Conference  hall  for  the  last  time 
and  walked  through  the  line  of  spectators  outside, 
1  encountered  a  bright-eyed,  smiling  American 
youth  who  seemed  to  be  readying  himself  to  speak 
to  me.  In  passing  he  said  softly  to  me,  "Think 
about  Jesus  today!"  I  didn't  turn  back  to  reassure 
him,  but  the  truth  was  I  had  been  thinking  about 
Jesus  at  the  World  Food  Conference.  Behind  the 
rostrum  in  the  conference  hall  the  United  Nations 
symbol  of  a  world  map  and  laurel  wreath 
appeared  on  a  huge  field  of  blue.  How  ap- 
propriate a  reminder  to  the  participants — and  the 
world  —  if  above  that  symbol  had  been  inscribed 
the  searing  words  of  I  John  3:17,  "But  if  any  one 
has  the  world's  goods  and  sees  his  brother  in  need, 
yet  closes  his  heart  against  him,  how  does  God's 
love  abide  in  himT'  How  does  it  indeed? — K.T. 


40  MESSENGER  January  1975 


Can  You  Answer 
These  Questions 
About  Writing 
Your  Will?* 


FALSE 


or 


/lark  each  of  the  following  statements  T  for  True,  or  F  for 
alse,  in  the  box  at  its  right.  For  correct  answers,  see  panel 
lelow. 

—  If  you  do  not  have  a  Will  and  therefore  die  "intes- 1  I 
ate,"  state  law  will  give  your  wife  all  of  your  Estate.      I_J 

—  If    you    die    "intestate"    while    your   children    are 

linors,  state  law  will  divide  a  third  of  your  Estate  |~~| 
mong  them.  LJ 

—When  you  leave  no  Will,  the  state  automatically  ap- 1  I 
joints  a  social  worker  and  a  bank  as  guardians  of  your  LJ 
ninor  children. 

—  Whoever  is  appointed  guardian  for  your  minorj~~| 
hildren  has  complete  say-so  in  taking  care  of  themL_l 
nd  their  affairs. 


5  — Lacking  a  Will,  your  property  will  be  disposed  of  I     1 
more  or  less  as  your  Will  would  have  directed.  LJ 


6  — Children  not  mentioned  in  your  Will  are  excluded  |~~| 
from  an  inheritance.  L_J 


7— A  husband  has  the  same  rights  to  his  wife's  Estate 
as  she  has  to  his. 


D 


8— A  handwritten  Will,  unwitnessed,  cannot  be  valid.     I      I 
9— Wills  never  require  more  than  two  witnesses.  I      I 

10  — It  is  expensive  to  have  a  lawyer  draw  up  your  Will.  I      I 


ANSWERS 


1— False.  Usually  not.  In  some  states,  your  wife  gets  one-third 
if  you  die  without  a  Will. 

2  — False.  Many  states  give  two-thirds  of  your  Estate  to  your 
children  equally  divided  among  them. 

3  — False.  It  is  more  likely  to  appoint  your  spouse  as  guardian, 
or  some  other  person.  But  they  will  have  to  furnish  a  bond 
and  pay  the  fee  for  it. 

4— False.  Even  if  yourwife  is  guardian,  she  usually  must  have 
specific  permission  from  the  court  to  spend  your  children's 
share  of  your  Estate  on  their  support  or  education.  She  may 
be  required  to  render  detailed  accounts  of  these  expen- 
ditures. 

5  — False.  Your  property  would  be  disposed  of  according  to 
the  law  of  your  state  and  not  necessarily  as  you  would  have 
directed. 

'In  most  states 


6  — False.  A  child  born  after  the  date  of  your  Will  might  be  en- 
titled to  receive  whatever  would  have  been  provided  by  the 
state  if  you  had  died  "intestate." 

7  — False.  This  is  not  always  the  case. 

8  — False.  In  some  states,  when  the  handwriting  is  generally 
known,  handwritten  Wills  can  be  held  valid,  but  questions 
about  the  circumstances  under  which  they  were  written  make 
them  a  very  risky  proposition. 

9— False.  Some  states  may  require  three.  Any  Will  disposing 
of  property  located  in  a  three-witness  state  should  have  three, 
even  if  you  write  it  while  resident  in  a  state  requiring  only  two. 

10  — False.  Actually,  it  is  usually  a  very  modest  amount. 
Whatever  his  charge,  the  expert  knowledge  involved  makes  it 
a  bargain. 


Write  Today  For  Information 

Now  while  you  are  thinking  about  your  Will,  plan  to 
see  your  lawyer  as  soon  as  possible.  Before  you  go, 
you  may  find  two  of  our  booklets  useful.  They  suggest 
information  you  may  want  to  have  at  hand  for  con- 
sideration. Write  for  them  now;  Making  Your  Will  and 
A  Record  of  Personal  Affairs. 


I  CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 

J  General  Board 

I  Office  of  Stewardship  Enlistment 

I  1451  Dundee  Avenue 

I  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 

I  Sirs: 

I   Please  send  me  without  obligation  the  following  booklets: 
D  Making  Your  Will 
Ida  Record  of  Personal  Affairs 

I   Name 


Address. 
City 


Zip 


COME  ALONG  WITH  US 


Out  of  the  teens  and  into  the  twenties— that's  the  step 

Brethren  Life  and  Thought  takes  with  its  winter  issue,  Voh 

20,  No.  1.  And  it's  a  special  on  the  ministry  as  seen  by 

Geoffrey  Chaucer,  iVlary  Cline  Detrick,  J.  Bentley  Peters; 

DeWitt  L.  Miller,  James  F.  Myer,  Kenneth  C.  Martin,  Alberli 

L.  Sauls,  Harold  S.  Moyer,  M.  Andrew  Murray,  Larry  K' 

Ulrich  and  LeRoy  E.  Kennel,  and  edited  by  Edward  K' 

Ziegler.  A  quarterly  journal  addressing  concerns  vital  tc 

laity  and  clergy  alike.  $8  a  year  from  P.O.  Box  408,  Oah 

Brook,  III.  60521.  Come  along  with  us  as  we  come  of  age 

BRETHREN  LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 


messenger 


IHURCH  OF  THE   BRET 


©©DTlltSDI]!^^ 


Dsl^l^Sir^ 


3     The  Soviet  Churches  Revisited.  Robert  F.  Price,  a  Brethren 
linguist,  finds  a  friendlier,  more  open  group  of  church  leaders  in  his 
second  visit  with  a  delegation  to  the  Soviet  Union. 

^  H  Are  You  Prepared  to  Meet  God?  Perhaps  the  better  question, 
details  Carroll  M.  Petry,  is,  "Did  you  recognize  God  when  you  met 
him?" 

4  ^    Marturia  Jeesous:  A  Revelation  From  Revelation,  when 

we  bear  our  testimony  to  Jesus,  put  our  lives  where  he  put  his,  we 
become  in  all  truth  his  brothers  and  sisters,  children  of  the  same  com- 
munity that   bore   him,   Vernard    Eller  sums   up  from  the  Book  of 
Revelation. 

^  7    SHARE:  Teaming  Up  With  America's  Disadvantaged. 

An  eight-page  lift-out  section  highlights  a  significant  new  outreach 
ministry  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

O  A     Reconciliation.  The  Christian's  task  is  to  build  bridges  between 

persons  as  well  as  between  persons  and  God,  Ida  S.  Howell  writes  in  a 
Bible  study  based  on  2  Corinthians  5:17-20. 

28    Bi'^thi'^'i  House:  A  'Come  and  Discover'  Kind  of 

Place.  Emily  Mumma  details  the  many  creative  learning  centers 
offered  community  youth  by  Brethren  House,  St.  Petersburg,  Fla. 

In  Touch  profiles  Mary  Greenawalt,  Paul  J.  Flory.  and  L.  A.  Bowman  (2)  . . . 
Outlook  focus  is  on  Dayton  Annual  Conference,  Polish  Agriculture  Exchange, 
Cincinnati  COCU  meeting,  appointments,  special  assistance  fund,  study  of 
plain  garb,  women  and  advertising,  fasting,  and  living  in  community  (begin- 
ning on  4)  . . .  Underlines  (7)  . , .  Poem  by  Brian  Eikenberry  (13)  . . .  Word  from 
Washington  by  Louise  Bowman  (31)  ...  Here  I  Stand  statements  by  Mrs. 
Floyd  R.  Brierton,  Lee  Griffith,  and  Fred  J.  Miller  (32)  . . .  "Let  the  Sun  Shine 
In"  by  Roy  A.  Johnson  (34)  . . .  Resources  for  study  on  hunger  (36)  . . .  Turning 
Points  (37)  . . .  "Old  Age  as  a  Qualitative  Triumph,"  a  review  of  media,  by 
Frederic  A.  Brussat  (38)  . . .  Editorial  (40). 


EDITOR 

Howard  E    Rover 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Kermori  Thomason 

ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 

Kenneth  I    Morse 

DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 

Clyde  E   Weaver 

PUBLISHER 

Galen  B   Ogden 


VOL    124,  NO   2 


FEBRUARY  1975 


CREDIIS;  Cover,  1,  24  Franklin  Blechman, 
Council  of  Southern  Mountains.  2  (left),  5  Don 
Honick,  4  Bill  Patterson  Advertising  Design.  6 
(lower  left)  Gene  Phillips.  American  Leprosy 
Mission.  8  Robert  F.  Price.  12  Illustration  by 
Margie  Petry.  15  "Angel  Playing  a  Lute"  by 
Albrecht  Durer.  courtesy  of  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion. 18  Dwayne  Yost.  19  La  Verne  College  20 
Randy  Miller.  21  Wil  Nolen.  22  David  Fike.  27 
"The  Return"  by  Philip  Evergood,  courtesy 
United   Church   of  Christ;    RNS   photo.   28,   29 


Courtesy  of  Brethren  House.  34  Ken  Stanley,  ."18 
Wallowitch, 

Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug,  20,  1918,  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17, 
1917,  Filing  date.  Oct.  1,  1974.  Messenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version. 

Subscription  rates:  $5.00  per  year  for  indi- 
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postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.,  Feb.  1975.  Copyright 
1975,   Church   of  the   Brethren   General   Board. 


A  NEW,  CLEAN  YEAR 

I  sit  listlessly  at  the  threshold.  Christmas 
over  and  Tm  tired.  Tired  of  saying  'yes"  when  ( 
rights  it  should  have  been  'no.'  Tired  of  a 
cumulating  gifts  for  all  my  progeny.  Why  do 
try  to  knit,  sew,  and  fashion  gifts  when  i 
around  me  go  out  and  buy.  wrap,  and  are  reac 
long  before  the  advent  of  the  holiday  seasoi 
Tired  even  of  trying  to  find  places  to  put  tl 
gifts  that  have  come  my  way.  Tired  of  trying  I 
express  true  appreciation  to  those  who  love  m 
Tired  period!  that's  it!  Why  do  I  blame  it  c 
Christmas  when  it's  Christ's  birthday  and  love 
the  supreme  force  in  all  the  world?  Isn't  it  won 
being  weary  for  such  a  love  spreading  cause! 

I  rise  to  my  feet  and  remove  the  old.  soilei 
dog-eared  calendar,  so  full  of  appointments  ar 
disappointments.  Quickly,  into  the  wastebask 
it  goes  without  a  backward  look.  Soberly  I  gi' 
my  small  apartment  a  thorough  cleaning,  di 
carding  much  that  does  not  belong  in  a  ne 
year.  Behold,  at  the  bottom  of  Christmas  card 
wrappings  and  trappings  of  the  old  year  I  fir 
my  new,  big,  clean  Ecumenical  Church  Calendi 
bought  for  a  worthy  cause.  I  place  it  on  a  vaca; 
hook  and  sit  down  to  meditate.  Why  there's  n 
answer  ...  a  new.  clean  year  to  do  with  as 
wish.  A  new  chance.  I  pick  up  a  pen  and  neat 
write  in  my  first  responsibility. 

Thank  you,  GOD,  for  letting  me  try  again! 
IcEL  L.  Keim 
Seattle,  Wash. 

A  STORY  TO  READ  AND  REREAD 

My  wife  and  I  really  appreciated  the  artici 
"Pass  a  Kiss  Around  the  Table,"  by  Noah  Ma' 
tin  in  the  October  Messenger.  We  are  present 
waiting  for  the  visa  for  a  Korean  daught 
whom  we  are  adopting.  In  anticipation,  we  fir 
ourselves  reading  and  rereading  this  article. 

Our  agency   is  sharing  copies  of  the  artic 
with  other  couples  adopting  Korean  children. 
Gene  F.  Hipskind 
Waterford,  Calif. 

A  CAMP  GROUNDS  CONFERENCE 

Rolland  Smith's  letter  (October  74)  was  vei 
good  on  the  hypocrisy  of  words  to  favor  tl 
needs  of  the  world  with  the  plush  life-style  i 
Annual  Conference.  Let's  turn  things  arour 
and  change  the  1975  location  from  Dayton  to 
camp  grounds  and  give  the  savings  to  CROP. 

I  urge  everyone  in  favor  of  this  to  write  tl 
Messenger  and  Elgin  and  pray  for  a  change 
heart  for  us  Brethren.  Let's  put  our  words  inl 
action. 

Jim  Fitz  ■ 
Mt.  Zion,  W.  Va. 

CONFERENCE  EVERY  TWO  YEARS 

In  this  time  of  emphasis  on  conversation 
would  like  to  be  heard  in  regard  to  the  frequent 
of  Annual  Conference.  People  who  have  attent 
ed  Conference  will  remember  that  this  has  bee 
my  cry  for  the  last  twenty  years.  However, 


paigjS  ©DTIS 


leems  of  double  importance  at  this  point  in  time. 

First,  there  is  the  matter  of  money.  It  is  my 
udgment  that  it  costs  our  church  a  half  million 
iollars  to  hold  Conference.  1  am  thinking  here 
)f  money  already  in  the  budgets  of  local 
:hurches.  Districts,  General  Board,  colleges  and 
Jeminary.  This  does  not  include  money  spent  by 
hose  who  make  a  vacation  trip  to  Conference. 

Again,  there  is  the  matter  of  time  for  those 
vho  attend  and  participate.  Pastors  should  not 
)e  forced  to  deduct  the  time  from  their  vacation. 
>o  the  result  is  that  a  pastor  who  attends  Con- 
erence  and  is  allowed  a  month's  vacation  is 
iway  from  his  parish  for  six  weeks.  The  Elgin 
taff  members  find  themselves  preparing  reports 
or  Conference,  returning  home  and  writing  up 
he  findings  of  Conference,  and  soon  begin 
hinking  of  another  Conference. 

Many  items  of  business  are  referred  to  com- 
tiittees.  I  am  acquainted  with  this  procedure  for 

have  been  involved  in  a  great  deal  of  com- 

ittee  work,  and  it  is  my  judgment  that  any 
rorthwhile  study  should  have  at  least  two  years. 

So,  1  continue  my  cry  of  the  past  twenty 
ears — "Conference  every  two  years,"  Some 
lave  said  they  are  hungry  for  fellowship.  I,  too, 
ike  this  part  of  it.  However,  I  ask  St.  Paul's 
orgiveness  for  taking  this  verse  out  of  context  — 
If  any  are  hungry  let  him  eat  at  home"  every 
ilher  year. 

Jeff  H.  M.-\this 
.a  Verne,  Calif. 

.OOKING  TO  THE  PAST 

What    makes   the    church   attractive?   Is   the 

hurch  of  the  Brethren  unique,  or  somewhat 
'pecial,  as  to  other  denominations?  Why  has  it 
.ttracted  men  of  so  varied  a  background? 

Certainly  some  have  come  through  invitation. 

It  others  through  their  own  initiative  have 
nited  with  our  brotherhood. 

1  believe  then,  what  appeals  to  this  diverse 
nembership  is  the  character,  humility,  and  sim- 
le  ideals  of  the  Brethren  church. 

The  foundation  of  this  church  stands  on  the 
lasis  of  love  of  God,  loyalty  to  Christ,  a  high 
tandard  of  personal  morality,  and  the  universal 
irotherhood  of  man. 

As  we  look  to  the  past,  let  us  profit  by  its 
pirit,  and  let  it  pass  to  future  generations. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  may  not  reform 
he  whole  world,  but  we  can  do  much  to  help  if 
t  be  our  will, 

Rand.-^ll  S.  M.  Lehman 
iDrrville,  Ohio 

3EAR  MR.  PRESIDENT 

7  he  Jackson  Park  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
neeiing  in  council  November  6,  1974,  addressed 
he  loUowing  letter  to  President  Gerald  R.  Ford: 

"Many  members  voiced  concern  about  the 
vorld  hunger  situation  and  the  useless  slaughter 
)f  cattle — having  been  vividly  portrayed  recently 
in  \arious  tv  newscasts.  As  Christians,  and 
.pecitically  members  of  a  denomination  long  ac- 


tive in  the  relief  of  human  suffering,  and  as  a 
matter  of  Christian  concern  and  witness,  this 
growing  catastrophe  has  long  been  on  our 
hearts.  We  have  already  made  plans  to  have  a 
continuing  offering  for  helping  the  hungry  by 
consciously  limiting  the  expense  of  our  eating. 
The  money  saved  by  our  changed  eating  habits 
will  be  brought  to  the  church  at  stated  times, 
and  then  sent  for  use  by  the  relief  arm  of  our 
church,  in  cooperation  with  Church  World 
Service.  We  also  have  planned  a  meatless 
Thanksgiving  Supper  at  our  church  and  the 
pre\iously  designated  money  for  meat,  unused, 
will  be  sent  through  the  same  channels. 

"The  concern  expressed  at  our  council 
meeting  resulted  in  a  unanimous  decision  to 
direct  this  letter  to  you,  expressing  our  concern, 
uniting  in  our  desire  that  you,  our  President,  do 
your  best  to  give  leadership  to  this  worldwide 
need,  urging  you  never  to  make  the  sharing  of 
food  a  tool  of  international  politics  and  to  urge 
the  American  people  to  think  in  terms  of  a 
different  way  of  life,  more  in  keeping  with  world 
needs  at  this  time. 

"We  want  to  assure  you  of  our  united  support 
if  you  take  such  necessary  measures.  We  feel  the 
time  has  come  in  our  country  to  realize  the 
obligations  placed  upon  us  by  our  abundance 
and  our  position  of  leadership  among  the 
nations.  We  know  that,  in  the  long  run,  our  na- 
tion must  pay  its  own  way.  remain  financially 
strong,  but  at  the  same  time  be  a  good  neighbor. 
Many  of  us  want  to  be  Christian  neighbors. 

"Our  prayers  are  with  you  in  the  struggle  in- 
volved in  making  this  possible." 

Mary  E.  Morrell,  Clerk 
S.  W.  Longenecker,  Pastor 
Jonesboro,  Tenn. 

DECEMBER  ISSUE  IN  REVIEW 

The  December  Messenger  is  outstanding.  Not 
often  do  1  see  so  many  worthwhile  articles  in  so 
few  pages. 

Since  1  have  been  studying  about  new 
methods  being  used  in  public  schools,  Shirley  J. 
Heckman's  Resources  column,  "Getting  the 
Children  Involved,"  was  of  special  interest. 

However,  Update  contained  one  item  that 
troubles  me  deeply — "membership  in  the 
Religious  Coalition  for  Abortion  Rights  con- 
tinued." How  sad! 

(Mrs.)  Dorothy  N.  Lloyd 
Spring  City.  Pa. 

"TO  MY  CONDITION" 

Roger  Shinn's  article  on  "Time  for  a  Turn- 
around" (December)  moved  me  to  send  our  own 
copy  to  my  father  in  Philadelphia,  who  shares  a 
lot  of  his  concern,  faith,  and  love  with  me.  The 
confession  at  the  end  of  the  article  has  a  special, 
rare,  and  real  message  "to  my  condition,"  as  the 
Quakers  like  to  say. 

If  you  can  send  me  extra  copies  I  shall  share 
them,  too.  A  check  is  enclosed. 

Marjorie  D.  Dunlap 
Dayton,  Ohio 


If  there  is  one  concept  about  which  the 
SHARE  program  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  stringent,  it  is  that  those  being 
served  by  an  agency  be  prominently 
represented  in  shaping  the  agency's 
policy.  In  the  issuing  of  SHARE  grants, 
this  requirement  of  indigenous  leadership 
often  is  a  crucial  factor. 

Appropriately,  then,  when  the 
Brotherhood  is  accenting  its  concern  for 
disadvantaged  Americans,  Messenger's 
cover  subject  is  a  board  member  of  one 
of  the  SHARE- 
supported  minis- 
tries. He  is 
Posetha  Single- 
ton of  Knox 
County  Ky.,  a 
coal  miner  whose 
own  years  of  ex- 
perience in  the 
deep  mines  help 
him  direct  the 
Mine  Health  and 
Safety  program  of  the  Council  of 
Southern  Mountains. 

The  concern  for  justice  and  the 
sense  of  self-reliance  Mr.  Singleton 
conveys  are  reflected  further  in  a  spe- 
cial report  on  SHARE,  beginning  on 
page  17.  Reprints  of  the  report  may  be 
ordered  from  the  Stewardship  Enlist- 
ment Team. 

Contributors  this  issue  include 
Carroll  M.  Retry,  district  minister  in 
South/ Central  Indiana;  Vernard  Eller. 
professor  of  religion  at  La  Verne 
College;  Ida  S.  Howell,  La  Verne. 
Calif.,  moderator  of  the  Pacific 
Southwest  Conference;  Emily  Mumma, 
Largo,  Ra,,  who  chairs  the  Commis- 
sion on  Nurture,  Florida-Puerto  Rico 
district;  and  Robert  F.  Price,  associate 
professor.  University  of  Wisconsin  at 
Stevens  Point. 

Also  Roy  A.  Johnson,  pastor,  West- 
minster, Md.;  Ron  Beachley,  pastor, 
Jones  Chapel  congregation,  Mar- 
tinsville, Va.;  Frederic  A.  Brussat, 
Cultural  Information  Service,  New 
York;  Louise  Bowman,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Washington  Office;  and 
Shirley  J.  Heckman,  Parish  Ministries 
staff. 

Here  I  Stand  contributors  are  Mrs. 
Floyd  R.  Brierton,  Dixon,  III,,  Lee 
Griffith,  Ephrata,  Pa.,  and  Bethany 
Seminary,  and  Fred  J.  Miller, 
North  Manchester,  Ind.— The  Editors 

February  1975  messenger  1 


Mary  Greenawalt:  Stories,  books,  and  children 


Mary  Greenawalt  thinks  that  Bible 
stories,  particularly  those  from  the 
time  of  Abraham  and  David,  are  so 
fascinating  she  cannot  understand 
why  any  church  school  teacher  could 
fail  to  make  them  interesting. 

There  is  no  question  about  Mary's 
skill  in  church  school  teaching.  Talk 
to  almost  any  young  person  who 
attended  her  fifth  grade  classes  at  the 
Highland  Avenue  Church  in  Elgin, 
111.,  and  you  will  hear  enthusiastic 
reports  about  one  teacher  whose 
story-telling  they  won't  soon  forget. 

Granted  that  the  stories  about 
patriarchs  and  prophets  are  rich  in 
human  interest  and  dramatic 
situations,  it  still  helps  to  have  a 
teacher  who  knows  children  and 
loves  them,  and  who  knows  a  lot 
more  than  many  of  us  know  about 
children's  literature  and  what  makes 
it  valid  for  young  readers  and  even 
younger  listeners. 

Mary  knows  the  literature.  She  has 
been  children's  librarian  on  the  staff 
of  the  Gail  Borden  Library  in  Elgin 
since  1967.  While  her  duties  are 
many,  Mary  seems  most  enthusiastic 
about  the  story  hours  and  other 
programs  for  preschool  children. 
There  are  "picture-book"  activities 
for  young  children  as  well  as  many 
after-school  and  Saturday  groups  in 


in% 


which  children  are  considered  to  be 
participants  as  well  as  listeners. 

The  Gail  Borden  Library  is  well 
situated  alongside  a  grassy  park  in 
Elgin's  Civic  Center,  overlooking  an 
island  in  the  Fox  River.  But  Mary 
says  that  a  library,  even  one  so  well 
located,  has  to  serve  people  who  may 
not  be  able  to  reach  it.  So  each 
summer  her  department  sponsors  a 
series  of  backyard  story  hours,  at- 
tracting 30  to  40  children  each  time, 
who  come  to  sing  together  and  clap 
hands  and  enjoy  stories  under  the 
best  shade  tree  in  the  neighborhood. 

A  graduate  of  Manchester  College 
with  a  Master's  degree  in  library 
science  from  the  University  of 
Denver,  Mary  Greenawalt  continues 
her  active  participation  in  her  own 
congregation — she  chaired  its  75th 
anniversary  committee — but  soon 
she  will  be  sharing  her  teaching  and 
story-telling  insights  with  the 
Brotherhood  as  a  writer  of  one  of 
the  study  guides  (for  teachers  of  5-7 
year  olds)  in  the  Brethren  Heritage 
Learning  Program.  Mary  is  con- 
vinced that  some  of  our  Brethren 
forerunners — John  Kline,  for  in- 
stance— will  have  the  same  kind  of 
fascination  for  storytellers  that  she 
finds  in  Old  Testament  characters. — 
K.LM. 


m 


Paul  J.  Flory:  Nobel  ijjf 

A  university  professor  who  spent  hLj 
earliest  years  in  a  Brethren  parsona.  ^j 
was  the  1974  recipient  of  the  Noberj,. 
Prize  for  "fundamental  achievemea  g^ 
both  theoretical  and  experimental"!  J 
the  field  of  physical  chemistry.        !.,• 

He  is  Dr.  Paul  J.  Flory,  professc 
of  physical  chemistry  at  Stanford 
University,  a  post  he  has  held  since 
1961.  Earlier  he  had  served  as  a 
professor  at  the  University  of  Cinci  - 
nati  and  at  Cornell  University.  But   j. 
has  always  been  interested  in  basic  >j., 
research,  and  many  of  his  nearly  4(  -j^^ 
years  in  scientific  study  have  been  li. 
spent  in  the  experimental  |i„, 

laboratories  of  the  DuPont  Com- 
pany, the  Standard  Oil  Company,    . 
and  the  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubbeni 
Company.  For  four  years  he  was    ^i^^ 
head  of  research  at  the  Mellon  In- 
stitute. 

A  number  of  Messenger  readersil 
will  remember  the  scientist's  fathenju. 
who  was  a  minister  in  the  Church  nL 
the  Brethren.  Ezra  Flory  was  the  fiilL 
full-time  executive  secretary  for  theL 
General  Sunday  School  Board,  serilp 
ing  the  entire  Brotherhood  in  that  iL, 
capacity  from  1920  to  1928,  traveliil' 
to  many  conferences  and  writing 
regularly  for  such  publications  as 
Our  Young  People  and  the  Brethre\ 
Teacher's  Monthly.  Ernest  G.  Hofflj 
once  observed  that  "Ezra  Flory  set;|i 
the  child  in  our  midst  in  the  Churc, 
of  the  Brethren." 

One  child  that  the  Brethren 
educator  did  not  overlook  was  his 
son  Paul,  born  while  Ezra  Flory  w^ 
a  pastor  in  Sterling,  III.  A  few  yean  j 


2  MESSENGER  February  1975 


ier 

the  Florys  moved  to  Chicago 
itudy  and  teaching  at  Bethany. 
;n  Paul  was  about  ten,  they  came 
Igin  where  the  future  scientist 
ded  high  school.  Graduating  in 
^  he  continued  his  studies  at 
ichester  College. 
here  his  talents  in  scientific 
arch  became  apparent,  particular- 

Dr.  Carl  Holl,  his  teacher  in 
nistry.  Paul  took  graduate  work 
>hio  State,  receiving  his  doctorate 
e  in  1934. 

he  Swedish  Royal  Academy 
gnized  Dr.  Flory's  many  years 
lioneering  research  on  the  con- 
ction  and  properties  of  sub- 
ces  comprised  of  giant 
:cules  such  as  rubbers,  proteins, 
tics,  fibers,  and  films.  One 
nber  of  the  Academy  said,  "His 
ings  are  of  enormous  impor- 
e  to  modern  chemistry  and, 
iks  to  him,  today's  clothes  are 
le  from  synthetic  fibers,  and  the 
Id  has  a  wide  range  of  plastic 
erials." 

aul  Flory  and  his  wife  Emily  have 
daughters,  both  married  to  uni- 
ity  professors,  and  a  son  now 
aged  in  post-doctoral  research  in 
ckholm,  Sweden.  It  was  in 
ckholm  in  December  that  Dr. 
ry  received  the  Nobel  award  and 
honors  that  accompany  it. 
ugh  he  expects  to  retire  from  his 
versity  post  next  summer,  he  will 
tinue  to  teach  and  follow  his  in- 
sts  in  basic  research,  which  he 
as  offering  help  to  developing 
pons. — K.I.M. 


L.  A.  Bowman:  Heritage  in  residence 


Want  to  know  how  to  make  the 
current  Brethren  Heritage  emphasis 
come  alive  for  your  congregation? 
Jones  Chapel  church  in  Virlina  Dis- 
trict has  the  answer:  Have  a  100-year- 
old  minister  in  your  midst!  The  early 
rural  history  of  the  Brethren  in 
Virginia  takes  on  freshness  when 
heard  from  the  lips  of  L.  A.  Bow- 
man. This  is  a  man  who  traveled  the 
Blue  Ridge  hills  and  hollows  on 
horseback  in  the  1800s.  preaching  the 
Word  to  isolated  missionary  outposts 
of  the  Virginia  Brethren. 

Born  to  Elder  Isaac  and  Nancy 
Peters  Bowman  on  February  13, 
1875,  Brother  Bowman's  formal  ties 
with  the  church  began  on  a  cold 
December  day  in  1891  when  he  was 
baptized  in  Little  Creek,  near  the 
Bethlehem  Church  in  Franklin  Coun- 
ty. At  age  28  he  was  a  resident 
minister  at  Bethlehem  and  licensed  to 
preach.  Preach  he  did — 3,366  ser- 
mons by  his  reckoning — delivering 
his  most  recent  one  on  his  97th  birth- 
day in  1972.  Brother  Bowman  served 
most  of  his  years  in  the  free  ministry. 
While  pastoring  churches  he  provid- 
ed for  his  family  by  farming,  teaching 
school,  and  surveying.  A  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  him  in  D.  H.  Zigler's 
History  of  the  Brethren  in  Virginia, 
(pubhshed  in  1908)  concludes,  "His 
life  promises  much  usefulness."  That 
promise  has  been  made  good  in  72 
years  of  ministry  in  various  churches 
of  Virlina  District. 

The  years  weigh  lightly  on  Brother 
Bowman,  belied  by  his  youthful 
appearance  and  activity.  Famous 


through  the  years  for  calling  on  his 
parishioners  and  neighbors  in  their 
homes,  he  continues  this  visiting 
ministry  and  never  misses  Sunday 
morning  services  or  Wednesday  night 
Bible  study.  He  still  stands  at  the 
church  door  on  Sunday  mornings  to 
greet  the  members  of  Jones  Chapel 
who  know  him  affectionately  as 
"Grandaddy  Bowman." 

Reflecting  back  over  his  life  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  Brother 
Bowman  remarks  aptly,  "We  live  in  a 
world  of  change."  When  he  began  his 
ministry  he  wore  the  Dunker  beard 
and  garb,  and  ministered  to  a  rural 
denomination  that  scorned  higher 
education  and  clung  to  a  simple  life- 
style. Born  in  a  world  little  changed 
from  that  of  Alexander  Mack,  L.  A. 
Bowman  lives  on  serenely  in  a  world 
of  space  travel  and  nuclear  power. 
Brother  Bowman  is  able  to  accept 
changes  as  they  come,  assured  that 
no  matter  what  else  changes,  the 
Word  of  God  alone  remains  un- 
changed. 

He  has  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  Bible  which  has  grown  through 
his  life.  In  1890  a  school  teacher  gave 
him  a  small  Bible  in  which  she  wrote 
for  him,  "Search  the  scriptures,  for 
therein  ye  have  eternal  life."  Brother 
Bowman  not  only  found  what  this 
meant  for  his  own  life;  he  also  shared 
the  Good  News  with  hundreds  of 
others.  Now  at  the  age  of  100,  his 
quiet  strength  and  devotional  attitude 
continues  to  be  a  witness  for  the 
Lord  in  the  church  and 
community.  —  Ron  Beachley 

February  1975  messenger  3 


75  Conference  to  sound 
call  to  discipleship 

Dayton's  Convention  Center,  which  last 
April  hosted  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Congress  on  Evangelism,  this  June  will 
open  its  facilities  again  to  a  Brethren 
gathering  with  a  heavy  discipleship 
emphasis.  The  occasion  will  be  the 
denomination's  1 89th  recorded  Annual 
Conference,  assembling  under  the  banner, 
"All  Creation  Awaits!" 

A  theme  statement,  drawn  from  Romans 
8:19,  invites  persons  to  glimpse  anew  the 
meaning  of  life  on  earth  and  to  sense  the 
fragility  of  the  earth  and  its  resources. 
"Find  a  commitment  equal  to  1st  century 
disciples,"  the  statement  challenges,  "but 
respond  to  the  calls  of  the  Spirit  in  Century 
20." 

General  sessions  as  planned  by  the  Cen- 
tral Committee  for  the  June  24-29  event  in- 
clude addresses  on  Tuesday  evening  by 
Donald  E.  Rowe,  Annual  Conference 
moderator  and  Mid-Atlantic  district  ex- 
ecutive, Ellicott  City,  Md.;  Wednesday 
evening  by  Donna  Forbes  Steiner,  or- 
dained minister,  Lanark,  111.;  Thursday 
evening  by  James  F.  Myer,  a  farmer  serv- 
ing in  the  free  ministry,  Lititz,  Pa.;  Satur- 
day evening  by  George  W.  Hill,  pastor. 
Calvary  Baptist  Church,  Washington, 
D.C.;  and  Sunday  morning  by  Floyd  E. 
Bantz,  pastor.  Roaring  Spring,  Pa. 

Friday  evening  a  musical  program  will 
be  planned  and  led  by  Clyde  Holsinger, 
head  of  the  music  department  of 
Manchester  College,  featuring  a  choral 
group  comprised  largely  of  midwest 
Brethren.  Dr.  Holsinger  also  will  direct  the 
Conference  Choir  throughout  the  week. 

Also  on  Friday  evening  an  all-conference 
fellowship  will  be  planned  by  the  Southern 
Ohio  Women's  Fellowship. 

Planning  and  coordinating  the  worship 
experiences  in  the  general  sessions  will  be  a 
committee  of  four  persons.  The  coor- 
dinator is  B.  Wayne  Crist,  member  of  Cen- 
tral Committee  and  pastor  at  McPherson, 
Kans.;  other  members  are  Nancy  Faus, 
Lombard,  111.,  Pauline  Kennel,  Oak  Brook, 
111.,  and  James  C.  McKinnell,  Rockford, 
111.  Alvin  F.  Brightbill,  Aurora,  111.,  is 
working  with  the  committee  as  conference 
music  director  and  leader  of  congregational 
singing. 

A  new  pattern  for  group  Bible  study  is 
being  introduced,  aimed  at  heightening  the 
opportunity  for  participation  by  the  con- 

4  MESSENGER  February  1975 


Dayton's  Convention  Center  will  host  the  189th  Annual  Conference.   The  June  24-29 
event,  utilizing  the  theme,  "All  Creation  Awaits."  will  carry  a  discipleship  emphasis  | 


ferees.  Beginning  each  day  from  8  to  8:45 
Wednesday  through  Saturday,  as  many  as 
eight  Bible  study  options  will  be  offered, 
ranging  from  the  more  conventional  ap- 
proaches to  study  of  original  language 
texts  and  use  of  artistic  expression.  "By  en- 
gaging in  four  sessions  and  longer,  more 
specialized  approaches,  persons  hopefully 
will  be  enabled  to  have  a  more  depth  en- 
counter with  the  scriptures,"  commented 
Annual  Conference  manager  Hubert  R. 
Newcomer. 

As  in  past  years,  post-evening  sessions 
also  will  offer  conferencegoers  diverse 
choices  of  special  interest  activity  in 
smaller  groups. 

On  Conference  business,  five  queries  and 
reports  are  carried  over  from  previous 
years  and  at  least  four  new  ones  are  to  be 
reviewed  by  Standing  Committee  for 
presentation  this  year.  The  continuing 
items  concern  "The  Ministry:  Ordination 
and  Family  Life;"  criminal  justice  reform; 
the  use  of  alcohol;  life  stewardship  related 
to  death  and  dying,  disposition  of  the  body 
and  the  handling  of  estates;  and  review  of 
the  pastoral  salary  schedule. 

New  items  include  a  proposal  from  the 
Western  Plains  District  for  closer 
relationships  with  various  Mennonite 
bodies  and  two  queries  from  the  Western 
Pennsylvania  District,  one  a  plea  which 
urges  Brethren  to  train  for  "basic  life  sup- 
port" to  sustain  life  in  medical  emergencies, 
and  the  second  a  conference  rule  change, 
which  proposes  separating  business  items 
from  reports.  A  fourth  item  is  a  report  on 


"General  Board-District  Relationships" 
growmg  out  of  a  Goals  and  Budget  Como 
mittee  study. 

Facilities  for  the  conference  are  locate* 
in  central  Dayton,  in  the  Convention  and^ 
Exhibition  Center  opened  two  years  ago.j  •; 
While  area  hotels  and  motels  may  be 
pushed  to  the  limit.  Conference  Manager]  ■ 
Newcomer  believes  housing  will  be  at  lear.  \^ 
as  adequate  as  in  past  years. 

A  major  cafeteria  will  function  at  the 
Convention  Center,  offering  three  meals 
day.  Beyond  hotels  and  motels,  residence  \ 
halls  at  the  University  of  Dayton  will  be 
available  for  housing  as  will  some  private 
homes.  Camping  at  the  fairgrounds  is  be- 
ing negotiated. 

Working  with  Hubert  Newcomer  in 
handling  on-location  planning  is  Robert 
Noffsinger,  a  retired  school  administratoi 
He  is  enlisting  personnel  to  manage  a 
number  of  conference  functions,  among 
them  a  steering  committee  of  youth  and 
adults  to  plan  activities  for  junior  highs, 
senior  highs,  and  older  youth. 

Within  the  Northern  and  Southern  dis- 
tricts of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
Ohio  reside  some  20,000  members.  Nearl 
one-fifth  of  these  are  from  13  parishes 
located  within  a  15-mile  radius  of  Daytor 

Annual  Conference's  last  meeting  in 
Ohio  was  in  1972,  at  Cincinnati's  Conver 
tion  Center,  40  miles  southwest  of  Daylo 
Only  one  other  annual  meeting  has  been 
held  in  Ohio  this  century,  in  1903,  althou} 
the  Brethren  assembled  there  13  times  in 
the  1800s. 


rethren  role  hailed 
Ih  world  congress 

le  man  who  presided  at  the  19th  Inter- 
tional  Horticultural  Congress  in  Poland 
t  year  credits  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 

having  major  impact  on  the  program. 
He  is  Prof.  S.  A.  Pieniazek  of  the 
isearch  Institute  of  Pomology  in  War- 
V.  He  explained  that  while  the  planners 
re  anxious  over  how  many  hor- 
ulturists  would  attend,  with  economics 
d  energy  being  what  they  are  in  many 
untries,  the  registration  exceeded  all 
pectations — more  than  2,000,  involving 
jrsons  from  56  countries.  The  number  of 
eign  guests  was  double  or  triple  that  of 
St  congresses,  he  said. 
The  Brethren  contribution  in  part  in- 
ided  the  presence  of  six  American  ex- 
angees  who  served  the  Congress  as 
Imslators,  interpreters,  guides,  and 
!  iters.  All  had  spent  a  year  or  more  in 
hland. 

pt  major  help  too  were  many  of  the  423 
liilish  men  and  women  who  in  the  past 
ve  devoted  at  least  a  year  to  research  or 
[ofessional  experience  on  farms,  in 
siness,  or  in  universities  in  the  USA  un- 
r  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  Polish  Ex- 
ange  Program. 

It  happens  that  English  is  a  dominant, 
ijnot  the  only,  language  used  at  any  inter- 
tional  congress,"  Dr.  Pieniazek  stated, 
b  have  the  courage  to  organize  such  a 
ngress  we  had  to  have  a  large  group  of 
ilish  horticulturists  speaking  tolerable 
iglish  and  rather  well  acquainted  with 
istern  horticulture. 

"Thanks  to  the  Brethren  Exchange  we 
i\e  such  a  group.  Some  150  of  the  hor- 
:ulturists  who  had  been  to  the  US  became 
core  ot  the  Polish  Congress  Organizing 
ommittee.  Since  all  of  them  know  the 
ussian  language,  too,  they  acted  as  inter- 
eters  of  the  east  to  the  west  during  the 
ongress." 

The  six  volunteers  under  Brethren 
ispices  in  Poland  during  the  Congress 
sre  Laura  Harrison  of  Port  Washington, 
.  Y.,  John  Graybill  of  Manheim,  Pa., 
lark  Hemmerich  of  Brookville,  Ohio, 
even  Wine  of  Mt.  Sidney,  Va.,  Donald 
les  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  and  Delia 
'albridge  of  Quincy,  Mass. 
"We  should  have  erected  a  marble 
lonument  to  Laura  Harrison,"  Dr. 
ieniazek  continued.  "She  translated  from 
olish,  which  she  learned  to  perfection. 


into  English  not  only  bulletins  but  also 
very  technical  horticultural  papers.  A 
mathematician  herself,  she  turned  into  an 
accomplished  horticulturist  and  biologist." 

The  Polish  agriculturalist-educator  said 
the  1974  Warsaw  Congress  performed  "an 
important  role,  although  in  a  very  narrow 
field,  6f  east-west  cooperation  and 
friendship." 

"I  shall  always  remember  the  late  Dr. 
Harold  Row  who  as  far  ago  as  1948  and 
1957  was  preaching  the  necessity  of 
building  bridges  over  the  precipices  that 
seemed  to  exist  between  east  and  west  Eu- 
rope. He  maintained  that  everyone  of  us 


5.  A.  Pieniazek  credits  Brethren- Polish 
Exchange  with  building  East-  West  ties 

has  this  duty  since  peace  on  earth  depends 
on  that  vital  link. 

"Thank  heavens  we  lived  to  see  the  new 
era  not  only  of  coexistence  but  also  of 
collaboration  and  friendship  between  the 
east  and  west.  The  danger  of  ignorance  and 
hatreds  are  by  no  means  over. 

"It  is  a  duty  of  each  one  of  us  to  main- 
tain a  watchful  vigil  to  continue  to  build 
friendship  between  the  two  most  important 
political  and  social  systems  of  the  world." 


COCU  in  Cincinnati: 
Back  in  the  fight' 

If  a  movement  can  be  summed  up  in 
terms  of  its  annual  meetings,  a  reporter  de- 
clared that  the  Consultation  on  Church 
Union,  after  its  latest  round  in  Cincinnati, 
is  back  in  the  fight.  That  was  after  being 
"down  for  the  count  of  nine"  in  Denver  in 
1972  and  "on  its  knees"  in  Memphis  in 
1973. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren's  DeWitt  L. 
Miller,  who  was  one  of  the  denomination's 
two  observer-consultants  to  the  Cincinnati 
sessions  late  last  year,  shares  the  appraisal. 
In  fact,  he  feels  COCU  has  experienced  "a 
resurrection."  As  evidence  of  renewal  the 
executive  of  the  Committee  of  Interchurch 
Relations  cited  these  factors: 

—  more  lay  and  local  representatives 
were  present  than  in  the  two  previous  an- 
nual meetings  he  had  attended. 

—  less  emphasis  was  placed  on  uniformi- 
ty both  in  the  worship  and  work  sessions. 

—  stress  was  given  to  the  significance  of 
the  middle  judicatory — district,  diocese, 
presbytery — and  to  the  need  for  greater  in- 
terchange at  such  a  level. 

— an  "interim  eucharistic  fellowship"  is 
being  encouraged  whereby  COCU  con- 
gregations in  a  given  community  may  come 
together  frequently  to  celebrate  a  sense  of 
oneness  with  their  Lord. 

— "generating  committees"  are  to  be  es- 
tablished for  COCU  parishes  locally  to 
covenant  to  do  everything  they  can 
together. 

Further  from  the  Cincinnati  meeting. 
Dr.  Miller  hailed  the  increasing  leadership 
of  women  and  blacks,  the  promising  direc- 
tion which  two  new  executives,  Gerald  F. 
Moede  and  John  Satterwhite,  will  bring, 
and  a  resolution  sent  to  member  churches 
for  adoption  and  implementation  on  the 
recognition  of  all  baptized  people  as 
members  of  the  church. 

"While  I  have  shared  many  of  the  mis- 
givings Brethren  have  expressed  regarding 
the  Consultation  on  Church  Union,  I  have 
felt  we  should  do  all  we  could  to  make  the 
movement  what  it  ought  to  be,"  the 
Hagerstown,  Md.,  minister  reflected. 

"Only  the  pessimists,  those  with  negative 
attitudes  or  those  determined  to  be 
obstructionists  or  detractors  would  be  in- 
sensitive enough  to  miss  the  newness  of  life 
that  is  blowing  through  the  ecumenical 
movement  as  evidenced  at  the  12th  COCU 
plenary." 


February  1975  messenger  5 


Five  workers  take  posts 
in  the  Caribbean  area 

Four  new  workers,  all  from  Illinois,  have 
been  placed  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  Honduras  and  Puerto  Rico.  A  fifth  per- 
son is  under  tentative  appointment. 

On  one-  to  two-year  assignments  are 
Chester  and  Maria  Thomas,  named  re- 
gional advisor  of  the  Church  World  Serv- 
ice program  in  Honduras,  and  Enrique 
and  Cheribeth  Piedra,  enlisted  in  public 
health  through  Hospital  Castaner  in  Puer- 
to Rico.  Slated  to  give  several  weeks  in 
Honduras,  as  staff  needs  open  up,  is  Ray 
Tritt,  a  builder  from  Aurora.  111. 

The  Thomases  and  Tritt  are  located  at 
San  Pedro  Sula,  the  second  largest  city  in 
Honduras  and  the  scene  of  Church  World 
Service  relief  operations  following  the 
destruction  of  Hurricane  Fifi  last 
September.  While  the  present  effort  centers 
on  the  construction  of  new  housing,  ex- 
ploration is  being  given  to  other  ongoing 


developmental  programs. 

Thomas,  whose  home  church  is  Maple 
Spring,  Hollsopple,  Pa.,  has  owned  and 
managed  Thomas  Advertising  Productions, 
a  direct  mail  and  public  relations  firm  in 
Chicago.  He  served  four  years  with  the 
Peace  Corps  in  Colombia  as  a  volunteer 
and  as  a  regional  director.  He  holds  a 
master's  degree  from  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh  in  public  and  international  af- 
fairs, with  a  specialty  in  economics  and 
development  in  third  world  countries. 

Maria  Arrieta  Thomas  is  a  Colombian 
and  trained  nutritionist  who  will  apply  her 
skills  in  the  emerging  program.  The 
Thomases  have  a  daughter.  Amy,  six 
months  old. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Piedra  are  involved  in 
nutrition  education  at  Hospital  Castaner. 
Piedra  lived  previously  in  Puerto  Rico, 
having  earned  a  master's  in  nutrition  at  the 
university  there.  He  also  has  directed  a 
public  health  program  in  Ecuador,  his 
native  land. 

Cheribeth  Swanson  Piedra,  whose  home 


J.  Henry  Long  to  head 
leprosy  missions  board 

J.  Henry  Long,  associate  professor  of 
sociology  at  Elizabethtown  College,  has 
been  elected  chairman  of  American 
Leprosy  Missions.  The  announcement  was 

J.  Henry  Long  and  Rober  Ackley  ofALM 


made  in  New  York  by  the  agency's  presi- 
dent, Roger  K.  Ackley. 

Long  succeeds  Dr.  Theodore  Taylor, 
who  resigned  the  chairmanship  after  eight 
years  of  service.  Dr.  Taylor  will  continue  to 
serve  as  a  member  of  the  board. 

Former  executive  secretary  of  the 
Foreign  Mission  Commission  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  Long  spent  fifteen 
years  in  world  missions  work.  After  World 
War  II  he  spent  two  years  in  Poland  and 
Austria  in  relief  and  reconstruction  for  the 
Brethren  Service  Commission  and  the 
Reconstruction  Committee  of  the  Protes- 
tant churches  in  Austria. 

He  has  also  served  on  various  boards  of 
the  Division  of  Overseas  Ministries  of  the 
National  Council  of  Churches  and  many  of 
its  specialized  committees. 

Born  and  brought  up  in  Pennsylvania, 
Long  is  a  graduate  of  Elizabethtown 
College,  Bethany  Theological  Seminary, 
and  Temple  University. 

He  has  had  a  long  time  interest  in 
leprosy.  During  his  time  as  executive 
secretary  of  The  Foreign  Missions  Com- 
mission he  gave  particular  attention  to  The 
Adamawa  Provincial  Leprosarium  which 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  operates  in 
Nigeria.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
American  Leprosy  Missions'  Board  of 
Directors  since  1967. 


On  duly,  the  Thomases,  /.;  the  Piedras 

I 
is  Marengo,  111.,  is  a  recent  Peace  Corps     i 
volunteer.  Her  work  included  the  establish-n| 
ment  of  a  pilot  program  in  midwifery  for  a  |  ■ 
mission  in  Liberia  and  the  training  of 
paramedics  in  Ecuador.  She  is  a  graduate 
of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  La  Crosse.    II 

Ray  Tritt  along  with  his  wife  June 
Replogle  Tritt,  were  volunteers  in  Europe 
during  the  1950s  under  Brethren  Service, 
and  served  as  missionaries  in  Nigeria  from 
1958  to  1961.  Tritt  is  slated  tentatively  to 
work  with  the  San  Pedro  Sula  program  in 
February. 

One  other  Brethren  volunteer  served  an 
earlier  short  term  period  in  Honduras, 
Harold  E.  Metzler,  a  builder  from  Mar- 
tinsburg.  Pa.  He  assisted  with  housing  con-fi 
struction  last  November. 

Special  fund  assists 
57  retired  workers 


Since  1896  when  an  Annual  Conference 
query  pointed  up  the  absence  of  any  plan 
for  support  of  disabled  missionaries,  the 
church  has  been  providing  assistance  to 
long-time  servants  of  the  church  in  severe 
financial  need.  The  Ministerial  and  Mis- 
sionary Service  Fund  is  the  vehicle  through 
which  the  church  demonstrates  that  sup- 
port. 

Last  year  57  persons  received  financial 
assistance  from  the  fund,  the  disbursement!! 
approximating  $43,000.  While  most  grants; 
were  quite  modest,  regarded  generally  as 
supplemental,  responses  to  them  glow  with 
appreciation. 

The  1975  budget  calls  for  disbursements 
of  more  than  $58,000.  "These  will  help 
supply  persons  with  life's  necessities,  and 
will  contribute  to  satisfying  retirement 
years,"  observed  Galen  B.  Ogden,  executivt; 
of  the  Pension  Board  which  administers 


6  MESSENGER  February  1975 


OilDDdlSD^DDDTlS^ 


t&  M  Fund.  Dr.  Ogden  explained 
any  ministers  and  missionaries  who 
ive  now  participate  in  both  Social 
I  rity  and  the  Pension  Plan.  "For  them, 
t  ment  should  be  relatively  free  of 
li  cial  need.  But  for  those  already  retired 
t  e  pensions  reflect  the  low  salaries  they 
i  /ed,  and  for  others  in  special  cir- 
iftances,  there  will  continue  to  be  need 
I  rants  from  the  M  &  M  Fund." 
e  main  source  of  support  of  the  M  & 
jnd  is  the  Brotherhood  Fund  — 
iM  this  year.  "Thus  all  who  give  to  the 
i;hes  and  through  them  to  the 
(lerhood  Fund  are  partners  in  a 
i;tr\  of  caring  for  persons  who  have 
t  faithful  servants  as  ministers  and  mis- 
I  ries."  notes  Ronald  D.  Petty,  of  the 
eardship  Enlistment  Office. 

ijdy  reveals  decline 

luse  of  plain  garb 

-i 

I'jMennonites  are  not  wearing  the  plain 
\hs  much  as  they  once  did  and,  by  not 
(g  so,  they  are  losing  one  of  their  prime 
mses  against  acculturation, 
"iat's  the  opinion  of  Robert  A.  Peters 
ast  Petersburg,  Pa.,  a  junior  at 
ilbethtown  College  who  made  those 

iusions  in  a  paper  presented  to  the 
sylvania  Sociological  Society, 
titled  "An  Unobtrusive  Measure  of 
;ilturation:  The  Mennonite  Plain  Suit," 
aiaper  won  Peters  the  "best  student 
jr  award"  in  competition  with  students 
i  other  Pennsylvania  colleges. 
i  an  analysis  of  formal,  male  senior 
ijographs  in  yearbooks  published  by  the 

faster  Mennonite  High  School  from 
to  1972,  Peters  found  the  incidence  of 
suit  wearing  went  from  a  high  of  81 
ent  in  1949  and  1950  to  a  low  of  five 
fent  in  1972. 

escribing  the  school  as  the  "official 
I'lcy  for  the  socialization  of  Mennonite 
»:h  in  the  Lancaster  area,"  Peters  writes, 
lihe  norms  are  not  being  practiced  and 
ed  on  in  the  high  school  the  chance  of 
process  occurring  in  the  larger  Men- 
te  culture  is  minimal."  He  terms  the 
1  suit  a  "critical  defense  symbol"  of 
jomformity  that  has  set  Mennonites 
t  from  the  world  for  generations, 
'orking  toward  a  major  in  political 
ice  and  sociology  at  Elizabethtown 
ege  Peters  is  a  member  of  the 
abethtown  Church  of  the  Brethren. 


BRETHREN  IN   VIETNAM    .  .  .  Gary  Porter,    co-director  of  the 
Indochina  Resource  Center,  Washington,  D.C. ,  recently  spent 
two  weeks  in  North  Vietnam  surveying  the  war  situation. 
Among  the  three  persons  accompanying  Porter  was  Frances 
Fitzgerald,    Pulitzer  Prize  winning  author  of  "Fire  in  the 
Lake . " 

Lynn  Cabbage,   Bre1±iren  volunteer  in  South  Vietnam  since 
1973,  plans  to  return  for  a  second  term  with  Vietnam  Chris- 
tian Service,  following  a  vacation  with  his  bride  H'wiet   in 
the  States.   Cabbage  is  from  Prairie  City,  Iowa. 

And  Dennis  Metzger ,   who  last  year  completed  four  years 
in  Vietnam  Christian  Service,  is  studying  in  Taiwan.   He  and 
his  wife  Van   may  be  addressed  at  Ntimber  2-3  Lane  49,  Wen 
Chow  St.,  Taipei,  Taiwan,  Republic  of  China  106. 


IN   SERVICE  ELSEWHERE 


Parish  Ministries'  Tom  Wil- 


son^ participated  in  a  mobilization  and  a  march  in  Boston 
aimed  at  focusing  national  attention  on  discrimination  in 
education.   "In  essence,  it  was  a  way  of  saying  no  to  insti- 
tutionalized racism  and  no  to  mob  violence,"  Wilson  commented. 
.  .  .  Engaged  in  six  to  eight  weeks  of  volunteer  construc- 
tion in  Honduras  is  Ray  Tritt ,    a  builder  from  Aurora,  Illi- 
nois.  In  the  1950s  Tritt  and  his  wife  June  were  Brethren 
Service  volunteers  in  Europe. 


MINISTRY  EXTENDED 


Ross   L.  Noff singer ,   while  a 


patient  at  Lancaster  General  Hospital  in  Pennsylvania,  of- 
ficiated from  a  wheel  chair  at  the  wedding  of  nurse's  aid 
Cynthia  Miller  and  Larry  Hertz.   When  informed  by  Miss  Mil- 
ler that  she  was  having  a  civil  ceremony,  the  pastor  of  the 
Conestoga  church  volunteered  to  preside  at  the  wedding. 


TRAILBLAZING 


A  Grand  Canyon  Hike  over  Easter  va- 


cation is  being  sponsored  jointly  by  Camp  Bethel    in  Virginia 
and  McPherson  College   in  Kansas.   Each  of  the   13  participants 
will  carry  a  25-pound  pack  during  the  six-day  trek.  .  .  . 
Meanwhile  Camp  Bethel  is  extending  its  own  turf  back  home, 
having  acquired  an  80-acre  tract  that  connects  it  to  the 
Jefferson  National  Forest  and  the  Appalachian  Trail . 


EXTENSION  SCHOOL 


"Basic  Issues  in  Congregational 


Life"  is  the  theme  for  the  Bethany  Theological  Seminary 
Summer  Extension  School  July  28-Aug.  1  at  Elizabethtown 
College  in  Pennsylvania.   Instructors  will  be  David   J.  Wieand 
and  Murray   L.  Wagner   Jr.   Contact  is  Henry   H.  Rist  III,    co- 
ordinator, Atlantic  Northeast  District,  900  South  Arlington 
Ave.,  Rm.  213,  Harrisburg,  Pa.  17109. 


HONORED 


Daniel  M.    Kwari,    a  student  at  Waka  Teach- 


ers' College,  is  one  of  two  Nigerian  artists  awarded  Gold 
Cross  Awards  in  an  all-African  painting  contest  judged  in 
the  Netherlands.  The  Lardin  Gabas  church  member  hopes  to 
study  the  fine  arts  at  a  university.  .  .  .  Earl  M_.  Bowman 
was  honored  at  the  Bridgewater,  Va.,  church  for  60  years 
in  the  Christian  ministry.  .  .  .  Similar  recognition  was 
accorded  two  Northern  Indiana  ministers  for  50  year  terms 
of  service,  Clarence   B.  Fike   and  William  H_.    Loucks . 

February  1975  messenger  7 


Two  Siberian  churches,   at   Novosibirsk  and  Irkutsk,   were  among  those  visited  by  the 
US  delegation.    Worshippers  posed  with   the  guests  in  front  of  the  Irkutsk  cathedral. 


The  Sovi( 

by  Robert  F.  Price 


Twenty  Christians  of  diverse  denom- 
inations and  races  and  of  both  sexes 
met  for  a  day's  briefing  in  Frankfurt,  Ger- 
many before  flying  to  the  Soviet  Union  for 
three  weeks.  Two-thirds  of  our  time  was 
spent  in  various  parts  of  the  Soviet  Union; 
the  balance  was  invested  in  meetings  in 
Moscow.  Quite  naturally,  we  spent  con- 
siderable time  attending  the  lovely  (and 
long)  Russian  Orthodox  worship  services. 

In  my  previous  visit  with  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  delegation  in  1971.  I  did  not 
truly  understand  the  Russian  Orthodox 
service,  although  the  ritual  and  devotion  of 
the  congregation  were  apparent.  This  time 
with  the  group  organized  by  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  1  was  able  to  gain 
more  specific  impressions,  particularly  at 
the  special  services.  We  were  present  at  the 
service  of  the  Dormition  of  Mary  in  the  St. 
Sergius-Trinity  monastery  (frequently 
called  Zagorsk).  We  were  impressed  at  first 
hand  with  the  deep  bereavement  of  Rus- 
sian Orthodox  believers  on  this  occasion, 
and  convinced  of  the  inaccuracy  of 
translations  of  the  Russian  word  Uspenie 
as  the  Assumption,  as  it  is  known  to 
Roman  Catholics. 

The  other  special  commemoration  was 
for  the  beheading  of  John  the  Baptist,  a 
service  which  lasted  over  five  hours  in 
Pochayev  monastery.  The  service  was 
lengthened  in  part  by  the  thousands  of  peo- 
ple wishing  to  honor  their  loved  ones  who 
had  died  in  wars.  Their  numbers  were 
revealed  by  a  veritable  mountain  of  loaves 
of  bread  contributed  by  the  bereaved 
families,  loaves  which  we  were  informed 
were  later  to  be  distributed  to  poor  families 
in  the  area. 

Wherever  we  went,  the  tradition  of  the  . 
sermon  was  similar.  As  communion  was 
celebrated  behind  the  wall  of  icons,  one  of' 
the  attending  priests  or  deacons  would  be 
asked  to  deliver  a  message  based  on  the 
day's  biblical  text,  interpreting  it  in  generali 
terms  to  guide  the  daily  lives  of  the  con- 
gregation. The  same  biblical  stories  seemedc 
popular  in  Orthodox  churches  and  in  Bap-' 
tist  Union  congregations.  Some  favorites 


8  MESSENGER  February  1975 


hurches  revisited 


yere  the  parable  of  the  talents,  the  story  of 
ihe  householder  hiring  workers  for  his 
fineyard,  and  Christ's  instructions  to  his 
lisciples  at  the  Last  Supper  concerning  do- 
ng  good  unto  the  least  of  men.  The  chief 
leparture  came  in  the  sermons  of  Father 
/italy  Borovoy,  who  called  for  reconcilia- 
ion  of  problems  dividing  us  so  that  we  can 
lecome  one  in  spirit  despite  our  various 
ites. 

Though  translation  was  my  primary 
unction,  I  felt  language  barriers  sometimes 
aded  as  they  do  in  operas  when  a  visiting 
oprano  may  sing  in  her  own  language 
Vhile  others  in  the  cast  use  their  own.  In 
lur  honor,  the  bishop  of  Patriarchal  Rus- 
ian  Orthodox  churches  in  Canada  and  the 
iJnited  States  frequently  gave  sections  of 
he  liturgy  in  its  English  version.  The  Bap- 
ist  choir  in  Minsk  sang  a  hymn  in  English 
lor  us,  and  later  we  joined  in  English  for 
he  final  hymn,  God  Be  With  You  'til  We 
yieet  Again. 

In  our  official  meetings  and  conver- 
ations  several  issues  stood  out.  The  theme 
)f  the  meeting's  papers,  Jesus  Christ  Frees 
fnd  Unites,  seemingly  was  understood  in 
largely  literal  and  practical  terms  by 
nembers  of  the  American  delegation,  but 
jiad  chiefly  spiritual  and  allegorical  mean- 
ng  for  the  Russian  theologians  and  church 
leaders.  There  are.  of  course,  reasons  for 
his:  Another  major  question  our  delega- 
ion  asked  repeatedly  had  to  do  with  the 
soviet  constitutional  guarantee  of 
'freedom  of  religion  and  freedom  of 


atheistic  propaganda."  Although  there  is 
an  obvious  imbalance  to  our  eyes,  the 
Soviet  church  people  live  with  this  situa- 
tion since  they  must.  We  also  expressed 
concerns  about  the  paucity  of  religious 
materials  and  the  difficult  process  for 
registering  congregations. 

While  we  exchanged  opinions  openly, 
presumably  no  minds  were  changed  on 
either  side  when  we  met  with  government 
officials.  With  the  Russian  Orthodox 
leaders,  we  brought  up  the  question  of 
women  in  their  delegation  during  the 
return  visit  next  spring.  We  made  no 
progress  on  this  question. 


o„ 


'ur  delegation  of  20  was  divided  into 
four  groups  for  travel  to  numerous  cities  in 
the  Soviet  Union.  I  was  part  of  groups 
visiting  Irkutsk  and  Novosibirsk  in  Siberia, 
Minsk  in  Byelorussia  (White  Russia),  and 
Lvov  and  Kiev  in  the  Ukraine.  Other 
members  saw  Leningrad,  Tallinn,  Riga, 
Georgia  and  Armenia  in  the  Caucasus  as 
well  as  other  places.  For  us  these  sidetrips 
combined  tourism  with  opportunities  to 
meet  and  worship  with  our  ecumenical 
Christian  brothers  and  sisters.  For  Soviet 
Christians,  we  provided  an  infrequent 
witness  to  the  unity  of  Christians 
throughout  the  world.  Thus  our  presence 
gave  a  strong  moral  boost  to  Russian 
Orthodox,  Baltic  Lutherans  and  Baptists  at 
many  places. 

Everywhere  they  greeted  us  with  the 


traditional  Russian  customs  of  flower  bou- 
quets and  bread  and  salt,  symbolizing  their 
wishes  for  our  health  and  prosperity.  In 
Irkutsk,  Siberia,  we  found  the  walk  leading 
to  the  cathedral  strewn  with  flowers.  We 
supposed  they  were  for  the  archbishop,  but 
it  turned  out  that  they  were  in  honor  of  the 
Russian  Orthodox  priest  from  America 
who  was  part  of  our  group. 

After  leaving  the  monastery  of  Pochayev 
for  the  city  of  Lvov,  we  visited  four  village 
churches.  At  each  one  we  were  met  with 
bouquets  by  large  congregations,  until 
finally  our  taxi  was  overflowing  with 
flowers  and  people  on  the  streets  were  cer- 
tain it  was  a  wedding  car.  While  in  Lvov, 
our  group  had  the  opportunity  to  talk  with 
the  archbishop  of  the  small  Reformed 
Church  of  the  Transcarpathian  district, 
who  came  over  especially  to  meet  with  us. 
This  was  particularly  meaningful  to  Robert 
Lamar,  who  is  the  newly  elected  moderator 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
USA. 

In  comparing  the  Brethren-Orthodox  ex- 
change of  1971  with  this  larger  ecumenical 
exchange  of  last  September,  I  discerned 
that  the  Soviet  church  leaders  this  time  ex- 
ercised freer  expression  of  ideas  and  more 
differences  of  opinion.  The  fact  that  the 
1974  delegation  also  included  Lutherans, 
Baptists,  and  Armenian  and  Georgian 
Orthodox  introduced  a  natural  diversity. 
But  much  like  the  previous  visit,  we  were 
met  everywhere  with  warmth  and 
enthusiasm.  Most  of  the  Russian  Orthodox 
delegation  of  1971  were  also  present  this 
time,  and  the  individual  members  all  send 
warmest  greetings  to  past  visitors  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.     D 


Return  delegation  to  visit  Brethren 


In  follow-up  to  last  fall's  visit  of  US 
church  leaders  to  the  Soviet  Union, 
about  which  Robert  F.  Price  reflects 
here,  a  delegation  of  Russian  religious 
leaders  will  be  guests  of  US  churches 
the  last  two  weeks  of  February  and  the 
first  week  of  March. 

Patriarch  Pimen  of  the  Russian 
Orthodox  Church  will  head  the  delega- 
tion, marking  his  first  visit  to  US 
churches.  He  was  named  the  spiritual 
leader  of  some  40  million  Russian 
Orthodox  Christians  in  June  1971. 


Representatives  are  expected  also 
from  the  Gregorian  Orthodox,  Arme- 
nian, Lutheran,  and  Baptist  churches 
and  possibly  from  the  Roman  Catholic 
and  Transcarpathian  Reformed  Church 
in  the  Soviet  Union. 

March  1-4  five  or  so  of  the  Russian 
church  officials  will  be  hosted  at  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices 
by  the  General  Board,  the  Illinois- 
Wisconsin  District,  and  local  churches. 
At  the  same  time  other  members  of  the 
delegation  will  visit  in  Miami,  Boston, 


Atlanta,  Columbus,  Indianapolis, 
Chicago,  and  Dubuque. 

The  itinerary  is  being  coordinated  by 
David  Hunter,  former  deputy  secretary 
of  the  National  Council  of  Churches. 

In  direct  exchanges  between  the  two 
bodies,  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  has 
been  host  three  times  to  Russian 
Orthodox  delegations:  to  a  group  com- 
ing to  the  USA  in  1963  headed  by 
Bishop  Juvenaly  and  another  in  1967 
headed  by  Metropolitan  Nikodim,  and 
to  a  peace  seminar  in  Geneva, 
Switzerland  in  1969.  In  turn.  Brethren 
delegations  have  been  guests  in  the 
Soviet  Union  in  1963,  1967,  and  1971. 


February  1975  messenger  9 


Church  asks  if  ads  are 
demeaning  to  women 

Are  women  in  advertisements  depicted  in 
leadership  positions? 

Are  they  presented  as  being  intellectually 
inferior  to  men? 

Is  the  major  or  only  role  of  women  con- 
veyed that  of  housekeeper? 

Do  advertisements  emphasize  sexuality 
in  order  to  sell  a  product? 

These  are  questions  proposed  for  raising 
with  Proctor  and  Gamble  regarding  the  im- 
ages conveyed  in  the  advertising  of  its 
products.  The  concerns  are  expressed  in  a 
shareholder  resolution  authorized  by  the 
United  Presbyterian  General  Assembly 
Mission  Council. 

The  shareholder  action — to  be  preceded 
by  conversations  with  corporate  manage- 
ment of  the  firm — would  ask  the  company 
to  publish  a  special  report  reviewing  the 
images  of  women  portrayed  in  its  adver- 
tising, including  proposals  to  alter  specific 
advertising  campaigns. 

The  Appeal  to  Proctor  and  Gamble  was 
one  of  several  corporate  concerns  voiced 
by  the  Mission  Council.  Others  centered  on 
Texaco  and  its  operation  in  Namibia  and 
International  Telephone  and  Telegraph 
and  its  business  with  the  government  of 
South  Africa. 

Senate  endorses  plea 
for  voluntary  fast 

A  resolution  encouraging  the  practice  of 
fasting  and  a  permanent  change  in  the 
nation's  food  consumption  patterns  has 
been  unanimously  approved  by  the  US 
Senate.  The  measure  is  aimed  at  conserving 
food  as  a  means  of  alleviating  hunger  in 
the  world. 

Introduced  by  Sen.  Mark  O.  Hatfield 
(R-Ore.),  the  resolution  calls  for  a  spirit  of 
self-sacrifice  and  periodic  fasting,  climaxed 
in  a  National  Day  of  Fasting  on  the  Mon- 
day before  Thanksgiving,  Nov.  24,  1975. 

It  also  encourages  Americans  to 
reevaluate  their  life-styles  and  share  the 
money  they  save  by  eating  less  and  reduc- 
ing food  waste  with  the  "starving  millions 
of  the  world." 

The  Oregon  lawmaker,  a  Baptist  who  is 
a  leading  evangelical  spokesman  in  Con- 
gress, is  chairman  of  Project  FAST  (Fight 

10  MESSENGER  February  1975 


Against  Starvation  Today),  a  nationwide 
effort  with  purposes  similar  to  that  of 
the  Senate  resolution.  Project  FAST 
was  launched  here  by  World  Vision 
International,  an  interdenominational 
organization. 

Sen.  Hatfield,  in  announcing  Project 
FAST  at  a  Washington  "non-luncheon 
hunger  event,"  said  Americans  "cannot 
begin  to  comprehend  the  condition  of 
bitterness  and  pain  that  is  responsible  for 
the  death  of  more  than  10,000  every  day  . . . 
until  (they)  willingly  experience  hunger 
(themselves),  even  on  a  limited  basis." 

Each  member  of  the  audience  was  served 
a  two-ounce  millet  grain  patty  fried  in  oil, 
a  small  potato,  a  piece  of  raw  onion  and  a 
quarter  glass  of  lukewarm  plain  tea  which, 
the  legislator  said,  is  the  "approximate  dai- 
ly ration  of  500  million  people  around  the 
world  who  are  starving." 

The  resolution  asks  that  citizens  "seek  to 
change  their  habits  from  those  of  overcon- 
sumption  to  those  of  conservation." 

In  a  similar  appeal  Bread  for  the  World, 
identified  as  a  citizens'  movement  against 
hunger  and  poverty,  urges  Christians  in  the 
USA  to  abstain  from  meat  on  Mondays, 
Wednesdays  and  Fridays.  "To  hungry  peo- 
ple our  heavy  meat  diet  is  seen  as  taking  up 
a  disproportionate  share  of  the  world  food 
supply,"  the  agency  declares. 

In  upholding  an  alternate  diet.  Bread  for 
the  World  acknowledges  that  "eating  less 
won't  push  back  hunger  unless  resources 
that  only  governments  command  are  more 
fully  committed  to  hungry  people.  We 
must,  therefore,  do  everything  possible  to 
reverse  the  course  of  this  nation,  which  has 
been  steadily  turning  aside  from  the  poor 
countries." 

Peace  groups  examine 
living  in  community 

Two  special  concern  groups  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  the  Brethren  Action 
Movement  and  the  Brethren  Peace 
Fellowship,  met  jointly  over  Thanksgiving 
weekend  to  explore  common  interests  and 
activities. 

Community  living,  an  item  becoming  as 
important  for  some  today  as  the  antiwar 
emphasis  was  in  the  late  1960s,  was  given 
considerable  attention.  Dale  and  Carole 
Neal  of  the  New  Covenant  Fellowship  in 
Kentucky  contributed  from  their  two  and  a 


half  years  in  community  life. 

"Living  in  community  takes  a  great  deal 
of  sensitivity  and  awareness  of  each  other," 
observed  Carole.  "And  1  think  that  is  what 
love  is  all  about." 

The  Neals  emphasized  that  the  central 
focus  of  any  Christian  community  must  be 
that  it  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God.  And 
that  is  not  necessarily  a  matter  of  making  a 
one  shot  decision. 

"Community  is  a  decision  that  you  make 
each  day,"  Carole  said.  "Committing 
yourself  to  Christ  is  a  minute  by  minute 
decision." 

In  other  activities  Roger  Burtner  of 
CROP  delivered  a  concise,  thoughtful 
presentation  on  Nigeria  and  Warren 
Hoover  and  James  Tomlonson  on  amnes- 
ty. The  latter  two,  executives  for  the 
National  Interreligious  Service  Board  for 
Conscientious  Objectors,  talked  at  length 
on  President  Ford's  earned  re-entry 
program,  which  they  declared  was  mis- 
named when  termed  amnesty. 

Concern  also  centered  on  increased  Pen- 
tagon efforts  to  thrust  the  Junior  Reserve 
Officer  Training  Corps  into  high  schools. 
"Their  efforts  are  made  easier  now  that 
there  is  an  impression  abroad  that  we're  ir 
a  peace  time,"  Tomlonson  contended.  "At 
such  a  time  it  is  imperative  that  we  in  the 
church  be  on  our  toes  and  aware  of  what 
the  military  is  up  to." 

The  gathering,  held  at  Deep  Run  Farm 
near  York.  Pa.,  was  considerably  smaller 
than  the  three  previous  Thanksgiving 
gatherings  BAM  has  held.  The  earlier 
meetings  had  brought  up  to  80  people, 
while  at  Deep  Run  the  peak  number  was 
35. 

One  possible  reason  was  that  there  were 
two  BAM  gatherings  held  over  the  same 
weekend.  The  west  coast  BAM  contingent 
which  had  trekked  3,000  mile?  to  past 
gatherings,  had  grown  in  sufficient  size  am 
strength  to  venture  its  own  meeting  in 
Oregon. 

Another  factor  may  be  the  sense  of 
helplessness  and  floundering  that  comes  it 
facing  an  unknown  future.  Some  of  the 
old,  familiar  faces  once  seen  at  BAM/BPI' 
affairs  have  faded  into  a  kind  of  semi- 
retirement  from  the  movement. 

"But  there  are  new  faces  in  their  place, 
and  an  air  of  hope  and  expectancy 
remains,"  Messenger  writer  Randy  Miller 
said  upon  return  from  the  York  gathering! 
"The  spark  burns  on,  seeking  to  light  a 
path  of  new  direction  in  the  years  ahead." 


Are  you 
prepared 

to  meet 


God? 


It  was  a  typical  day — if  any  is  typical.  Deep  into 
fall,  it  was  still  mild  though  a  steady  drizzle  was 
attempting  to  acquaint  us  with  the  possibility  of 
more  severe  weather  on  the  way. 

My  work  takes  me  over  the  highways  of  Indiana 
in  many  directions.  1  try  to  pass  the  traveling  time 
creatively  by  listening  to  cassettes  or  the  radio,  and 
enjoying  unusual  road  signs.  Why  this  one  caught 
my  attention  1  can't  explain.  It  was  neither  attractive 
nor  unusual.  I  had  seen  the  same  one  hundreds  of 
times  in  hundreds  of  places.  1  had  seen  it  artistically- 
lettered  by  professionals  who  had  charged  a  lot  of 
money  for  their  work.  I  had  seen  it  painted  crudely 
on  a  slab  of  old  barn  siding  and  nailed  to  a  tree.  I 
had  seen  it  penciled  on  restroom  walls,  painted  on 
roadside  rocks,  and  chalked  on  the  sides  of 
buildings.  But  this  time  it  stood  out  like  it  had  been 
in  flashing  neon: 
"ARE  YOU  PREPARED  TO  MEET  GODT' 
Located  at  the  end  of  a  "T"  road  where  I  had 
stopped,  this  question  may  have  spoken  like  a  light- 


by  Carroll  M.  Petry 


ning  flash  to  someone  hurtling  toward  tragedy  after 
missing  the  stop  sign.  Had  a  macabre  mind  so 
placed  it,  or  was  it  done  innocently  with  all  best 
intentions?  No  matter.  There  it  was,  and  it  ar- 
rested my  attention. 

Doubtless  placed  there  by  one  attempting  to  make 
an  authentic  witness,  it  turned  me  off  cold!  I  found 
myself  getting  angry  and  talking  aloud  to  no  one  in 
particular.  (Do  you  ever  do  that?)  I  can't  remember 
my  exact  words,  but  they  were  something  like  this: 
"What  arrogance — to  assume  that  confrontation 
with  God  is  always  in  the  future!  What  arrogance — 
to  assume  that  confrontation  with  God  is  only  im- 
minent in  some  sort  of  tragedy  or  death!  What 
arrogance — to  assume  that  confrontation  with  God 
will  take  place  only  in  the  eternal  court  room! 
Futurism  is  okay,  but  my  experience  with  God  is  not 
out  there  at  the  end  of  my  personal  timeline." 

Indeed,  I  have  been  meeting  God  every  day  of 
my  life.  So  have  you.  Check  your  memory  and  your 
diary  with  me  as  we  sensitize  ourselves  to  an 

February  1975  messenger  11 


ongoing  confrontation  with  God 

that  began  when  we  did  and  will  never 

end. 

I  met  God  in  the  happy  faces  of  a  con- 
gregation which  came  together  recently  to 
help  their  pastor  celebrate  15  years  among 
them. 

I  met  God  in  the  pleased  but  sober 
faces  of  a  college  soccer  team  as  its 
members  won  a  game  in  honor  of  a  team- 
mate struck  down  and  killed  by  a  stray  bolt 
of  lightning. 

1  met  God  in  the  face  of  a  middle-aged 
woman  teaching  a  class  of  junior  children 
in  the  church  down  the  street. 

I  met  God  in  the  faces  of  "seasoned" 
citizens  who  welcomed  me  when  1  visited 
their  retirement  home  to  help  them  in  a 
worship  service. 

1  met  God  in  the  face  of  a  beloved 
widow  friend  who  is  struggling  valiantly  to 
adjust  to  her  new  and  unhappily  different 
world. 

I  met  God  in  the  face  of  a  young  pastor 
only  recently  having  become  a  father  for 
the  first  time. 

1  met  God  in  the  anguished  tears  of  a 
just-divorced  mother  of  three. 

1  met  God  at  the  installation  of  a  new 
young  pastor  whose  congregation  gathered 
round  him,  placed  their  hands  on  him, 
prayed  for  him,  and  afterwards  embraced 
him.  The  whole  experience  was  enhanced 
when  he  then  presided  at  holy  communion 
for  those  who  had  just  commissioned  him. 

I  met  God  in  the  committed  work  of  an 
Annual  Conference  committee  as  it 
struggled  with. the  language  of  humans  and 
the  message  of  God  for  our  time. 

I  met  God  in  the  downcast  countenance 
of  a  young  father  of  three  who  had  just  lost 
his  job. 

I  met  God  in  the  emergency  room  of  a 
city  hospital  as  we  kept  an  all-night  vigil 
with  close  friends. 

I  met  God  in  our  local  church  when  the 
youngsters  of  the  congregation  distributed 
bread  for  us  to  share. 

I  met  God  in  the  friendly  faces  of 
Bethany  Seminary  students  from  our  dis- 
trict as  we  shared  together  around  a  dinner 
table  and  then  talked  late  about  things  that 
matter. 

1  met  God  in  the  college  a  cappella  choir 
performance  in  which  our  son  was  singing. 

1  met  God  in  the  warm  gratitude  of  the 

12  MESSENGER  February  1975 


little  old  lady  for  whom  I  held  the  door  at 
the  post  office. 

I  met  God  in  the  misty  eyes  of  one  full  of 
years  who  was  imploring  God  to  take  her 
to  heaven. 

I  met  God  in  the  lusty  squalls  of  five 
babies  in  the  hospital  nursery.  They  ranged 
in  color  from  weak  cocoa  to  red  and  pink. 

I  met  God  in  the  careful  attention  given 
to  a  patient  by  a  committed  physician. 

I  met  God  in  the  long  and  arduous 
General  Board  and  Commission  meetings 
as  our  representatives  hammered  out  what 
our  response  will  be  to  the  continuing 
needs  of  a  hungry  world. 

I  met  God  through  literally  dozens  of 
Brethren  parish  volunteers  from  con- 
gregations, college  campuses,  and  the 
seminary,  who  gave  themselves  first,  as 
well  as  funds  to  respond  to  the  needs  at 
Monticello  and  Xenia. 


X  met  God  in  the  book  of  the  Prophet 
Amos,  the  author  of  the  warning,  "Prepare 
to  meet  your  God"  (4:12c).  And  there  1 
made  an  amazing  discovery.  The  judg- 
ment that  Amos  was  calling  down  on  the 


Israelites  was  not  only  a  spiritual  judg- 
ment, but  far  more.  The  woes  he  calls 
down  are  ecological,  social,  and  economic 
Read  the  following  excerpts  carefully  and 
as  you  read,  think  of  Watergate,  the  oil 
"crisis,"  the  sugar  "shortage,"  the  mid-eartli 
drought,  and  world  hunger: 

Seek  the  Lord  and  live.  O  you  who  tun- 
justice  to  wormwood,  and  cast  down 
righteousness  to  earth  (5:6a  &  7). 

They  hate  him  who  reproves  in  the  gatei 
and  they  abhor  him  who  speaks  the  truth. 

Therefore,  because  you  trample  upon  thi, 
poor  and  take  from  him  exactions  ofwhea 
...  (5:1  la  &  b). 

For  I  know  how  many  are  your 
transgressions,  and  how  great  are  your 
sins — you  who  afflict  the  righteous,  who 
lake  a  bribe,  and  turn  aside  the  needy  in 
the  gate  (5:12). 

Hate  evil  and  love  good,  and  establish 
justice  in  the  gate  (5:15a). 

I  hate,  I  despise  your  feasts,  and  I  take  < 
no  delight  in  your  solemn  assemblies.  Evett 
though  you  offer  me  burnt  offerings  and 
cereal  offerings,  I  will  not  accept  them,  anct 
the  peace  offerings  of  your  fatted  beasts  1 1 
will  not  look  upon. 


Take  away  from  me  the  noise  of  your 
ongs:  to  the  melody  of  your  harps  I  will 
at  listen. 

But  let  justice  roll  down  like  waters,  and 
'ghteousness  like  an  ever-flowing  stream 
5:21-24). 

I  met  God  in  the  hopelessly-glazed  eyes 
f  the  starving  African  mother  with  twins 
)r  whom  she  could  produce  no  milk.  (Her 
icture  was  on  the  cover  of  the  Nevv  York 
Imes  Magazine,  June  9,  1974.) 

I  met  God  in  the  film,  "We've  Come  of 
ige!"  as  our  older  generation  spoke  out 
ar  the  respect  and  rights  in  America  which 
ther  countries  in  the  world  freely  grant 
tieir  "seasoned"  citizens. 

I  met  God  in  the  CROP  hunger  walks 
/here  hundreds  of  youth  and  others 
rought  in  thousands  of  dollars  to  feed  the 
ungry. 

1  met  God  in  the  distribution  of  empty 
aby  food  jars  in  some  of  our  con- 
regations  for  gathering  pennies,  nickels, 
imes,  and  quarters  for  the  hungry. 

I  met  God  through  the  faithful  service 
nd  action  of  a  pastor  and  congregation  as 
hey  attempted  to  minister  to  the  needs  of  a 
nigrant  camp  and,  when  danger  threat- 
ened, stood  firm  and  undaunted  in  doing 
vhat  they  knew  was  right. 

I  met  God  in  the  American  Bible  Society 
ranslation  entitled,  "Justice  Now!"  and  in 
he  District  Conference  theme  which 
epeats  it. 


Y 

Aes 


es,  1  have  been  meeting  God  every  day. 

will  continue  to  meet  Him — and  so  will 
lou.  A  better  question  than  "Are  you 
nepared  to  meet  God?"  is,  "Did  you 
■ecognize  God  when  you  met  Him''" 

I  am  meeting  God  every  day.  1  have  been 
n  the  past,  and  1  will  be  in  the  future.  How 
)ften  do  1  realize  it?  How  often  am  1  sen- 
itive  to  Him? 

As  I  understand  it,  my  ultimate  confron- 
ation  with  God  will  consist  of  the  sum 
otal  of  times  when  I  met  Him,  rejected 
Jim,  ignored  Him,  recognized  Him, 
iccepted  Him  here  in  my  everyday  life.  "As 
'ou  did  it  to  one  of  the  least  of  these  my 
>rethren,  you  did  it  to  me,"  said  our  Lord. 

Am  I  prepared  to  meet  God?  1  had  better 
)e.  I  am  meeting  Him  in  every  aspect  of 
ny  life.  Will  knowing  this  make  me  more 
ensitive  and  keep  me  looking  for  him  in 
he  faces  of  every  tomorrow?   □ 


Brian  A.  Eikenberry: 

Cant  stop  now! 


Help,  1  cried. 

He  scarcely  turned  his  head 

But  1  could  hear  him  muttering  as  he  ran  . . . 

So  much  to  do  . . .  classes  to  attend  . . . 

The  news  . . .  home  responsibilities  . . .  books  that 

I  must  read  . . . 

The  politics  of  power  . . .  and  all  that  frightful  trouble  in  . . . 

He  glanced  at  me:  I  can't  stop  now,  he  said. 

Help,  1  cried. 

The  scientist,  white  coated  and  isolated. 

Said  nothing,  but  looked  up  with  chilly  calm 

From  his  computer  numbers  without  end. 

So  that  I  paled  to  oblivion 

Before  the  thousands  much  worse  off  than  I. 

But  . . .  Help,  I  cried  again. 

The  priest  said:  Hush,  we're  praying,  and  you  interrupt. 

We  cannot  yet  unfold  our  hands  for  work 

Or  lift  our  eyes  to  see. 

For  we  have  Just  begun  our  service  and  can't  stop  now. 

Help,  I  cried. 

Softly  in  my  heart,  this  time. 

Thinking  that  1  could  die  and  none  would  come. 

And  yet  One  did. 

How  is  it.  Lord, 

That  you  who  have  the  whole  fast-moving  world  within  your  hands 

Yet  have  the  time  for  me? 

You  are  my  child.  He  said. 

And  1  have  run  too  fast. 

And  never  thought,  until  1  fell,  how  carelessly  I  ran; 

Now  I  will  stay,  and  never  look  towards  the  spinning  earth 

Or  those  who  rush  so  anxiously  about. 

They  are  my  children  too.  He  said.  It  is  my  world. 

Then  faint  and  far  away,  and  desperate, 

I  heard  an  echo  of  my  own  sad  cry. 

Help,  it  called. 

Excuse  me.  Lord,  1  said, 

1  see  there's  work  to  do  that  cannot  wait. 

1  can't  stop  now. 

Brian  Eikenberry,  1 7,  son  of  missionaries  Mary  and  Ivan  Eikenberry, 
was  killed  instantly  September  11,  1974,  by  lightning  on  the  soccer  field  at 
Manchester  College.  He  had  written  this  statement  a  few  months  earlier  while 
a  senior  at  Hillcrest  School,  Jos,  Nigeria. 


February  1975  messenger  13 


Astounding!  If  you  are  bearing  your  "marturii 

Jeesous"  you  are  equal  to  the  angels — messengers 

They  themselves  exist  for  no  other  purpose 


Marturia 
Jeesous 

A  revelation  from  Revelation 


Although  the  title  is  in  Greek,  it  is  not  the 
intent  that  any  reader  should  have  to  say  of 
this  article,  "It's  all  Greek  to  me!"  The  case 
is,  rather,  that  both  while  I  was  writing  and 
since  I  have  written  my  recent  Revelation 
book.  The  Most  Revealing  Book  of  the  Bi- 
ble, 1  have  been  working  to  identify  the 
Revelator's  most  basic  and  characteristic 
phrase.  1  now  am  proposing  this  one  as  it; 
but  it  must  be  recorded  in  Greek,  for  the 


by  Vemard  Eller 


reason  that  no  single  English  wording  can 
express  it. 

The  concept  is  introduced  at  the  very 
opening  of  John's  work;  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  this  is  deliberate  on  his  part. 
"John,  in  telling  all  that  he  saw,  has  horm 
witness  to  the  word  of  God  and  to  the 
testimony  of  Jesus  Christ"  (1;2). 

That  last  phrase,  "the  testimony  of 
Jesus,"  is  the  one  we  are  after.  Jeesous  ob 
viously  is  our  word  "Jesus."  Marturia  is 
"witness,"  or  "testimony."  As  in  English, 
the  word  can  take  several  forms.  It  can 
identify  the  testimony  or  witness  a  person 


14  MESSENGER  February  1975 


makes.  It  can  refer  to  the  one  who  is  the 
witness,  or  testifier.  It  can  take  a  verbal 
form,  "to  testify,"  or — as  earlier  there  in 
the  verse — "to  bear  witness." 

But  most  significantly,  the  one  phrase, 
marturia  Jeesous,  can  be  read  either  of  two 
ways.  It  can  be  read  "the  testimony  of 
Jesus,"  in  which  Jesus  is  himself  the 
testifier.  Or  it  can  as  well  be  read  "the 
testimony  to  Jesus,"  in  which  someone  else 
is  making  the  witness  and  Jesus  is  its  ob- 
ject. The  Revelator  uses  the  phrase  both 
ways;  and  here,  where  John  speaks  of  his 
bearing  witness  to  the  witness  of  Jesus,  he 


comes  close  to  using  it  both  ways  at  once. 

Although  the  two  readings  give  distinctly 
different  meanings,  they  are,  of  course, 
very  closely  related.  As  we  shall  see,  the 
primary  way  we  witness  to  Jesus  is  by  join- 
ing him  in  the  witness  he  himself  makes. 
We  will  need  to  keep  the  phrase  open  and 
flexible. 

Marturia,  as  we  have  observed,  is  the 
regular  Greek  term  for  "witness";  yet  ob- 
viously, it  is  also  the  source  of  our  English 
word  "martyr" — and  that  word,  we  know, 
designates  one  who  is  killed  for  the  sake  of 
the  faith.  How  did  this  shift  of  meaning 


come  about?  The  answer  seems  plain:  Dur- 
ing the  early  history  of  the  church,  those 
who  made  their  faithful  witness  to  Jesus 
were  martyred  with  enough  regularity  that 
the  word  gradually  slipped  off  the 
"witness"  meaning  and  onto  the  "death" 
meaning. 

When  we  see  how  often  John  speaks  of 
"death"  in  close  proximity  to  his  words 
about  "witness,"  it  is  evident  that  the 
association  already  is  taking  place. 
"Witness"  still  is  the  only  correct  transla- 
tion of  the  word;  but  for  John,  even 
though  bearing  of  faithful  witness  does  not 

February  1975  messenger  15 


necessarily  require  death,  marturia  denotes 
a  quality  of  witness  that  is  ready  to  risk 
death  and  determined  to  be  faithful  unto 
death. 

Now  that  we  have  the  concept,  let's  see 
what  John  does  with  it. 

In  1:5,  the  very  first  title  given  to  Jesus, 
the  one  introducing  him  into  the  book 
(again,  undoubtedly  a  deliberate  emphasis 
on  John's  part)  is:  The  Faithful  Witness. 
To  my  knowledge  that  ascription  is  not 
found  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testament;  yet 
it  is  as  precious  and  appropriate  as  any  we 
have. 

But  if  Jesus  is  himself  a  witness,  to  what 
is  it  he  witnesses?  Revelation — along  with 
the  rest  of  the  New  Testament  —  would  in- 
dicate that  his  witness  is  to  God's  plan  for 
the  world,  to  what  God  is  doing  in  history, 
or,  using  Jesus'  own  special  terminology,  to 
the  coming  of  the  kingdom  (the  regency)  of 
God.  And  notice  that  this  is  indeed  a 
witness  in  which  we  can  join.  In  fact,  the 
best  witness  we  can  make  to  Jesus  is  in 
testifying  that  it  is  in  and  through  him  that 
that  kingdom  is  making  its  approach. 


c 


consider,  too,  the  double  implication  of 
the  word  in  this  case.  As  "the  faithful 
witness,"  Jesus  was  also  a  literal  martyr, 
giving  his  very  life  in  the  course  of  the 
testimony  he  bore.  In  truth,  then,  "the 
faithful  martyr-witness"  constitutes  a  high- 
ly accurate  designation  for  Jesus  in  his  en- 
tire earthly  career,  up  to  and  including  his 
death  on  the  cross. 

Then,  toward  the  very  end  of  Revelation, 
the  Lord  appears  on  the  scene  for  the  last 
time  to  say,  "I,  Jesus,  have  sent  my  angel 
to  you  with  this  testimony  for  the 
churches"  (22:16). 

We  already  have  suggested  that  Jesus' 
testimony  regards  the  coming  of  the 
kingdom,  but  here  we  are  told  that  it  is 
directed  to  the  churches.  Jesus'  testimony  is 
for  our  benefit;  we  are  the  recipients.  In- 
deed, the  book  of  Revelation  itself  is  here 
presented  as  being  at  least  one  instance  of 
Jesus'  testimony  to  us. 

A  few  verses  later,  in  22:20  (the  last  word 
of  Jesus  in  Revelation  and  thus  in  the  Bible 
itselO,  we  hear:  "He  who  gives  this 
testimony  speaks:  'Yes,  1  am  coming 
soon!'" 

The  heart  of  Jesus'  testimony  to  the 
churches  is  the  announcement  of  his  own 
soon-coming;  and  this  is  not  something 
different  from  what  we  have  been  calling 

16  MESSENGER  February  1975 


the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God  but 
rather  a  more  powerful  and  specific  way  of 
stating  it.  (In  my  book  I  give  extended 
attention  to  "the  soon-coming  of  Jesus"  as 
being  one  of  the  basic  themes  of  Revela- 
tion. As  much  as  can  be  said  here  is  that  it 
is  not  to  be  understood  as  a  prediction  of 
when  and  how  his  coming  will  take  place 
but  an  alerting  of  the  church  to  live  in 
perpetual  expectancy,  always  ready  for  the 
coming  of  Jesus.) 

Thus  far  we  have  traced  marturia  only 
as  it  relates  to  Jesus'  being  himself  the 


If  John 

has  accomplished 

nothing  else, 

with  his  term 

marturia  Jeesous 

he  has  hit  upon 

one  phrase  that 

holds  together 

the  service  and 

the  evangelism 

callings  which 

have  tended 

to  drift  apart 


witness.  Now  we  go  back  to  see  how  John 
involves  us,  what  he  has  to  say  about  our 
being  witnesses  to  Jesus.  There  are  two 
observations  to  be  made  even  before  we  ex- 
amine specific  texts.  In  the  first  place,  it  is 
only  because  he  already  has  been  the 
faithful  witness  that  we  have  any  hope  of 
becoming  witnesses  in  ourselves.  Our 
witness  is  not  something  generated  out  of 
our  own  strength  and  ingenuity;  it  is  only 
in  him,  the  Witness,  that  we  find  our 
witness — only  in  the  Martyr  that  we  find 
our  strength  for  martyrdom. 

In  the  second  place,  it  is  plain  that,  by 
"witness,"  John  intends  much  more  than 
just  words  about  Jesus.  The  faithful 
witness,  of  course,  should  include  our  talk- 
ing to  others  about  him;  but  more  fun- 


damentally, it  involves  a  manner  of  life 
that  testifies  to  him  and  to  the  kingdom  hf 
proclaimed. 

In  1:9,  then,  John  speaks  of  himself:  "I 
was  on  the  island  called  Patmos  because  I 
had  preached  God's  word  and  borne  my 
marturia  Jeesous. " 

John  counts  himself  among  the  witnesses, 
to  Jesus.  Although  the  text  does  not  ac- 
tually say  so,  the  usual  assumption  is  thati 
Patmos  was  a  detention  camp  and  that 
John's  preaching  had  gotten  him  arrested 
and  put  to  forced  labor  on  the  island. 
Whether  his  witness  ever  led  on  to  an  ac- 
tual martyrdom,  we  do  not  know  —  but  it  I 
would  not  be  surprising  if  it  had. 

In  the  letter  to  the  church  at  Pergamumi 
there  is  a  reference  to  a  Christian  whose 
witness  did  cost  him  his  life:  "You  did  not' 
deny  your  faith  in  me  even  at  the  time 
when  Antipas,  my  faithful  witness,  was 
killed  in  your  city"  (2:13). 

We  know  nothing  more  of  this  Antipas- 
than  we  are  told  here.  But  the  completely, 
amazing  thing  is  that  Jesus  grants  him  the 
very  same  title  that  Revelation  originally 
attributed  to  Jesus  himself.  The  difference 
of  course,  is  that  Antipas  could  not  have 
been  a  faithful  witness  without  the  help 
of  Jesus;  but  the  title  is  a  very  high  goal 
and  compliment  for  a  Christian  in  any 
case. 


T. 


.  hus  far,  John  has  spoken  of  specific  ini 
dividuals  who  were  witnesses;  but  he  also  > 
can  speak  in  more  general  terms.  Two 
scenes  in  particular  reflect  his  (and  God's), 
evaluation  of  martyr-witnesses.  The  one 
transpires  in  heaven,  in  a  location  which 
undoubtedly  is  meant  to  designate  the 
honor  of  close  proximity  to  God:  "I  saw 
underneath  the  altar  the  souls  of  those  whu 
had  been  slaughtered  for  God's  word  and  I 
for  the  testimony  they  bore"  (6:9). 

The  other  is  a  vision,  following  the 
return  of  Christ,  describing  the  resurrectio 
of  Christians  into  millenial  glory.  Regard-I 
ing  the  first  rank  of  these,  those  destined 
for  special  recognition,  John  says,  "1  couli 
see  the  souls  of  those  who  had  been' 
beheaded  for  the  sake  of  God's  word  and  I 
their  marturia  Jeesous"  (20:4).  There  is  nc 
doubt  but  that,  for  John,  the  essence  of 
Christian  greatness  lies  precisely  in  the 
quality  of  witness  that  can  and  sometimes 
jdoes  lead  to  actual  martyrdom. 

In  19:10,  then,  the  idea  is  presented  in 
Continued  on  page  25 


in  a  nation  filled  with  questions  the  church  has  some  answers. 

One  is  SHARE. 


necessarily  require  death,  marluria  de 
a  quality  of  witness  that  is  ready  to  ri 
death  and  determined  to  be  faithful 
death. 

Now  that  we  have  the  concept,  let's 
what  John  does  with  it. 

In  1:5.  the  very  first  title  given  to  J 
the  one  introducing  him  into  the  boo 
(again,  undoubtedly  a  deliberate  emp 
on  John's  part)  is:  The  Faithful  Witrii 
To  my  knowledge  that  ascription  is  n 
found  elsewhere  in  the  New  Testamer 
it  is  as  precious  and  appropriate  as  ai 
have. 

But  if  Jesus  is  himself  a  witness,  to 
is  it  he  witnesses?  Revelation — along 
the  rest  of  the  New  Testament — woul 
dicate  that  his  witness  is  to  God's  pla 
the  world,  to  what  God  is  doing  in  hi; 
or,  using  Jesus'  own  special  terminology,  to 
the  coming  of  the  kingdom  (the  regency)  of 
God.  And  notice  that  this  is  indeed  a 
witness  in  which  we  can  join.  In  fact,  the 
best  witness  we  can  make  to  Jesus  is  in 
testifying  that  it  is  in  and  through  him  that 
that  kingdom  is  making  its  approach. 


Co 


consider,  too,  the  double  implication  of 
the  word  in  this  case.  As  "the  faithful 
witness,"  Jesus  was  also  a  literal  martyr, 
giving  his  very  life  in  the  course  of  the 
testimony  he  bore.  In  truth,  then,  "the 
faithful  martyr-witness"  constitutes  a  high- 
ly accurate  designation  for  Jesus  in  his  en- 
tire earthly  career,  up  to  and  including  his 
death  on  the  cross. 

Then,  toward  the  very  end  of  Revelation, 
the  Lord  appears  on  the  scene  for  the  last 
time  to  say,  "1,  Jesus,  have  sent  my  angel 
to  you  with  this  testimony  for  the 
churches"  (22:16). 

We  already  have  suggested  that  Jesus' 
testimony  regards  the  coming  of  the 
kingdom,  but  here  we  are  told  that  it  is 
directed  to  the  churches.  Jesus'  testimony  is 
for  our  benefit;  we  are  the  recipients.  In- 
deed, the  book  of  Revelation  itself  is  here 
presented  as  being  at  least  one  instance  of 
Jesus'  testimony  to  us. 

A  few  verses  later,  in  22:20  (the  last  word 
of  Jesus  in  Revelation  and  thus  in  the  Bible 
itselO,  we  hear:  "He  who  gives  this 
testimony  speaks:  'Yes,  I  am  coming 
soon!'" 

The  heart  of  Jesus'  testimony  to  the 
churches  is  the  announcement  of  his  own 
soon-coming;  and  this  is  not  something 
different  from  what  we  have  been  calling 

16  MESSENGER  February  1975 


Teaming  up 
with 

America's 
disadvantaged 


nothing  else, 

with  his  term 

marturia  Jeesous 

he  has  hit  upon 

one  phrase  that 

holds  together 

the  service  and 

the  evangelism 

callings  which 

have  tended 

to  drift  apart 


witness.  Now  we  go  back  to  see  how  John 
involves  us,  what  he  has  to  say  about  our 
being  witnesses  to  Jesus.  There  are  two 
observations  to  be  made  even  before  we  ex- 
amine specific  texts.  In  the  first  place,  it  is 
only  because  he  already  has  been  the 
faithful  witness  that  we  have  any  hope  of 
becoming  witnesses  in  ourselves.  Our 
witness  is  not  something  generated  out  of 
our  own  strength  and  ingenuity;  it  is  only 
in  him,  the  Witness,  that  we  find  our 
witness — only  in  the  Martyr  that  we  find 
our  strength  for  martyrdom. 

In  the  second  place,  it  is  plain  that,  by 
"witness,"  John  intends  much  more  than 
just  words  about  Jesus.  The  faithful 
witness,  of  course,  should  include  our  talk- 
ing to  others  about  him;  but  more  fun- 


deny  your  faith  in  me  even  at  the  time 
when  Antipas,  my  faithful  witness,  was 
killed  in  your  city"  (2:13). 

We  know  nothing  more  of  this  Antipas 
than  we  are  told  here.  But  the  completely 
amazing  thing  is  that  Jesus  grants  him  the 
very  same  title  that  Revelation  originally 
attributed  to  Jesus  himself.  The  difference, 
of  course,  is  that  Antipas  could  not  have 
been  a  faithful  witness  without  the  help 
of  Jesus;  but  the  title  is  a  very  high  goal 
and  compliment  for  a  Christian  in  any 
case. 


T. 


hus  far,  John  has  spoken  of  specific  in- 
dividuals who  were  witnesses;  but  he  also 
can  speak  in  more  general  terms.  Two 
scenes  in  particular  reflect  his  (and  God's) 
evaluation  of  martyr-witnesses.  The  one 
transpires  in  heaven,  in  a  location  which 
undoubtedly  is  meant  to  designate  the 
honor  of  close  proximity  to  God:  "1  saw 
underneath  the  altar  the  souls  of  those  who 
had  been  slaughtered  for  God's  word  and 
for  the  testimony  they  bore"  (6:9). 

The  other  is  a  vision,  following  the 
return  of  Christ,  describing  the  resurrection 
of  Christians  into  millenial  glory.  Regard 
ing  the  first  rank  of  these,  those  destined 
for  special  recognition,  John  says,  "I  could 
see  the  souls  of  those  who  had  been 
beheaded  for  the  sake  of  God's  word  and 
their  marturia  Jeesous"  (20:4).  There  is  no 
doubt  but  that,  for  John,  the  essence  of 
Christian  greatness  lies  precisely  in  the 
quality  of  witness  that  can  and  sometimes 
.does  lead  to  actual  martyrdom. 

In  19:10,  then,  the  idea  is  presented  in  a 
Continued  on  page  25 


A  Messenger  Special  Repoil  •  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board  •  February  1975 


II 


In  a  nation  filled  with  questions  the  church  has  some  answers. 

One  is  SHARE. 


Kentucky  firm  tackles 
low  income  housing 

Having  an  income  of  $1,120  a  year,  a 
farm  couple  near  Manchester,  Ky., 
sought  the  help  of  the  Kentucky 
Mountain  Housing  Development 
Corporation  last  year  in  building  a 
new  home.  Thanks  to  the  corpora- 
tion, the  couple  will  be  moving  into 
their  new  home  this  spring,  paying 
an  annual  sum  of  $400. 

In  central  Appalachia  there  are 
thousands  of  low  income  families 
like  these,  and  it  is  with  such  per- 
sons that  the  new  Housing  Develop- 
ment Corporation  is  working  in 
Kentucky's  Clay  and  Jackson  coun- 
ties. In  its  first  year  the  program  has 
built  seven  houses  for  white  families 
and  one  house  for  a  black  family, 
and  has  made  repairs  on  another  100 
houses. 

The  "stack-sack"  method  of 
construction  used  experimentally 
worked  except  for  one  detail — gain- 


ing approval  by  the  Farmers  Home 
Administration  for  loans.  The  agency 
has  been  responsive  on  the  conven- 
tionally wood  studded  homes, 
however,  costing  relatively  the 
same;  the  loan  to  the  family  in- 
dicated above  was  based  on  the 
lowest  level  of  income  yet  issued. 
The  new  homes  feature  three 
bedrooms,  full  bath,  kitchen,  dining 
room,  living  room,  and  carport  and 
sell  for  under  $10,000. 

Brethren  member  Dwayne  Yost,  a 
long-term  worker  at  Flat  Creek,  Ky., 
is  director  of  the  Kentucky  Moun- 
tain Housing  Development  Corpora- 
tion, which  has  its  headquarters  in 
Manchester.  Fred  Ott,  a  post-30 
volunteer  from  Holsopple,  Pa.,  since 
last  May,  has  been  primarily  in- 
volved in  house  repairs  and  new 
construction.  Support  is  extended 
also  by  the  Southern  Ohio  district. 
Flat  Creek  congregation.  New  Cove- 
nant Fellowship,  and  short-term 
work  groups  supervised  by  Fred  Ott. 


Increasing  leadership  is  coming 
from  the  corporation's  board  of 
directors,  formed  of  low  income 
people  of  the  community  and  of 
leaders  from  church  and  social 
organizations.  The  SHARE  grants  for  j 
the  first  two  years  total  $46,000. 

"More  and  more  low  income 
families  are  asking  for  our  help  with 
both  home  repairs  and  new  homes," 
Dwayne  Yost  said.  "Even  now  we 
have  more  requests  for  new  homes 
than  we  can  hope  to  build  during 
the  next  12  months." 

"To  help  the  poor  have  better 
housing  is  one  aim  of  SHARE,"  ex- 
plains Wilfred  E.  Nolen,  director  of 
the  program.  "But  its  impact  does 
not  end  there,  for  beyond  homes  or 
jobs  or  training  or  medical  services 
or  local  leadership  development 
there  is  a  further  witness:  that 
brotherhood  and  reconciliation  and 
justice  and  the  love  of  God  in  Christ 
become  realities  in  the  lives  of  peo- 
ple today." 


Under  construction,  the  new  home  of  Con/ey  and  Helen  Moore,  upper  right.  Lower  right,  volunteer  builder  Fred  Ott 


18  MESSENGER  February  1975 


Los  Angeles  ministers 
begin  in-service  study 

A  newly  launched  effort  in  Los 
Angeles  is  helping  pastors  upgrade 
their  theological  training  and  their 
professional  skills.  The  project 
enlists  the  cooperation  of  several  in- 
istitutions  and  agencies,  among  them 
iSHARE,  La  Verne  College,  and  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren's  Pacific 
Southwest  Conference. 

Known  as  the  Ecumenical  Center 
for  Black  Church  Studies,  the 
program  is  designed  to  provide  in- 
'jervice  education  for  40  ministers  at 
the  undergraduate,  seminary,  and 
graduate  seminary  levels,  and  within 
fhe  cultural  context  of  the  black  ex- 
erience. 

Beyond  specific  degree  programs, 

e  planners  see  as  a  long-range 
joal  the  strengthening  of  the 
ielf-image  of  pastors,  enhancing 
30th  their  preaching  and  pastoral 
mpact  in  and  beyond  the  congrega- 
ion. 

Scholar,  teacher,  writer,  and 
lormer  pastor  Henry  H.  Mitchell  and 
i  representative  board  are  prime 
■novers  of  the  center.  Local  black 
:hurch  leaders  with  advanced 
degrees  and  a  wide  range  of  prac- 
:ical  experience  comprise  the  facul- 

:y. 

For  the  first  semester  this  past  fall, 
15  ministers  working  toward  a 
Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  through  La 
^erne  College  met  on  Saturdays  at 
the  Pleasant  Hill  Baptist  Church  in 
OS  Angeles.  David  D.  Hurst,  the  un- 
lergraduate  recruiter-coordinator 
nd  himself  a  Th.D.  candidate  in 
'eligion,  commented,  "The  group 
earns  a  lot  through  osmosis,  sharing 
trengths  and  experiences  from  at 
east  seven  different  denominational 
aackgrounds." 

Besides  the  bachelor's  degree 
accorded  by  La  Verne  College, 
the  Master  of  Divinity  degree  is 
offered    by   the    Seminary    Without 


Participants  in  the  Black  Church  Studies  program,  Los  Angeles 


Walls  of  Shaw  University,  Raleigh, 
N.C.,  and  the  Doctor  of  Ministry 
degree  in  cooperation  with 
accredited  seminaries  in  the  area: 
The  School  of  Theology  at  Clare- 
mont,  Fuller  Theological  Seminary, 
and  American  Baptist  Seminary  of 
the  West. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren 
SHARE  grant  of  $8,000  supports  the 
half-time  employment  of  the  un- 
dergraduate curriculum  coor- 
dinator. In  addition,  the  Pacific 
Southwest  Conference  and  La  Verne 
College  are  seeking  to  provide  $4,- 
000   largely  for  scholarships.   These 


combined  commitments  are  largely 
responsible  for  the  program's  begin- 
ning. 

"Of  the  black  clergy  training 
programs  in  which  Brethren  have 
been  invited  to  participate,  the 
Ecumenical  Center  for  Black  Church 
Studies  is  the  most  impressive," 
SHARE  director  Wil  Nolen  explains. 
"Much  of  its  strength  comes  from 
the  backing  offered  by  the  black 
churches  of  the  area  and  the  Los 
Angeles  Council  of  Churches.  The 
center  demonstrates  precisely  what 
SHARE  is  about — developing  local, 
indigenous  leadership." 

February  1975  messenger  19 


I 


Health  care  for  poor  extends 
to  rural  Mississippi  homes 

Mrs.  Newsome,  an  elderly  black  woman  living  in  a 
remote  area  of  Mississippi  was  hospitalized  after  suffer- 
ing a  heart  attack.  Following  a  number  of  treatments, 
to  which  she  was  unresponsive,  she  was  returned  to 
her  home.  Shortly  afterwards,  she  suffered  a  stroke  and 
was  bedridden.  After  only  two  visits  from  a  physical 
therapist  she  was  left  alone;  there  was  no  follow-up  on 
her  rehabilitation. 

In  other  instances,  rural  people  having  no  access  to 
medical  facilities  have  died  of  diabetes,  simply  because 
they  lacked  the  knowledge  and  treatment  to  control  it. 
The  common  cold,  which  for  many  Americans  is  just 
an  inconvenience,  can  and  often  does  lead  to  more 
serious  diseases  such  as  pneumonia  when  health  skills 
are  lacking. 

As  a  corrective  to  such  situations,  the  Home  Health 
Care  Program,  an  outgrowth  of  the  Voice  of  Calvary's 
Health  Center  in  Mendenhall,  Miss.,  is  a  new  effort 
designed  specifically  to  meet  the  medical  needs  of 
rural  people  in  Simpson  County,  Miss.  From  its  base  in 
Mendenhall,  it  is  developing  health  councils  in  three 
outlying  areas  of  the  county. 

Until  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Eugene  McCarty  in  January, 
the  thrust  of  the  program  had  been  educational,  work- 
ing with  the  government  sponsored  Head  Start 
program  to  provide  basic  health  care  information  for 
preschool  children. 

Now  as  the  Home  Health  program  unfolds,  one  day 
each  week  Vera  Shertz,  Home  Health  nurse,  and  Willa 
Stevens,  Home  Health  Aid,  will  travel  to  where  the  sick 
are.  "It  is  the  hope  of  the  Home  Health  Program,"  says 
Ervin  Huston,  Health  Center  administrator,  "that  these 
area  councils  will  alert  themselves  to  persons  needing 
assistance,  so  that  our  staff  can  provide  them  the  kind 
of  care  they  need." 

Current  developments  in  the  Health  Center's  out- 
reach are  described  by  Voice  of  Calvary  president  John 
M.  Perkins  as  "the  climax  of  a  14-year  struggle  to  get  a 
total  ministry  and  solid  evangelical  witness  going  in 
Mendenhall."  He  further  sees  it  as  fulfillment  of  Psalm 
41:1,  a  scripture  central  in  his  own  life:  "Blessed  is  he 
who  considers  the  poor." 

Brethren  members  Ervin  and  Joan  Huston  have  as- 
sisted in  various  Voice  of  Calvary  programs  since  June 
1972,  with  Erv  currently  the  Health  Center  admin- 
istrator, and  Joan  a  registered  nurse.  Also  involved  in 
the  program  are  Post-30  volunteers  Howard  and  Viv- 
ian Mudd  from  the  Midland,  Mich.,  congregation.  The 
Mudds  have  been  in  Mendenhall  since  January  1973, 

20  MESSENGER  February  1975 


and  have  contributed  their  skills  as  welder  and  nurse. 

The  Cooperative  Health  Center  began  in  July  1973; 
the  Home  Health  Program  in  the  fall  of  1974.  The 
programs  are  administered  by  the  Voice  of  Calvary 
Board  of  Directors  and  the  Community  Health  Ad- 
visory Committee.  The  program  has  a  $4,100  grant  from 
SHARE  and  previously  had  received  $6,580  from  the 
Fund  for  the  Americas. 

Tentative  plans  are  underway  to  have  a  SHARE- 
sponsored  seminar  for  Mendenhall  residents  and 
Brethren  from  eastern  Pennsylvania  as  part  of  SHARE's 
educational  program. 

Voice  of  Calvary  staffers  Ervin  Huston,  Douglas  Weary 


Skill  training  and  self-esteem 
are  what  grow  in  Brooklyn 

SHARE  is  one  way  of  saying  yes  to  those  who  declare, 
"I  can  work  and  do  things  for  myself  if  I  have  a 
chance." 

For  the  unemployed  and  the  underemployed,  that 
chance  means  one  thing. 

Jobs. 

But  jobs  may  be  contingent  on  other  factors:  Com- 
fnand  of  the  English  language.  A  high  school  diploma. 
Skill  training  or  career  development.  Vocational 
counseling. 

These  are  the  services  offered  by  Hispanos  Unidos 
of  Park  Slope,  an  agency  in  a  section  of  Brooklyn 
which  is  cited  by  the  New  York  City  Planning  Commis- 
sion as  one  of  the  most  economically  deprived  com- 
munities in  the  metropolis.  All  the  people  the  agency 
serves — 75  percent  Spanish,  15  percent  black,  10  per- 
cent other — are  below  the  poverty  line. 

Since  1970  Hispanos  Unidos  has  trained  and  placed 
in  jobs  more  than  200  persons  annually.  Adult  educa- 
tion is  a  central  undertaking,  although  camping  and 
recreational  programs  for  youth  and  counseling  for 
adults  are  basic  services  as  well. 

"Hispanos  Unidos  of  Park  Slope  exists  for  the 
benefit  of  minority  people,"  states  Julio  A.  Guzman, 
executive  director.  "Almost  always  those  in  need  are 
Puerto  Ricans,  other  Spanish-speaking  people,  and 
blacks.  But  our  definition  of  minority  people  is  all  peo- 
ple in  need." 

Courses  offered  in  the  Park  Slope  program  include 
carpentry,  plumbing,  typing,  accounting,  keypunch, 
iand  training  leading  to  a  high  school  equivalency 
Idiploma.  Another  major  program  is  the  teaching  of 
English  as  a  second  language.  Offerings  added  most 
recently  are  assistance  to  Spanish-speaking  drop-outs 
and  a  college  preparatory  course. 

The  Reverend  Guzman  recognizes  that  more 
than  language  and  vocational  training  are  at  stake 
if  minorities  are  to  become  self-supporting, 
self-sufficient  members  of  the  community.  Thus 
Hispanos  Unidos  is  gearing  comprehensive  efforts 
to  reorient  the  Spanish-speaking  community  toward 
self-esteem  and  self-development,  even  to  the 
point  of  encouraging  parents  to  question  the 
New  York  City  school  system  over  the  issue  of  com- 
munity control  of  curriculum,  teachers,  and  adminis- 
tration. 

New  York  City  mayor  Abraham  D.  Beame  has  com- 
mended the  agency's  adult  education  graduates  and 
termed    such    programs    essential    for    meeting    the 


High  School  equivalency,  data  processing  in  Brooklyn 

challenges  "of  a  changing  job  market  and  a  changing 
world." 

share's  grant  of  $7,500  helps  support  the  adult 
education  courses.  Support  also  is  extended  by  the 
United  Methodist  Church,  the  Christian  Church 
(Disciples  of  Christ),  and  the  Greater  New  York  Fund. 
As  with  other  SHARE  projects,  the  long-term  direction 
of  Hispanos  Unidos  is  self-support — conceivably  within 
three  years. 

For  the  moment,  though,  the  Brethren  involvement 
supplies  a  needed  support  base.  "Without  organ- 
izations like  yours,  work  such  as  ours  never  would  be 
accomplished,"  Director  Guzman  makes  clear. 

February  1975  messenger  21 


Al  Lybrook,  the  focus  is  on  Increasing  initiative  from  within 


Navajo  thrust  seeks 
self-determination 

In  line  with  a  20-year-olcl  goal  for 
mission  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  SHARE  is  striving  to 
develop  self-directed  and  self- 
supporting  units  of  the  church  at 
home  as  well  as  overseas.  In  effect, 
this  entails  a  deliberate  shift  away 
from  "mission"  status  for  such 
programs  as  Flat  Creek  in  Kentucky 
and  Lybrook  in  New  Mexico  and  a 
turn  toward  self-determination. 
Among    the    Navajos    at    Lybrook 


and  Nageezi,  an  important  step  oc- 
curred in  1973  when  fellowship  sta- 
tus was  petitioned  from  the  Western 
Plains  District.  While  the  pattern  of 
Navajo  pastoral  leadership  has  been 
temporarily  disrupted,  the  entire 
Lybrook  program  currently  is  thrust 
toward  strengthening  the  role  of  Na- 
vajos in  shaping  the  activities  both 
in  the  church  and  in  the  community. 
In  the  search  for  pastoral 
leadership,  the  choice  rests  heavily 
with  the  local  fellowship.  Western 
Plains  District  executive  Wilbur  R. 
Hoover  is  working  with  the  Navajos 


on  the  matter,  as  do  district  ex- 
ecutives with  local  members 
wherever  pastorates  are  to  be  filled. 

Beyond  providing  facilities  for  the 
church  fellowship,  the  Lybrook 
property  presently  provides  space 
for  a  preschool  program  sponsored 
and  controlled  by  the  Office  of 
Navajo  Economic  Opportunity  and 
directed  by  Eva  Platero  of  the 
Brethren  fellowship;  Navajo  Social 
Services  for  the  elderly  involving 
four  Navajo  staff  persons;  and  hous- 
ing for  one  resident  facilitator  and 
three  Navajo  families.  Recently 
$9,000  of  SHARE  funds  were  desig- 
nated for  capital  improvements. 

David  and  Janet  Pike  are  the  one 
non-Navajo  couple  assigned  by  the 
World  Ministries  Commission  to 
Lybrook.  David's  task  is  to  represent 
SHARE  in  facilitating  local  program- 
ming and  to  coordinate  use  of  the- 
facilities.  [ 

World  Ministries  staff  member  Wil 
Nolen  observes  that  additional 
programs  at  Lybrook  will  not  be  in- 
itiated by  SHARE,  but  rather  will  be- 
granted  SHARE  support  as  local 
Navajo  leaders  develop  measures 
that  meet  funding  guidelines. 

Last  year  the  General  Board  in- 
vested $33,000  in  the  Lybrook- 
program.  While  major  support  of 
both  the  church  fellowship  and 
service  programs  will  continue  to  be 
provided  by  the  General  Board  and 
the  Western  Plains  District,  the 
Navajo  community  is  being 
challenged  to  assume  increasing, 
financial  responsibility. 

"Empowerment,  personal  and 
group  identity,  community  action, 
intercultural  awareness:  These  are 
values  and  sensitivities  which  un- 
derlie share's  approach  to  native 
Americans,"  Director  Nolen 

observes.    "The    approach    may   in- 
volve greater  risks,  but  in  terms  of' 
what  is  sought  long-range  in  people 
and     program     development,     the 
promise  is  greater." 


22  MESSENGER  February  1975 


In  partnership  with  SHARE 


Arizona 

Family  Services,  Inc.,  Fort  Defiance 
Counseling  of  Navajo  families 
SHARE  grant:  $2,000 

California 

Ecumenical  Center  for  Black  Church 

Studies,  Los  Angeles  area 
In-service  training,  degree  programs 

for  40  ministers 
SHARE  grant:  $7,500 

California/Ohio 

National  Farm  Worker  Ministry,  Los 

Angeles  and  Dayton 
Awareness  of  and  support  for  farm 

workers'  movement 
SHARE  grant:  $2,000 


Bethany  Brethren — Garfield  Park 

Hospital,  Chicago 
Development  of  neighborhood 

medical  services  in  inner  city 
SHARE  grant:  $10,000 

Illinois 

Community  Health  Improvement 

Center,  Decatur 
Services  to  low  income  families 
SHARE  grant:  $1,020 

Illinois 

Mother  Goose  Child  Development 

Center,  Elgin 
Child  care,  preschool  training 
SHARE  grant:  $2,400 

Illinois 

People's  Health  Center,  Freeport 
Preventive  health  care  for  low  income 

families 
SHARE  grant:  $4,500 

Iowa 

Community  Clothing  and  Retailing 

Program,  Waterloo 
Assisting  blacks  in  learning  sewing, 

tailoring  as  marketable  skills 
SHARE  grant:  $7,500 


Kentucky 

Kentucky  Mountain  Housing  Develop- 
ment Corporation,  Manchester 

Repair  and  building  of  houses  for 
families  of  low  income 

SHARE  grant:  $22,000 

Kentucky 

Human/Economic  Appalachian  Devel- 
opment Corporation,  Berea 

Community  organization  and  enter- 
prise; 

Operation  MATCH 

SHARE  grant:  $1,000 

Mississippi 

Voice  of  Calvary  Cooperative  Health 

Center,  Mendenhall 
Health  education  and  preventive  care 

for  poor  blacks  and  whites 
SHARE  grant:  $4,100 

New  Mexico 

Lybrook  Navajo  Fellowship  and  Com- 
munity Projects,  Cuba 
Establishment  of  local  priorities 
SHARE  grant:  $33,000 

New  Jersey 

Third  World  Consultation,  Princeton 
Strategies  for  development 
SHARE  grant;  $1,000 

New  York 

Hispanos  Unidos  of  Park  Slope, 

Brooklyn 
Adult  education,  language  and 

vocational  training,  youth  services 
SHARE  grant:  $7,500 

Ohio 

Youth  Screen  Printing,  Inc.,  Dayton 
Skill  training  in  graphic  and  industrial 

arts,  business  experience 
SHARE  grant:  $2,000 

Tennessee 

Commission  on  Religion  in  Appalachia, 
Knoxville 


joint  strategy  for  mission  and  com- 
munity development  with  grassroots 
groups 

SHARE  grant:  $500 

Texas 

Feeder  Pig  Project,  Elsa 

Job  training,  economic  development 

for  settled  out  migrants 
SHARE  grant:  $6,000 

Virginia 

Council  of  Southern  Mountains, 
Clintwood 

Mine  and  health  safety,  communica- 
tion and  development  in  Central  Ap- 
palachia 

SHARE  grant:  $1,000 

Virginia 

Operation  Coal,  Blacksburg 
Research  and  advocacy  in  coal  industry 
SHARE  grant  through  Commission  on 
Religion  in  Appalachia:  $2,000 

SHARE  2:  Education  of  Brethren 

Learning  from  disadvantaged 

Americans 
Strategies  for  churches  in  racially 

changing  communities 
Intercultural  seminars 
Models  for  race  training  of  clergy 
Educational,  interpretive  resources 


SHARE  Staff  Committee 

Wilfred  E.  Nolen,  Director 

Merle  Crouse 

Tom  Wilson 

Administered  through  the  World 
Ministries  Commission,  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Board 


This  report  produced  by 
General  Services  Commission 


il 


There  are  some  answers.  One  is  SHARE< 


Some  persons  bear  the  weight  of 
problems  most  of  us  have  never 
known:  Poverty  that  grinds  away  at 
hope;  the  sting  of  racial  slurs;  the 
denial  of  real  freedom;  inadequate 
schools;  searing  Injustice. 

But  life  can  be  different.  The  cir- 
cle of  despair  can  be  broken.  Homes 
can  be  built.  Medical  care  provided. 


Businesses  established.  Jobs  made. 
Prejudices  faced.  Relationships  cre- 
ated. Hope  and  faith  renewed. 

But  dollars  are  needed.  And 
dollars  are  given  when  people  care. 

Express  your  caring  through  a  gift 
to  SHARE,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Board,  1451  Dundee 
Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 


SHARE  helps  persons.  You  can  help  SHARE. 


24  MESSENGER  February  1975 


In  partnership  with  SHARE 


ere  is  my  gift  of  $ 

iward  current  SHARE  ministries 

ook  forward  to  making  a  further  contribution  of: 

.1976;     $_ 


date 


Please  send 
a  reminder. 


month 

\  I  am  considering  a  gift  of  securities  or  real 
estate  and  would  welcome  a  conference. 


month 


redit:. 


-Zip. 


-(congregation);. 


-(district) 


ease  make  check  payable  to  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board.  Send  to  SHARE,  Church  of 
e  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 


pens  on  a  woman  clotfied  with  the  sun, 
ndoubtedly  representing  the  community 
f  faith  which  incorporates  both  Old  Testa- 
lent  Israel  and  the  New  Testament 
hurch.  She  gives  birth  to  a  male  child, 
esus,  whom  the  great  red  dragon,  Satan, 
ies  to  destroy.  But  the  child  is  snatched 
p  to  God  —  in  the  resurrection — and 
ived.  The  dragon,  of  course,  is  very 
ustrated  over  his  failure;  and  verse  17 
Us  us:  "At  this  the  dragon  grew  furious 
'ith  the  woman,  and  went  off  to  wage  war 
n  the  rest  of  her  offspring,  that  is,  on 
lose  who  keep  God's  commandments  and 
laintain  their  marturia  Jeesous." 


E, 


he  woman's  first  offspring,  we  were 
aid  explicitly,  was  Jesus.  The  rest  of  her 
ffspring,  it  would  follow,  are  the 

hristians,  namely  all  those  who  maintain 
heir  marluria  Jeesous.  And  here,  then,  is 
n  almost  overwhelming  idea:  When  we 
lear  our  testimony  to  Jesus,  when  we  join 
lim  m  the  testimony  he  bears,  we  become 
n  all  truth  his  brothers  and  sisters, 
ihildren  of  the  same  mother,  the  same  faith 
lommunity.  that  bore  him.  What  greater 
tatus  and  honor  could  come  to  anyone? 

(I  know  the  above  is  not  the  interpreta- 
ion  of  that  passage  as  it  is  found  in  my 
look.  1  have  seen  further  since.) 

Even  so,  John  does  not  stop  simply  with 
ecommending  the  marluria  Jeesous:  he 
iroceeds  to  delineate  what  it  must  involve. 
Revelation  1 1  is  the  most  important 
lassage  in  this  regard.  Space  does  not 
How  us  to  examine  it  in  detail;  we  can 
)ick  up  the  salient  points. 

The  central  characters  in  the  scene  are 


no  true  witness. 

We  cannot 

hold  our  lives 

too  dear  to 

lay  them  down. 

The  reality  of 

our  witness  lies 

in  the  willingness 

to  put  our  lives 

where  Jesus  put  his. 


Most  significantly,  then:  "These  are  the 
two  olive  trees  and  the  two  lamps  that 
stand  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  of  the 
earth"  (11:4).  Here,  in  a  nutshell,  is  what  it 
means  to  make  the  faithful  testimony  to 
Jesus.  Olive  trees  bear  fruit.  Lamps  give 
light.  We  are  to  bear  the  fruits  of  recon- 
ciliation, healing,  feeding,  and  serving  as 
Jesus  himself  did.  We  also  are  to  light  up 
and  spread  the  illumination  of  him  who  is 
the  light  of  the  world.  If  John  has  ac- 
complished nothing  else,  with  his  term 
marturia  Jeesous  he  has  hit  upon  one 
phrase  that  can  hold  together  the  service 
and  the  evangelism  callings  which  have 
tended  to  drift  apart  throughout  the 
history  of  the  church. 

As  the  scene  proceeds,  the  witnesses  do 
succeed  in  bearing  their  faithful  testimony 


:sus.  In  consequence  of  their  success 
r  success,  mind  you)  they  are 
ecuted  and  killed;  they  become  "mar- 
'  in  the  literal  sense.  But  then,  to  the 
zement  of  their  persecutors,  they  are 
rrected  and  called  up  to  God.  As  clear- 
i  it  can  be  said,  we  are  informed  that 
way  of  the  Christian  witness  is  to  be 
of  death-and-resurrection,  the  way  of 
s  himself.  But  does  this  describe  the 
:->f  the  church  as  we  know  it — this  ul- 
.te  recklessness  in  giving  and  self- 
;nditure  that  holds  back  nothing  but 
fearlessly  into  death  itself,  in  con- 
ice  of  a  resurrection? 
here  is,  finally,  in  Revelation,  one  other 
:ment  regarding  the  marturia  Jeesous. 
the  most  telling  of  all.  The  victorious 
istians  are  spoken  of  in  1 2: 1 1 :  "By  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Lamb  they  have  conquered 
him  [i.e.,  Satan]  and  by  the  testimony 
which  they  uttered;  for  they  did  not  hold 
their  lives  too  dear  to  lav  them  down." 


Xt  seems  plain  that  John  is  speaking  not 
simply  of  a  Christian's  victory  personally 
over  Satan  but  also  of  the  final  victory 
over  evil  for  the  sake  of  the  world.  He 
presents  it  as  involving  three  components; 
( 1 )  The  ultimate  source  and  reality  of  this 
victory  lies  in  what  the  Lamb,  the  Faithful 
Witness,  already  has  done.  The  subsequent 
steps  are  to  be  understood  as  the  working 
out  of  that  victory,  not  as  actions  that  have 
any  overcoming  power  in  themselves. 

Nevertheless,  (2)  Jesus  has  invited  us  in 
and  given  us  an  authentic  and  significant 
role  to  play  in  his  victory.  The  testimony 
which  we  utter  regarding  Jesus'  victory 
does  play  a  real  part  in  conquering  Satan; 
our  witness  helps  him  keep  faced  up  to  the 
fact  that  he  has  been  defeated. 

Finally,  (3)  our  witness  must  be  backed 
by  our  actions  or  it  is  no  true  witness.  We 
cannot  hold  our  lives  too  dear  to  lay  them 
down.  The  reality  of  our  witness  lies  in  the 
willingness  to  put  our  lives  where  Jesus  put 
his. 

But  once  we  put  ourselves  upon  the  way 
he  went,  the  way  of  the  martyr-witness, 
then  in  this  very  going  we  surely  are  going 
to  find  community  with  John  and  Antipas 
and  their  like,  equality  with  the  angels, 
brotherhood  with  Jesus  himself,  and  vic- 
tory over  Satan  for  ourselves  and  for  the 
world. 

How  well  are  you  doing  in  bearing  the 
marturia  Jeesous?    D 


February  1975  messenger  25 


ij..^i»-^:i»  g,«^»^s  ..^:?>»5  lu^  1.J,;.  j-!.j-^,»::,  no  proclaim  reledsr 
to  the  captives  to  set  at  liberty  those  who  are  opi 
pressed  as  you  did  it  unto  the  least  of  these  m'i 
brethren  you  did  it  unto  me  by  this  we  know  love  thaj 
he  laid  down  his  life  for  us  and  we  ought  to  lay  dowr' 
our  lives  for  the  brethren  but  if  any  one  has  th( 
world's  goods  and  sees  his  brother  in  need  yet  closej 
his  heart  against  him  does  God's  love  abide  in  him  foj 
where  your  treasure  is  there  will  your  heart  be  aisc 
you  shall  love  the  Lord  your  God  with  all  your  hear 
and  with  all  your  soul  and  with  all  your  mind  an  oui 
neighbor  as  yourself  and  who  is  my  neighbor  go  thoi 
and  do  likewise  but  seek  first  his  kingdom  and  hi: 
righteousness  blessed  are  those  who  hunger  and  thirs 
for  righteousness  blessed  is  he  who  considers  the  poo 


There  are  some  answers.  One  is  SHARE* 


Some  persons  bear  the  weight  of 
problems  most  of  us  have  never 
known:  Poverty  that  grinds  away  at 
hope;  the  sting  of  racial  slurs;  the 
denial  of  real  freedom;  inadequate 
schools;  searing  injustice. 

But  life  can  be  different.  The  cir- 
cle of  despair  can  be  broken.  Homes 
can  be  built.  Medical  care  provided. 


Businesses  established.  Jobs  made. 
Prejudices  faced.  Relationships  cre- 
ated. Hope  and  faith  renewed. 

But  dollars  are  needed.  And 
dollars  are  given  when  people  care. 

Express  your  caring  through  a  gift 
to  SHARE,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Board,  1451  Dundee 
Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 


SHARE  helps  persons.  You  can  help  SHARE. 


24  MESSENGER  February  1975 


lARTURIA  JEESOVS I  continued  from  page  16 


w  way — and  enhanced.  John  encounters 
p  angel,  and  his  first  impulse  is  to  fall 
lown  in  worship.  But  the  angel  objects: 
No.  not  that!  I  am  but  a  fellow-servant 
I'ith  you  and  your  brothers  who  bear  their 
mrturia  Jeesous.  It  is  God  you  must 
orship.  Those  who  bear  marturia  Jeesous 
re  inspired  like  the  prophets." 

Astounding!  If  you  are  bearing  your 
\arturia  Jeesous,  you  are  equal  to  the 
igels.  The  word  "angel"  means 
Tiessenger";  they  themselves  exist  to  no 
ther  purpose  than  to  bear  this  witness, 
either  angel,  nor  prophet,  nor  ordinary 
hristian  can  aspire  to  anything  higher;  the 
larturia  Jeesous  is  the  one  spirit  that 
ptivates  them  all. 

However,  it  is  in  his  twelfth  chapter  that 
jhn's  concept  reaches  its  zenith.  The  scene 
pens  on  a  woman  clothed  with  the  sun, 
ndoubtedly  representing  the  community 
f  faith  which  incorporates  both  Old  Testa- 
lent  Israel  and  the  New  Testament 
lurch.  She  gives  birth  to  a  male  child, 
:sus,  whom  the  great  red  dragon,  Satan, 
ies  to  destroy.  But  the  child  is  snatched 
p  to  God — in  the  resurrection — and 
ived.  The  dragon,  of  course,  is  very 
ustrated  over  his  failure;  and  verse  17 
ills  us:  "At  this  the  dragon  grew  furious 
ith  the  woman,  and  went  off  to  wage  war 
n  the  rest  of  her  offspring,  that  is,  on 
lose  who  keep  God's  commandments  and 
laintain  their  marturia  Jeesous." 


he  woman's  first  offspring,  we  were 
bid  explicitly,  was  Jesus.  The  rest  of  her 
ffspring,  it  would  follow,  are  the 
'hristians.  namely  all  those  who  maintain 
leir  marturia  Jeesous.  And  here,  then,  is 
n  almost  overwhelming  idea:  When  we 
ear  our  testimony  to  Jesus,  when  we  join 
im  in  the  testimony  he  bears,  we  become 
1  all  truth  his  brothers  and  sisters, 
hildren  of  the  same  mother,  the  same  faith 
pmmunity,  that  bore  him.  What  greater 
;atus  and  honor  could  come  to  anyone? 

(I  know  the  above  is  not  the  interpreta- 
on  of  that  passage  as  it  is  found  in  my 
ook.  I  have  seen  further  since.) 

Even  so,  John  does  not  stop  simply  with 
^commending  the  marturia  Jeesous;  he 
roceeds  to  delineate  what  it  must  involve. 
Levelation  1 1  is  the  most  important 
assage  in  this  regard.  Space  does  not 
How  us  to  examine  it  in  detail;  we  can 
ick  up  the  salient  points. 

The  central  characters  in  the  scene  are 


two  "witnesses" — and  given  John's  regular 
usage  of  this  term,  they  can  represent 
nothing  other  than  the  church,  the  Chris- 
tian community.  They  are  granted  the 
power  to  "prophesy,"  namely  to  speak  a 
true  and  effective  witness.  They  are  dressed 
in  sackcloth,  the  symbol  of  lowliness  and 
humiliation— and  a  garb,  it  must  be  said. 
on  which  the  modern  church  is  not  par- 
ticularly keen. 


Finally 

our  witness  must 

be  backed  by  our 

actions  or  it  is 

no  true  witness. 

We  cannot 

hold  our  lives 

too  dear  to 

lay  them  down. 

The  reality  of 

our  witness  lies 

in  the  willingness 

to  put  our  lives 

where  Jesus  put  his. 


iVlost  significantly,  then:  "These  are  the 
two  olive  trees  and  the  two  lamps  that 
stand  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  of  the 
earth"  (1  1:4).  Here,  in  a  nutshell,  is  what  it 
means  to  make  the  faithful  testimony  to 
Jesus.  Olive  trees  bear  fruit.  Lamps  give 
light.  We  are  to  bear  the  fruits  of  recon- 
ciliation, healing,  feeding,  and  serving  as 
Jesus  himself  did.  We  also  are  to  light  up 
and  spread  the  illumination  of  him  who  is 
the  light  of  the  world.  If  John  has  ac- 
complished nothing  else,  with  his  term 
marturia  Jeesous  he  has  hit  upon  one 
phrase  that  can  hold  together  the  service 
and  the  evangelism  callings  which  have 
tended  to  drift  apart  throughout  the 
history  of  the  church. 

As  the  scene  proceeds,  the  witnesses  do 
succeed  in  bearing  their  faithful  testimony 


to  Jesus.  In  consequence  of  their  success 
(their  success,  mind  you)  they  are 
persecuted  and  killed;  they  become  "mar- 
tyrs" in  the  literal  sense.  But  then,  to  the 
amazement  of  their  persecutors,  they  are 
resurrected  and  called  up  to  God.  As  clear- 
ly as  it  can  be  said,  we  are  informed  that 
the  way  of  the  Christian  witness  is  to  be 
that  of  death-and-resurrection.  the  way  of 
Jesus  himself.  But  does  this  describe  the 
life  of  the  church  as  we  know  it — this  ul- 
timate recklessness  in  giving  and  self- 
expenditure  that  holds  back  nothing  but 
goes  fearlessly  into  death  itself,  in  con- 
fidence of  a  resurrection? 

There  is,  finally,  in  Revelation,  one  other 
statement  regarding  the  tnarturia  Jeesous. 
It  is  the  most  telling  of  all.  The  victorious 
Christians  are  spoken  of  in  12:1 1:  "By  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Lamb  they  have  conquered 
him  [i.e.,  Satan]  and  by  the  testimony 
which  they  uttered;  for  they  did  not  hold 
their  lives  too  dear  to  lay  them  down." 


Xt  seems  plain  that  John  is  speaking  not 
simply  of  a  Christian's  victory  personally 
over  Satan  but  also  of  the  final  victory 
over  evil  for  the  sake  of  the  world.  He 
presents  it  as  involving  three  components: 
( 1 )  The  ultimate  source  and  reality  of  this 
victory  lies  in  what  the  Lamb,  the  Faithful 
Witness,  already  has  done.  The  subsequent 
steps  are  to  be  understood  as  the  working 
out  of  that  victory,  not  as  actions  that  have 
any  overcoming  power  in  themselves. 

Nevertheless,  (2)  Jesus  has  invited  us  in 
and  given  us  an  authentic  and  significant 
role  to  play  in  his  victory.  The  testimony 
which  we  utter  regarding  Jesus'  victory 
does  play  a  real  part  in  conquering  Satan; 
our  witness  helps  him  keep  faced  up  to  the 
fact  that  he  has  been  defeated. 

Finally,  (3)  our  witness  must  be  backed 
by  our  actions  or  it  is  no  true  witness.  We 
cannot  hold  our  lives  too  dear  to  lay  them 
down.  The  reality  of  our  witness  lies  in  the 
willingness  to  put  our  lives  where  Jesus  put 
his. 

But  once  we  put  ourselves  upon  the  way 
he  went,  the  way  of  the  martyr-witness, 
then  in  this  very  going  we  surely  are  going 
to  find  community  with  John  and  Antipas 
and  their  like,  equality  with  the  angels, 
brotherhood  with  Jesus  himself,  and  vic- 
tory over  Satan  for  ourselves  and  for  the 
world. 

How  well  are  you  doing  in  bearing  the 
marturia  Jeesous?    D 


February  1975  messenger  25 


R£COnCILMTIOn 


Read  2  Corinthians  5:17-20 


H< 


Low  fortunate  we  are  to  live  in  such  a 
beautiful  world,  with  modern  conveniences 
and  unlimited  opportunities,  it  seems,  to 
live  a  good  life.  Yet  there  is  so  much  in  life 
today  that  divides  people  instead  of  uniting 
them.  Think  of  the  areas  of  brokenness. 
Nations  are  on  the  verge  of  hostilities. 
Political  parties  slander  each  other.  Labor 
and  management  are  at  odds.  Friends  and 
even  members  of  families  become  angry  or 
jealous  and  break  their  relationships. 
Newspapers  and  tv  are  filled  with  stories  of 
crime  and  inhumanity.  People  are  at  war 
with  those  in  authority  and  with 
themselves. 

Underlying  all  this  is  a  deep  gap  between 
persons  and  God;  it  has  always  been  so. 
The  history  of  religion  is  that  of  people  try- 
ing to  bridge  the  gap.  All  ancient  religions 
have  made  an  effort,  each  in  its  own  way. 
Many  tried  by  giving  sacrifices  to  God. 
They  thought  they  could  win  his  favor.  But 
we  cannot  buy  God's  favor  or  bargain  with 
him;  we  must  come  to  him  on  his  own 
terms. 

It  is  out  of  our  alienation  from  God  that 
the  need  for  reconciliation  arises.  Recon- 
ciliation implies  an  inner  change  which  is 
equivalent  to  a  new  creation.  One  who  has 
had  this  experience  is  not  merely  reformed 
or  improved — one  is  remade.  This  is  a  dif- 
ficult concept  to  understand.  Simply 
stated,  to' reconcile  means  to  settle  a 
difference  or  to  bring  harmony  or  to  make 
friends  again. 

The  apostle  Paul  brings  us  help  in  our 
search  for  understanding.  After  Paul  had 
established  the  church  at  Corinth,  false 
leaders  undermined  his  work  and  his 
message  (2  Cor.  2:5,  6).  His  second  letter 


was  written  to  correct  some  misunder- 
standings and  bring  about  a  better  re- 
lationship. To  emphasize  the  validity  of 
his  teachings  he  used  the  text.  2  Cor.  5:17- 
20.  One  must  first  accept  the  fact  that  one 
lives  under  sin  (Romans  5:12-14),  in  a  state 
of  separation  from  God.  We  are  an  enemy 
of  God  when  we  do  not  obey  God's  law 
(Romans  8:7). 

Have  you  ever  had  an  experience  like 
this?  You  have  had  a  misunderstanding 
with  a  dear  friend  and  something  you  said 
or  did  has  hurt  your  friend — the 
relationship  has  been  broken.  You  are 
sorry  and  ask  forgiveness.  But  there  is 
nothing  you  can  do  by  yourself  to  make 
amends;  the  only  way  is  for  the  innocent 
party  to  restore  the  relationship  by  forgiv- 
ing you.  We  do  the  same  with  God — we 
hurt  Him  by  disobeying  His  law.  But  God 
takes  the  initiative;  He  forgives  and 
restores  us  as  we  see  in  the  story  of  the 
Prodigal  Son  (Luke  15:11-24). 


Aaul  said  to  the  people  of  Corinth,  "We 
come,  therefore,  as  Christ's  ambassadors" 
(vs.  20).  The  task  of  an  ambassador  for  our 
country  is  one  of  honor  and  responsibility. 
The  ambassador  must  present  the  nation's 
point  of  view,  assert  its  rights,  and  at  all 
times  seek  to  smooth  out  frictions  and 
create  a  spirit  of  harmony.  It  is  the  same 
with  us.  Have  you  ever  thought  of  yourself 
as  an  ambassador?  Every  Christian  is 
Christ's  ambassador.  The  Christian  speaks 
in  the  name  of  the  master.  The  Christian's 
message  is  God's  message;  it  is  the  offer  of 
reconciliation  and  of  the  power  that  can 
make  us  willing  to  accept  His  offer. 

To  be  reconciled  fully  to  God  we  must 
be  sure  that  we  are  right  with  our  brother 


(Matt.  5:24).  Then  when  we  are  reconciled 
to  God,  we  are  given  the  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation (vs.  18).  We  are  given  the  respon- 
sibility of  allowing  the  Spirit  to  work 
through  us  to  bring  reconciliation  wherever 
we  see  the  need.  We  must  be  alert  and  alivei 
to  what  is  going  on  in  our  communities 
and  in  the  world,  then  we  must  find  our 
place  to  be  His  ambassador.  This  is  surely; 
our  Christian  responsibility. 


H. 


.uman  understanding  and  brotherhood| 
are  possible  now  as  never  before  because  of] 
modern  means  of  communication.  What  isi 
the  message  we  have  to  give?  The  message : 
any  of  us  has  must  come  from  our  own  ex-: 
perience.  We  cannot  be  effective  until  we 
have  had  an  experience  with  God;  then  we' 
will  strive  to  lead  others  to  have  a  little  ex- 
perience. 

Our  task  is  that  of  building  bridges  of 
understanding  between  persons  as  well  as 
between  persons  and  God.  This  can  be 
done  daily  as  we  contact  others,  for  we  are; 
the  channels  of  God's  reconciling  love  at 
work  in  the  world. 

1  do  believe  that  God  is  at  work  in  His 
world.  Nothing  less  than  reconciliation  will; 
bring  peace  of  mind  and  heart.  The  emp- 
tiness and  futility  we  see  in  life,  the  resent- 
ment and  fear  we  experience  and  the  lack 
of  harmony  is  life— all  will  find  their  cure 
in  our  reconciliation  with  God. 

Knowing  that  reconciliation  is  the  only 
means  to  God's  grace,  how  can  we  any 
longer  withhold  our  total  selves,  our  time 
and  talents  from  those  who  suffer  because 
they  do  not  know  Him?  Listen  again  to  the 
words  of  Paul,  "In  Christ's  name,  we  im- 
plore you,  be  reconciled  to  God"  (2  Cor. 
5:20).  □ 


26  MESSENGER  February  1975 


bq  Ida  5.  HoujG 


"The  Return" 


In  Christ's  nams,  bs  reconciled 


February  1975  messenger  27 


Brethren 
House 

A  'come  and  discovef  kind  of  place 


by  Emily  Mumma 


Come  with  me  to  Brethren  House.  It 
appears  little  different  from  other  houses  in 
the  St.  Petersburg  neighborhood.  But 
notice  the  number  of  children  gathered 
around  the  circular  driveway  playing 
hopscotch,  four  square,  tetherball,  and  tag. 
Also  the  simulated  stained  glass  window  in 
the  door  that  pictures  Christian  symbols.  A 
sign  on  the  door  gives  the  invitation  to 
come  in. 

Inside  at  a  table  are  two  girls,  each  with 
head  phones  on.  listening  to  a  cassette  tape 
while  following  the  Bible  story  in  a  book. 
At  another  table  children  are  grouped 
around  Bonnie  Munson,  embroidering  a 
design  of  their  choice  on  a  scrap  of  burlap. 
At  still  another  table  two  boys  are  testing, 
in  a  small  container  of  water,  a  number  of 
items  to  learn  which  will  float  and  which 
will  sink.  Watch  what  is  happening 
between  Jean  Lersch  and  a  child  as  they 
sketch  each  other's  portrait.  At  a  longer 
crafts  table  si.\  children  are  involved  in 
creating,  on  construction  paper,  something 
that  expresses  who  they  are  or  something 
important  about  themselves.  A  mother 
from  the  neighborhood  is  there  with  them 
to  lend  a  helping  hand,  or  perhaps  more 
importantly,  to  be  a  "listener."  She  also  en- 
courages the  children  to  express  themselves 
in  their  own  special  way. 

In  an  adjacent  room,  there  is  a  "show 
and  tell"  corner  and  a  book  nook.  One 
child  told  me  that  the  book  nook  is  her 
"hideaway  loft."  It  has  an  upper  and  lower 
level  with  several  colorful  throw  pillows, 
dolls,  and  books.  There  children  put 
puzzles  together  and  play  games.  There  are 
two  other  "listening  centers"  with  cassette 
recorders  and  head  phones.  Also  there  is  a 
big  refrigerator  box  fixed  up  to  make  a 
really  neat  "private"  place. 


Outside,  Phil  Lersch  is  temporarily 
"refereeing"  some  recreation.  So  much  is 
going  on!  Yet  there  seems  to  be  no  confu- 
sion. The  children  and  the  leaders  ap- 
parently know  what  they  are  doing  and  are 
enjoying  it  to  the  fullest. 

This  is  the  setting  in  which  Phil  and  Jean 
Lersch  serve  as  pastoral  leaders  of  the 
Brethren  House  Fellowship,  associated 
with  the  Brethren  Church  of  Ashland, 
Ohio.  They  were  called  to  the  Florida  com- 
munity about  seven  and  a  half  years  ago 
to  establish  another  Brethren  congrega- 
tion. 

At  first  the  ministry  focused  on  adults 
and  a  few  families,  meeting  on  Sunday  in 
the  parsonage  and  studying  in  small  groups 
during  the  week.  But  there  were  always 
children  hanging  around — youngsters  who 
needed  some  place  to  come  and  some  one 
to  "be  with."  When  the  house  next  door 
went  on  the  market,  buying  it  seemed  to  be 
the  next  logical  step.  Brethren  House  did 
not  start  out  to  be  a  "learning  center,"  but 
has  evolved  in  response  to  the  needs  as 
manifested  in  this  place  at  this  time. 

Providing  recreation  for  the  children  got 
the  ball  rolling;  then  came  crafts;  and  still 
later,  a  story  time  was  added.  During  the 
summer  months  students  from  Ashland 
College  came  to  work  at  Brethren  House, 
providing  programs  for  the  children  of  the 
community.  In  June  1971,  Bonnie  Munson 
was  commissioned  by  the  Brethren  Home 
Mission  Board  to  serve  at  Brethren  House 
on  a  full  time  basis. 


A 


Phil,  Jean,  and  Bonnie  began  to 
pray  together  and  to  pool  their  skills  and 
resources,  a  dream  of  developing  Christian 
education  programs  with  the  individual 


28  MESSENGER  Februarv  1975 


Right:  A  Brethren  House  youngster  enjoys 
the  "Book  Nook." 

Below:  Bonnie  Munson  supports  the  crafts 
efforts  of  the  children. 

Bottom  left:  A  listening  center  provides 
tape-recorded  narration,  headsets,  and 
New  Testaments. 

Bottom  right:  A  child  handles  a  large  il- 
lustrated hymn  while  listening  to  music  and 
comments  on  a  tape  cassette. 


child  in  mind  came  into  focus.  Thus  the 
Brethren  House  ministry  evolved  around 
three  important  concepts:  (1)  working 
together  as  a  team;  (2)  focusing  on 
teaching  learning  as  a  process;  and  (3)  es- 
tablishing relationships  with  the  children 
that  will  help  them  to  develop  a  more 
wholesome  attitude  toward  God,  Christ, 
and  the  Bible. 

Let  us  examine  each  of  these  concepts. 

1.  Why  work  as  a  "team"?  Phil,  Jean, 
and  Bonnie  feel  there  are  many  advantages. 
Each  brings  to  the  team  his  or  her  own 
unique  skills.  As  a  public  schoolteacher, 
Jean  has  awareness  of  developments  in  the 
modern  educational  system.  Although 
Jean's  availability  to  the  after  school 
program  is  limited,  her  input  is  invaluable. 
Bonnie  excels  in  the  area  of  "special  educa- 
tion" which  enables  her  to  share  ideas  that 
are  particularly  designed  with  the  in- 
dividual child  in  mind.  As  a  pastor,  Phil's 
contribution  is  his  theological  training  and 
skills  in  counseling.  Although  there  is  fre- 
quent overlapping  of  skills  and  talents,  the 
important  thing  is  that  Phil,  Jean,  and 
Bonnie  affirm  the  distinctive  contribution 
that  each  brings. 

2.  Teaching/learning  as  a  process  is 
different  from  "teaching"  in  the  traditional 
sense.  In  teaching/learning  the  "teacher" 
becomes  one  who  enables  the  learners  to 
discover  for  themselves;  the  teacher  does 
not  try  to  discover  "for"  the  learners.  The 
teacher  provides  a  variety  of  options  from 
which  the  learner  can  choose.  The  learner, 
in  making  these  choices  individually,  is 
stimulated  to  "think"  through,  to  compare, 
to  reflect,  to  be  resourceful.  And  the 
learner  is  given  the  opportunity  to  identify 
with  and  relate  to  the  idea  being  taught  by 
doing  something  that  will  make  it  "real."  In 

February  1975  messenger  29 


the  use  of  the  Bible,  for  example.  Old  and 
New  Testament  characters  become  real  and 
not  merely  another  story. 

3.  Relationships  are  a  cornerstone  in  the 
teaching/learning  process.  Participants 
share  the  responsibility  for  both  teaching 
and  learning.  This  kind  of  relationship  af- 
firms the  personhood  of  the  teacher  and 
the  learner.  A  bond  of  trust  and  love 
develops  between  them. 

Bonnie  believes  that  this  kind  of 
relationship  "sets  the  stage  for  good  at- 
titudes toward  persons  and  property."  Phil 
added,  "That  is  why  the  children  respect 
the  Brethren  House  facilities.  There  is  no 
vandalism  ...  no  equipment  and  games 
that  come  up  missing."  I  observed  the  care 
with  which  children  handled  the  electronic 
equipment,  even  to  the  extent  of  rewinding 
the  tape  for  the  next  user. 


c. 


children  come  to  Brethren  House  on 
their  own  initiative,  because  they  want  to 
come.  "It's  fun!"  "I  can  do  lots  of  different 
stuff."  "I  can  do  what  1  want  to  do,  no  one 
yells  at  me."  "They  are  nice  to  me."  "I  have 
fun  with  my  friends  here."  "I  learn  about 
Jesus  . . .  and  the  Bible  . . .  that's  fun."  Phil 
emphasizes  that  although  they  do  have  fun, 
it  is  much  more  than  just  "fun."  It  is  fun 
with  "substance,"  fun  with  a  purpose. 

The  number  of  children  involved  in  the 
after-school  program  may  vary  between  30 
and  50,  ranging  from  preschool  to  junior 
high.  The  program  is  designed  with  the 
kind  of  flexibility  that  allows  children  to 
come  and  go  at  will. 

With  that  kind  of  freedom,  what  does  a 
typical  day's  program  look  like?  To  be 
sure,  children  dash  inside  to  find  out  that 
some  others  got  there  first.  But  that's  okay 
. . .  there  is  plenty  to  do.  They  scan  the 
blackboard  list  of  "listening  activities"  and 
"choose  to  do  activities."  Today  the  theme 
for  discovery  is  "Forgive  us  our  debts,"  and 
here  are  the  suggestions: 
"Listen" 

1.  Story  on  tape  ...  Matthew  18:21-35 

2.  "Let's  Be  Enemies"  . . .  book  on  tape 

3.  Show  and  tell  (GE  phono-viewer) 

4.  Music  on  tape  . . .  illustrated  hymn 

"Choose  to  do" 

5.  Learning  how  to  use  the  hymnal 
(1951  edition) 

6.  Forgiveness  booth 

7.  Read     servant     story     . . .     answer 
questions 

8.  Bible  books 


9.  Make  a  "prayer  box" 
10.  Make  a  "forgiveness  book" 
To  get  a  clearer  picture  of  what  these  op- 
tions entail,  let's  take  a  closer  look. 

1.  Adjust  the  head  set  and  push  down 
the  "green"  button  on  the  cassette  recorder. 
(Color  coding  simplifies  operation,  es- 
pecially for  preschoolers.)  The  story  is 
about  a  servant  who  owed  the  king  a  great 
sum  of  money.  He  begged  to  be  forgiven 
and  the  king  did  forgive  him.  Another  man 
owed  that  servant  a  small  sum  of  money 
and  asked  to  be  forgiven,  but  the  servant 
would  not  forgive  him. 

2.  As  we  listen,  we'll  follow  this  story  in 
the  book  that  is  lying  beside  the  recorder. 
This  is  a  story  about  two  boys  who  were 
friends,  then  decided  to  become  enemies, 
then  became  friends  again.  How  did  all 
that  happen  so  fast? 

3.  In  a  little  booth  we  are  seated  before 
what  looks  like  a  tv  set  with  a  phonograph 
on  top.  We  adjust  the  picture  strip,  start 
the  phono  and  watch  a  "paraphrase"  ver- 
sion of  the  unforgiving  servant. 

4.  Next  we  listen  to  the  hymn  "Amazing 
Grace"  recorded  on  tape  as  we  flip  the 
pages  of  a  chart  that  illustrates  the  hymn. 

5.  At  another  table  there  is  a  red  hymnal 
and  a  manila  folder  illustrating  how  to  use 
it.  We  learn  that  a  hymn  has  a  title;  that 
the  page  of  a  certain  hymn  can  be  located 
by  finding  the  title  in  the  index;  that  a 
hymn  has  stanzas  and  sometimes  a  chorus. 

6.  The  forgiveness  booth  is  a  large 
refrigerator  box  painted,  with  a  door  cut  in 
it,  some  colorful  throw  pillows,  its  own 
carpet,  and  a  tiny  lamp.  On  the  wall  above 
the  lamp  is  something  to  think  about:  "Has 
someone  done  something  to  you  that  he 
might  ask  you  to  forgive  him?  Will  you 
forgive  him?  Have  you  done  something  to 
someone  that  you  need  to  ask  forgiveness? 
Will  you  go  to  that  person  and  ask  to  be 
forgiven?  How  do  you  express  forgive- 
ness?" 

7.  Let's  read  the  servant  story  from 
the  Bible  ourselves.  The  Living  Bible  is  a 
little  different  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version.  We  are  able  to  answer  most  of 
the  questions  on  the  newsprint.  We  ask 
Bonnie  about  the  ones  we  don't  under- 
stand. 

8.  Wooden  blocks,  painted  and  labeled 
with  the  names  of  the  books  of  the  Bible, 
are  stacked  neatly  on  shelves  which  are 
hinged  together.  When  the  shelves  are 
closed  it  looks  like  one  big  book — the 
Bible. 


9.  Using  a  quart  milk  carton  we  can 
design  our  own  prayer  box.  The  purpose  is 
to  put  into  the  box  reminders  to  ourselves 
about  things  or  persons  for  whom  we  want 
to  pray.  On  the  outside  pictures  or  words 
will  remind  us  that  we  need  to  ask  for 
forgiveness  and  that  we  also  need  to 
forgive. 

10.  A  forgiveness  book,  which  draws  the 
child  out  on  the  meaning  and  application 
of  forgiveness,  can  be  for  personal  use  or  it 
can  be  shared  with  friends. 

I  was  amazed  at  the  insights  the  children 
shared  about  the  story  of  the  unforgiving 
servant.  They  were  eager  to  compare  the 
different  translations,  and  to  express  what 
forgiveness  meant  to  them.  They  wanted 
me  to  share  in  their  learning  experience. 

All  the  activity  items  we  have  talked 
about  are  generally  made  by  Bonnie,  Phil, 
and  Jean  from  odds  and  ends  of  materials, 
objects  that  might  be  considered  junk. 
Only  a  few  items  are  ready-made  or 
purchased.  Innovation,  creativity,  and 
resourcefulness,  using  those  things  that  are 
at  hand,  provide  the  key.  "Teaching 
creatively    becomes    an    attitude,"   Bonnie 
declares. 


Xhil,  Jean,  and  Bonnie  constantly  re- 
mind themselves,  "The  needs  of  the 
children  are  all  important.  As  an  'enabler' 
(teacher)  how  can  I  most  graphically  help 
the  child  to  discover  ways  of  meeting  his  or 
her  needs?" 

In  the  area  of  Christian  education  the 
learning  center  concept  offers  a  natural, 
fun  way  to  experience  the  love  of  Christ!  It 
puts  the  emphasis  less  on  a  single  event  (I 
am  saved)  and  more  on  a  process  (I  am 
growing  in  the  likeness  of  Christ).  It  is  an 
adventure,  and  it  is  exciting. 

As  religious  leaders  from  across  the 
country  turn  to  Brethren  House  for 
guidance  in  the  learning  center  approach  to 
Christian  education,  the  ministry  of 
Brethren  House  is  expanding  to  include  a 
newsletter  (Brethren  House  Times), 
cassette  tape,  and  film  strip  for  teaching 
training,  and  instructions  for  assembling 
certain  activity  items  and  conducting 
workshops.  If  you  want  to  learn  more 
about  what  Brethren  House  is  doing  by  ob- 
taining a  free  sample  newspaper,  send  your 
request  along  with  a  self-addressed  and 
stamped  business  size  envelope  to: 
Brethren  House,  6301  56th  Avenue,  N.,  St. 
Petersburg,  Rorida  33709.  □ 


30  MESSENGER  February  1975 


■mimrdl  IFFOOTrD  w^ssCuDirDsi'fe^DD 


You  can  add  your  impact  too 


by  Louise  Bowman 

To  the  uninitiated,  attending  the  IM- 
PACT/WISC  Legislative  Briefing  Feb.  24- 
25  in  the  nation's  capital  may  be  both  con- 
fusing and  stimulating,  frustrating  yet  in- 
formative. Packed  into  a  48-hour  period, 
the  Briefing  will  give  IMPACT  network 
participants  opportunities  for  updates  on 
legislation  and  forecasts  on  the  new  84th 
Congress.  Members  of  Congress,  staff 
members,  and  public  interest  groups  are 
scheduled  for  presentations. 

1  his  annual  legislative  briefing  is  spon- 
sored jointly  by  IMPACT  and  the 
Washington  Interreligious  Staff  Council 
(WISC).  Past  years'  speakers  included 
Senator  Edward  Kennedy,  Ralph  Nader, 
Congresspersons  Andrew  Young,  Martha 
Gnlliths,  Les  Aspin,  and  Jonathan 
Bingham. 

.Approximately  400  persons  have 
registered  to  attend  this  year,  an  increase 
(by  popular  demand)  of  100  over  last  year. 
Each  interfaith  delegation  is  on  a  quota 
ba.sis  and  is  comprised  of  a  good  mix  of 
grass  roots  type  persons  and  denomi- 
national representatives  who  are  in  a  posi- 
tion to  identify  socially  concerned  local 
persons  and  to  help  the  network  grow  and 
respond.  The  Church  of  the  Brethren  will 
have  20  participants. 

Sessions  are  held  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  Caucus  Room.  Built  into 
the  schedule  is  opportunity  for  each 
denominational  group  to  hold  its  own 
caucus,  providing  time  for  strategy  and 
network  building  techniques. 

Joint  action:  A  greater  impact 

IMPACT  is  an  ecumenical  partnership 
supported  by  19  Protestant,  Catholic,  and 
Jewish  national  religious  agencies,  in- 
cluding the  Washington  Office  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Its  purposes  are 
(!)  to  recruit  a  national  interfaith  network 
of  persons  who  desire  to  make  their  witness 
on  public  policy  issues  before  Congress, 
and  (2)  to  provide  that  network  timely  in- 
formation and  recommendations  about 
selected  bills  before  Congress. 

IMPACT  sends  out  about  18  mailings  a 
year  to  its  network  participants.  Twelve  of 
these  are  Action  Alerts  which  provide  in- 
formation about  a  particular  bill  or  amend- 
ment or  cluster  of  related  bills,  and  recom- 


mend particular  action  by  the  network. 
Two  or  three  are  Prepares,  study 
documents  providing  detailed  information 
about  key  issues  coming  before  Congress 
three  to  six  months  in  the  future.  Three  are 
Updates,  reports  on  Congressional 
decisions  on  key  bills  and  other  matters. 

Consensus:  Strength  for  action 

The  issues  dealt  with  in  IMPACT 
mailings  are  those  identified  by  WISC  as 
priority  issues.  WISC  is  an  association  of 
70  religious  staff  persons  assigned  to 
Washington  offices  by  their  denominations 
or  faith  groups.  It  meets  twice  a  month  for 
information  sharing.  Every  six  months,  on 
the  basis  of  public  policy  statements 
adopted  by  a  significant  number  of  the  par- 
ticipating national  religious  bodies,  WISC 
identifies  ten  or  so  Issues  before  Congress 
as  priority  issues,  and  appoints  ecumenical 
task  forces  to  do  research  on  those  issues, 
follow  legislative  options  in  Congress  for 
dealing  with  them,  keep  WISC  informed. 


The  target  is 

250  Brethren 

at  work  on 

issues  before  Congress 


and  occasionally  write  Action  Alerts  or 
Prepares  for  distribution  to  the  IMPACT 
network. 

The  recommendations  offered  by  IM- 
PACT mailings — for  example,  that  you 
write  your  representative  saying  you  favor 
public  financing  of  elections — reflect  the 
corporate  professional  judgments  of  the 
ecumenical  task  forces.  Those  recommen- 
dations are  consistent  with  the  policy 
statements  of  a  significant  number  of  the 
participating  bodies,  though  they  are  fre- 
quently more  specific  than  those  statements 
because  they  deal  with  particular  bills.  Of 
course,  not  every  denomination  has  ad- 
dressed every  public  policy  issue  dealt  with 
in  IMPACT  mailings.  It  should  be  un- 
derstood, then,  that  the  recommendations 
of  IMPACT  are  not  always  to  be  inter- 
preted as  specific  recommendations  of  the 
World  Ministries  Commission  of  our 
denomination. 


Commitment  to  act  a  requirement 

Participants  in  the  network  agree  to  re- 
spond to  Action  Alert  recommendations 
at  least  three  or  four  times  a  year.  They 
do  not  need  to  agree  with  every  recom- 
mendation or  even  to  respond  to  every 
recommendation  they  agree  with.  But  they 
do  commit  themselves  to  responding  three 
or  four  times  a  year.  Because  of  this  com- 
mitment, the  network  is  an  acting  network, 
not  simply  an  information-receiving  one. 
By  common  agreement  denominational 
staff  do  not  recruit  network  participants 
unless  they  make  that  commitment. 

Action  Alerts  mailed  to  the  network  dur- 
ing 1974  provided  information  and 
recommendations  on  the  Equal  Rights 
Amendment,  the  Genocide  Convention, 
public  financing  of  elections,  capital 
punishment,  defense  spending,  funds  for 
Vietnam,  and  strip-mining.  Issues  of 
Prepare  included  a  major  study  by  WISC's 
task  force  on  Energy/ Ecology,  chaired  by 
Ralph  E.  Smeltzer,  Washington  Represen- 
tative. 

You're  invited  to  join 

IMPACT  has  about  4,000  network  par- 
ticipants, of  whom  a  little  over  200  are 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
The  aim  is  to  increase  the  number  by  50  by 
June  of  this  year. 

Most  of  our  denomination's  network 
building  has  been  concentrated  in  Con- 
gressional districts  where  there  are  signifi- 
cant numbers  of  Brethren.  We  are  dis- 
covering, however,  that  even  in  sparsely 
settled  districts  Brethren  do  make  an  im- 
pact on  their  Congressional  represen- 
tatives. 

If  you  would  like  to  join  this  national  in- 
terfaith network  and  receive  the  IMPACT 
mailings,  and  are  willing  to  contact  your 
members  of  Congress  at  least  three  or  four 
times  in  the  next  year  expressing  your  own 
point  of  view,  then  send  us  your  name,  ad- 
dress, business  and  residence  telephone 
numbers,  name  of  congregation,  and  the 
name  of  your  representative  or  your  Con- 
gressional district  number,  plus  a  check  for 
$5  (payable  to  IMPACT)  to  cover  the  cost 
of  mailing. 

Write  Washington  Office,  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  100  Maryland  Avenue,  N.E., 
Washington,  D.C.  20002.  Let  us  hear  from 
you!  D 

February  1975  messenger  31 


[h®[r®  D 


On  hunger,  the  Bicentennial,  sermons 


Mrs.  Floyd  B.  Brierton: 

'Pass  the  dish'  . . . 
in  these  times? 

Albert  Schweitzer  once  said,  "... 
remember,  you  don't  live  in  a  world  all 
your  own.  Your  brothers  are  here,  too." 

And  one  would  think  especially  now 
with  the  ever-mounting  and  well-publicized 
world  food  crisis,  ten  thousand  people 
starving  to  death  each  day,  graphic  pictures 
confronting  one  in  daily  newspapers  such 
as  a  small  boy  sobbing  in  desperate  hunger, 
that  the  Christian  church  would  be  "at  the 
fore"  in  both  word  and  deed.  And  now 
when  1  am  writing  this,  just  prior  to 
national  Thanksgiving,  one  would  also 
assume  one's  church  would  have  en- 
couragement and  reminders — at  the  very 
least  —  to  their  membership  regarding  this 
problem  and  what  each  individual  can  do, 
what  sacrifices  can  be  made  to  help  "your 
brothers  who  are  also  here." 

But  in  oiir  local  church  this  has  evidently 
escaped  so  much  as  bare  consideration  . . . 
the  problem  of  people  who  have  nothing 
but  bony  ribs  sticking  out  over  malnour- 
ished stomachs  can  be  totally  ignored. 
(After  all.  we  don't  really  know  any  such 
people    -they're  over  there  somewhere,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  world.)  And  what  has 
been  planned  at  the  church  for  a 
"Thanksgiving  Service"  would  make  the 
most  stalwart  *f  compassionate  Christians 
blush  with  shame— at  least  it  should. 

There  will  be  a  carry-in  dinner  for 
Thanksgiving  Eve  where  everyone  can  eat 
one's  fill;  this  same  process  to  be  repeated 
the  very  next  day  with  another  holiday 
"spread"  in  individual  homes.  Naturally,  a 
service  will  follow  (everyone  should  be  feel- 
ing nice  and  full  by  then)  to  express  our 
appreciation  to  God.  I  guess  we  will  thank 

To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those  in 
the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or  disagree 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation  of  this 
value,  and  to  an  open  and  probing  forum, 
that  "Here  I  Stand"  is  dedicated.  Reader 
response  is  invited. 


32  MESSENGER  February  1975 


Him  for  a  big  meal  that  nobody  really  needs 
instead  of  what  we  might  possibly  be  called 
upon  to  fast  for  that  evening  to  give  the 
proceeds  to  world  hunger  projects.  Orwecan 
be  very  thankful  that  we  can  just  turn  our 
backs  on  starvation  while  we  stuff  ourselves. 
Or  perhaps  special  thanks  can  be  offered  for 
Alka-Seltzer  to  ward  off  any  distress  from 
o\  erindulgence  while  children  are  crying  for 
one  moldy  breadcrust.  And  wecertainly  don't 
want  to  leave  without  thanking  Him  profuse- 
ly that  we  can  go  home  deliciously  full  while 
part  of  our  world  goes  to  bed  with  the  kind  of 
hunger  pangs  none  of  us  hasever  begun  to 
even  imagine. 

It  should  be  quite  a  service  ...  of 
"thanks."  ( 1  wonder  if  the  Lord  will  be  able 
to  hear  it  clearly?)  To  add  to  the  "gracious 
festivities"  described  glowingly  in  the  in- 
vitation sent  out  via  the  weekly  church 
bulletin,  someone  is  also  going  to  show 
travel  pictures.  (Bet  you  a  dish  to  pass — 
even  though  1  won't  be  there— those  pic- 
tures will  not  be  showing  hunger  victims. 
P-1-e-a-s-e,  not  on  a  full  stomach!)  Actual- 
ly, the  entire  bit  sounds  quite  tempting, 
and  the  official  wording  of  the  announce- 
ment reads  thusly:  "Of  course  the  food  at 
these  family  dinners  is  something  to  spark 
the  interest  of  the  most  jaded  appetite.  All 
of  us  weight  watchers  are  going  to  throw 
away  our  diet  books  and  just  enjoy  the 
gracious  festivities." 

Is  this  believable?  One  dares  to  speak  of 
"jaded  appetites"  when  every  member  of 
the  congregation  has  all  he  or  she  wants  to 
eat?  (Unless  there  are  some  I  don't  know 
about.)  And  can  it  be  possible  that  this 
"throw-away-your-diet-books"  dinner  is  ac- 
tually going  to  be  a  Christian  celebration? 
A  Christian  Thanksgiving  service?  Coin- 
ciding with  a  World  Food  Conference 
focusing  on  the  dire  need  right  now  for 
help  with  this  emergency  by  all  nations? 
(Even  hopefully,  all  Christians.) 

When  did  we  forget  about  "feed  my 
sheep"?  And  is  that  old  "1  am  my  brother's 
keeper"  completely  irrelevant? 

Well,  what's  one  little  dinner,  you  say? 
That  wouldn't  feed  the  world  by  a  long 
shot,  so  why  the  big  protest?  No,  assuredly 
it  would  not.  But  some  tangible  help  could 
be  sent  if  the  cost  of  that  meal  were  given, 
and  the  congregation,  gathering  together  to 
give  thanks,  /aj?  and  pray  would  surely  be 


a  wonderful  step  in  the  right  direction.  At 
the  very  least,  an  expression  of  real  Chris- 
tian concern  and  compassion.  Do  you 
agree? 

The  book  of  James  warns  of  the  dangers 
of  belief  in  God  unaccompanied  by  Chris- 
tian conduct,  going  on  to  say  explicitly,  "If 
a  fellow  man  or  woman  has  no  clothes  to 
wear  and  nothing  to  eat,  and  one  of  you 
say,  'Good  luck  to  you,  I  hope  you'll  keep 
warm  and  find  enough  to  eat,'  and  yet  give 
them  nothing  to  meet  their  physical  needs, 
what  on  earth  is  the  good  of  that?  Yet  that 
is  exactly  what  a  bare  faith  without  a  cor- 
responding life  is  like — useless  and  dead." 
(James  2:15-16,  Phillips  Trans.) 

Ah  yes,  "we  gather  together  to  ask  the 
Lord's  blessing  ..."  Thanksgiving  Service, 
1974  style.  Just  wondering  if  that  particular 
Thanksgiving  Eve  when  those  ten  thousand 
souls  who  died  of  hunger  are  passing  on 
into  eternity,  will  they  be  able  to  get  a  good 
close  look  at  some  of  their  Christian 
brothers  and  sisters  in  America?  Those  par-i 
ticular  ones  busily  filling  up  on  their  many 
"dishes  to  pass,"  happily  not  counting 
calories  and  having  a  marvelous  time — all 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord.   D 


Lee  Griffith: 

Babylon  and  the 
US  Bicentennial 

It  is  tragically  typical  that  our  national 
anthem  should  speak  of  the  visibility  of  the 
flag  by  the  rockets'  red  glare.  The  United 
States  of  America  is  founded  on  the 
rockets  of  militarism  and  the  red  blood  of 
the  victims  of  war  and  oppression — the 
blood  of  red  people  who  were  massacred 
and  had  their  land  stolen,  the  blood  of 
black  slaves,  the  blood  of  Vietnamese 
whom  we  "kill  to  save,"  the  blood  of  those 
who  starve  while  we  spend  millions  on 
Bicentennial  hoopla.  The  United  States  is 
not  founded  on  revolution  or  people  or 
patriotism  or  democracy.  The  United 
States  is  founded  on  death.  Individually 
and  corporately,  we  are  a  people  in  love 
with  death. 

We  are  the  people  who  stand  under  the 
judgment  in  Rev.  11:18:  "The  time  has 


ome  to  destroy  those  who  are  destroying 
he  earth."  The  United  States  is  under  the 
ordship  of  death.  We  are  the  ones  who 
esus  says  "have  neglected  the  weighter 
natters  of  the  Law — justice,  mercy,  good 
aith!"  We  are  the  ones  to  whom  Jesus  is 
peaking;  "You  who  are  hke  whitewashed 
ombs  that  look  handsome  on  the  outside, 
jut  inside  are  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and 
very  kind  of  corruption"  (Matt.  23). 
I  Yet  we  talk  as  if  our  nation  is  blessed,  as 
,f  we  kill  in  the  name  of  righteousness.  But 
■he  Word  of  God  is  clear:  "What  I  want  is 
bve,  not  sacrifice;  knowledge  of  God,  not 
iolocausts"  (Hosea  6;6). 
I  The  resurrection  is  the  clear  act  in  which 
esus  renounces  death  and  chooses  life  for 
s.  To  those  still  worshiping  death.  Jesus  is 
he  New  Voice  who  calls:  "Come  out,  my 
'Cople,  away  from  her,  so  that  you  do  not 
hare  in  her  crimes  and  have  the  same 
'lagues  to  bear"  (Rev.  18:4). 

Come  out  from  Babylon.  Throw  down 
he  guns.  Say  no  to  all  the  bombs.  Say  no 
a  the  rockets'  red  glare.  Say  no  to  the 
acism  and  starvation.  Say  no  to  the 
elebrations  of  a  nation  ruled  by  death. 
iay  /;()  so  that  together  we  might  say  yes  to 
he  new  life  chosen  by  Jesus  Christ — yes  to 
he  sustenance  of  life. 

(live  clothing  and  shelter  to  the  e.x- 
loited.  Give  food  to  the  hungry.  Give 
eats  at  your  table  to  the  criminals  and  the 
aggcd  people.  Give  love  to  all.  Give  your 
fe  to  the  Lordship  of  Jesus  Christ.  D 


^rec/  J.  Miller 

Where  have  the 
sermons  gone? 

hey  are  still  with  us.  Yet,  more  and  more 
hey  are  becoming  lost  in  the  maze  of  what 
>  now  called  "celebration."  In  many  Sun- 
ay  morning  worship  services  the  sermon  is 
lO  longer  the  climax.  I  think  the  sermon 
hould  hold  the  place  of  first  importance. 

This  is  my  plea,  to  the  Church  of  the 
irethren,  to  reemphasize  and  revitalize 
reaching.  I  speak  from  the  viewpoint  of 
nc  who  has  experienced  15  years  as  a 
llreacher,  but  who  before  that  has  been  a 
lew-sitter,  for  over  50  years  consuming  the 
aried  output  of  a  number  of  pastors.  I  am 
'Id-fashioned  enough  to  believe  in  "the 
oolishness  of  preaching"  and  its  relevance 
or  today. 

,1  Celebration,  which  includes  drama, 
ance,  pantomime,  role  playing,  and 


modern  styles  of  music,  has  its  place  in 
worship.  These  art  forms  should  be  used, 
and  when  skillfully  presented  can  intensify 
worship.  Their  function  is  to  prepare  the 
congregation  for  the  sermon,  or  place  an 
emphatic  "Amen"  after  it.  However,  in  far 
too  many  services  these  are  allowed  to 
become  the  worship,  rather  than  aids  to  it. 

Celebration  does  not  happen  when,  or 
because,  the  program  announces  "this  is  a 
time  of  celebration."  It  is  doubtful  if 
meaningful  celebration  can  be  pro- 
grammed. It  happens  spontaneously  when 
"deep  calls  to  deep"  and  the  spirit  within 
overflows  with  joy.  Seldom,  if  ever,  do  all 
members  of  the  congregation  feel  this  in 
the  same  way,  or  at  the  same  moment.  I 
am  also  convinced  that  hymn  singing,  quiet 
meditation,  prayer,  and  preaching  can 
trigger  this  just  as  surely  as  any  of  the 
other  arts. 

If  preaching  is  one  of  the  arts  (I  like  to 
think  of  it  in  that  way),  we  must  try  to 
determine  what  constitutes  good  preaching, 
and  how  it  can  be  restored  to  its  place  of 
importance.  In  doing  so,  I  shall  try,  so  far 
as  possible  to  limit  my  criticism  and 
suggestions  to  the  viewpoint  of  a  layman 
listening  from  the  pew. 

All  will  agree  that  preaching  finds  itself 
in  competition  with  more  forms  of  Sunday 
entertainment  than  ever  before.  Sports, 
trips,  weekend  camping,  radio,  and  tv  are  a 
few  of  the  many  activities  bidding  for  the 
church  member's  time.  Yet  in  the  face  of 
this  competition  there  are  preachers  who 
speak  to  reasonable-sized  audiences  each 
Sunday.  Though  there  may  be  varied 
reasons  for  this,  I  believe  good  preaching 
to  be  one  of  them. 

Good  preaching  does  not  just  happen.  It 
comes  from  much  hard  work  and  study  on 
the  part  of  the  minister.  Inflection,  voice 
tone,  smoothness  of  delivery,  and  clearness 
can  be  learned,  but  they  must  be  continual- 
ly practiced.  No  one  dares  to  depend  upon 
the  public  address  system  to  make  up  for 
their  lack.  The  only  thing  a  microphone 
can  do  is  amplify  what  goes  into  it. 

My  political  friend  who  may  have  little 
of  importance  to  say,  and  who  says  that  lit- 
tle badly,  holds  my  attention  because  he 
speaks  directly  to  me.  He  makes  it  difficult 
for  me  to  look  away.  He  makes  me  feel 
that  I  am  important.  In  the  same  way  a 
pastor,  who  does  have  something  to  say, 
must  speak  to  me  and  to  every  other 
member  of  the  congregation.  If  he  forgets 
and  speaks  mostly  to  his  notes  lying  on  the 
pulpit,  however  much  I  may  try  to  dis- 
cipline myself  to  listen,  he  soon  loses  me. 


Speaking  effectively  to  people  can  best 
be  done  when  the  fewest  possible  notes  are 
used.  This  means  that  some  well-polished 
phrase  or  one  of  the  three  traditional 
points  may  be  forgotten.  This  is  not  a 
serious  omission.  After  all,  you  will  be  the 
only  one  who  knows  it.  It  is  always  better 
to  lose  a  point  than  to  lose  the  audience. 

Second  in  importance  to  the  listener,  are 
illustrations  used  to  explain  some  point 
that  might  not  be  easily  understood.  A 
preacher  should  follow  the  example  of 
Jesus  and  cultivate  the  art  of  storytelling. 

Life,  as  it  is  lived,  is  a  never  failing 
source  of  illustrations.  Jesus  slanted  his  life 
stories  to  answer  an  immediate  need.  Can 
anyone  give  a  better  illustration  of  a 
neighbor  than  Jesus  did  when  he  began,  "A 
man  was  going  down  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jericho. . .  ?"  Do  we  know  how  to  paint  a 
better  picture  of  a  loving  father  than  Jesus 
when  he  said,  "There  was  a  man  who  had 
two  sons,  and  the  younger  of  them. . .  T'  As 
people  listened  to  his  stories  they  absorbed 
his  teaching  without  realizing  it. 

A  good  storyteller  will  always  select, 
edit,  and  adapt  by  combining  two  or  more 
stories,  when  necessary,  to  make  his 
material  useful  and  acceptable.  Neither 
should  he  feel  guilty  for  imagining  part  or 
all  of  his  story.  The  real  impact  comes  not 
just  because  the  story  really  happened,  but 
because  his  hearers  believe  it  could  have. 
No  one  can  prove  that  every  detail  of 
Jesus'  story  of  the  Good  Samaritan 
happened  just  as  he  told  it  —  but  it  might 
have. 

Too  much  improbability  in  an  illustra- 
tion or  story  often  leaves  the  hearer  behind 
as  he  attempts  to  harmonize  it  with  the 
probable.  The  parable  of  Jonah  illustrates 
this.  Its  teaching  is  apt  to  be  lost  because 
we  become  bogged  down  in  the  im- 
probability of  Jonah's  means  of  transporta- 
tion. 

So  far  it  seems  that  the  entire  burden 
toward  making  the  sermon  important  rests 
on  the  pastor.  It  does  not.  The  congrega- 
tion adds  the  incentive  for  better  sermons 
through  regular  attendance  and  attentive 
listening.  Also,  the  members  can  encourage 
their  pastor  to  grow  through  reading,  con- 
ferences, and  refresher  courses.  He  should 
know  that  you  really  mean  this  by  making 
it  financially  possible  for  him  to  do  so.  It 
may  come  as  a  surprise,  but  the  returns 
from  this  can  well  be  your  best  investment. 

So  let  us  set  as  our  goal;  not  an  attempt 
to  return  to  some  wonderful  time  of 
remembered  good  preaching,  but  make 
preaching  what  it  should  be  for  today.  [] 


February  1975  messenger  33 


Let  the 

sun 

shine  in! 


by  Roy  A.  Johnson 

While  the  world's  affluent,  energy  con- 
suming nations  are  frantically  seeking 
solutions  to  the  energy  crisis,  God  keeps 
flooding  the  earth  with  the  sun's  energy. 
Enough  of  the  sun's  energy  falls  on  the 
state  of  New  York  alone  to  match  the  en- 
tire world's  production  of  coal  and  oil. 
While  underdeveloped  nations  are  being 
placed  in  desperate  circumstances  because 
they  cannot  afford  high-priced  oil  for  their 
recent  industrialization,  God's  energy  keeps 
coming,  symbolizing  now  a  new  hope  for 
survival  —  if  we  can  learn  to  utilize  that 
energy. 

Experts  in  the  energy  field  predict  that  in 
our  country  the  time  is  soon  coming  when 
the  homeowner  will  have  to  choose 
between  a  large,  cold  home  or  a  small, 
barely  heated  one.  Whether  we  are  forced 
to  make  this  choice  or  not  depends  on  how 
willing  we  are  to  develop  alternative  energy 
sources  to  replace  the  depletable  sources 
we  now  use. 

One  of  the  more  exciting  and  practical 
alternatives  for  home  heating  is  the  direct 
use  of  the  sun's  energy.  To  give  you  an  idea 
of  how  much  heat  is  available,  let  us  say  on 
a  cold  day  an  average  house  requires  ap- 
proximately 1,000,000  B.T.U.s  (British 
Thermal  Units)  per  24-hour  period  for 
heating.  In  an  eight-hour  period  of 
sunshine  the  roof  (assuming  an  area  of 
1,000  sq.  ft.)  will  receive  a  total  of  ap- 

34  MESSENGER  February  1975 


proximately  2,000,000  B.T.U.s  from  the 
sun;  nearly  twice  the  amount  needed!  Of 
course,  there  remain  a  few  problems,  such 
as  how  to  store  the  heat  for  use  at  night 
and  on  cloudy  days. 

But  wait  a  minute,  this  isn't  Popular 
Mechanics  magazine.  Why  should 
Christians  be  concerned?  Won't  some 
bright,  young  engineer  come  along  and 
offer  us  a  $25  conversion  kit  and  allow  us 
to  go  on  our  merry  way?  Why  should  solar 
heating  be  a  Christian  concern — and  why 
Brethren? 

In  the  first  place,  the  conversion  won't 
be  that  simple.  It  is  my  conviction  that  the 
problem  is  far  more  than  technical.  I  am 
reminded  of  Paul's  statement  that  the 
"wages  of  sin  is  death."  We  have  sinned 
before  God  by  being  wasteful  and  ex- 
travagant in  our  use  of  energy  and  now  we 
are  beginning  to  pay  the  price.  A  new  life- 
style is  necessary  using  God's  abundance, 
but  using  it  carefully  and  with  the  needs  of 
others  in  mind. 

The  late  Floyd  Mallott  often  lamented 
the  "economy  of  abundance"  of  our  in- 
dustrialized nation.  Many  are  now  pre- 


dicting that  we  are  entering  the  "post- 
industrial  age"  during  which  we  shall  once 
again  return  to  the  "economy  of  scarcity" 
of  our  forebears.  Thus  the  Brethren  life- 
style is  suddenly  more  up  to  date  than  ever. 
Professor  Mallott  would  be  happy  to  knowi 
that  necessity  may  soon  be  forcing 
Brethren  to  return  to  the  simple  life  after 
so  many  years  of  practicing  the  ex- 
travagance of  our  age. 

The  earlier  Brethren,  for  the  most  part 
being  farmers,  felt  a  close  partnership  with 
God  and  lived  in  daily  gratitude  to  him  for 
his  generous  providence.  So  often  now 
what  we  eat,  drive,  wear,  or  live  in  is  so 
controlled  by  big  corporations  and  big 
government  that  we  feel  little  direct 
relationship  to  God  in  these  areas  of  life. 
To  turn  to  the  direct  use  of  God's  world, 
the  earth  and  the  sun  is  to  take  a  refreshing 
pilgrimage  back  to  God.  To  use  the  sun's 
energy  for  home  heating  reduces  our 
dependence  on  man's  fragile  systems  such 
as  the  electric  power  grid  or  the  supply  of 
fuel  oil. 

If  solar  heating  makes  that  much  sense, 
why  hasn't  someone  tried  it  by  now?  The 
answer  is  that  the  technology  for  solar 
heating  has  existed  for  years  and  it  has 
been  tried.  Over  50  years  ago  the  sun's 
energy  was  used  to  make  steam  to  power 
engines  in  Egypt  to  pump  water  for  irriga- 
tion. Solar  steam  engines  were  designed 
and  built  in  the  early  1900s  in  this  country 
and  later  in  the  40s  in  Russia.  Active  ex- 
perimentation in  the  use  of  the  sun's  energy 
to  heat  homes  began  in  this  country  in  the 
late  1940s.  As  early  as  1950  a  symposium 
was  held  on  solar  house  heating. 

By  now  it  is  estimated  that  nearly  50 
solar-heated  homes  have  been  built  around 
the  world.  In  addition  to  our  country, 
Holland,  France,  Japan,  and  Russia  have 
experimented  with  solar  house  heating. 
Some  countries  such  as  Australia,  Japan, 
and  Israel  have  made  extensive  use  of  the 
sun's  energy  to  heat  water  for  household 
use.  Undoubtedly  they  will  be  using  their 


Roy  A.  Johnson,  pastor  of  the  Westminster,  Md.,  Church  of  the  Brethren,  is  not  just 
wishful  thinker,  standing  by  until  solar-heated  houses  are  supplied  on  demand.  He  is 
serious  experimenter  in  the  field  himself.  He  has  loured  and  studied  solar-heated  houst 
and  attended  courses  on  the  subject.  He  and  his  son  last  May  built  a  solar  cooker,  and  h 
hopes  to  soon  have  a  solar  water  heater.  He  is  seriously  considering  building  his  own  sola, 
heated  house.  It  is  toward  that  end  that  Johnson  is  at  present  gathering  engineering  dai 
and  immersing  himself  in  solar-heating  technology. 


;olar  technology  in  the  near  future  to  heat 
lomes. 

The  primary  problem  in  using  the  sun's 
;nergy  for  heating  is  the  expensive  equip- 
Tient  needed  to  capture  that  energy.  Solar- 
leating  systems  are  made  up  of  three 
;lements,  the  collector,  the  storage  tank  or 
't)in,  and  the  distribution  system.  Without 
;oing  into  detail  we  can  say  the  first  cost  of 
he  system  can  be  4  or  5  times  that  of  a 
conventional  heating  system.  It  is  also 
lecessary  at  the  present  time  to  have  an 
luxiliary  conventional  system,  since  it  is 
lot  feasible — due  to  cost — to  have  a  solar 
Seating  system  large  enough  to  furnish 
00'7  of  the  needed  heat  except  perhaps  in 
varm,  sunny  areas  of  the  country. 

National  Science  Foundation  studies  in- 
iicate  that  solar  heating  should  become 
elatively  less  expensive  as  fuel  costs  rise,  it 
s  expected  that  solar  heating  will  become 
ompctitive  in  Florida  and  the  Southwest 
ly  the  1980s.  In  the  balance  of  the  country 
ost  competiveness  may  have  to  wait  until 
he  1990s  or  2000  a.d. 

Ihere  are  others  who  disagree  with  the 
■xperts  and  their  computers  and  who 
)elie\c  solar  heating  is  practical  today. 
Jsually  these  people  are  tinkerers  and  do- 
t->ourself  types  who  are  able  to  cut  cor- 
lers  and  put  their  own  hard  work  and  in- 
i;enuity  into  such  a  project. 

One  of  these  is  Steve  Baer  who  has  built 
I  house  near  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico. 
vhich  is  heated  by  water-filled  drums 
■tacked  behind  large  south  facing  windows. 
The  sun  heats  the  water  in  the  drums  dur- 
ng  the  day  to  a  temperature  of  90  degrees 
)r  more.  At  night  the  drums  radiate  the 
leat  into  the  home.  To  keep  the  energy 
rom  escaping  through  the  windows,  large 
ioors  are  closed  over  them  at  night. 

How  well  does  it  work?  This  simple 
ystom  provides  75  percent  of  the  space 
leatmg  needed  by  the  Baer  home,  but  there 
ire  sometimes  10-15  degree  temperature 
luctuations.  The  simple  life  involves  some 
.acnfices. 

Harry  Thomason  has  built  several  solar- 
leated  homes  in  the  Washington,  D.C., 
irea.  His  system  has  a  collector  on  a  south- 
acing  roof  which  consists  of  water  running 
lown  corrugations  under  glass.  The  sun- 
leated  water  is  stored  in  a  water  tank  in 
he  basement.  The  tank  is  enclosed  in  a  bin 
)f  stones  which  in  turn  are  heated  by  the 
lot  water.  To  heat  the  home,  air  is  blown 
hrough  the  stones  into  the  home  in  a  way 


similar  to  a  conventional  hot-air  heating 
system.  Dr.  Thomason  claims  over  90  per- 
cent heating  by  the  sun. 

The  above  are  just  two  of  the  more 
successful  examples  of  many  solar-heated 
homes.  There  is  much  work  to  be  done — to 
learn  just  how  the  sun's  energy  can  be 
better  utilized — and  how  we  can  be  less 
wasteful  with  energy  of  any  kind. 

Jesus  said.  "Do  not  worry  about 
tomorrow."  In  a  day  when  almost  everyone 
is  worried  about  the  rising  prices  and  scar- 
cities that  tomorrow  may  bring,  we  need  to 
remember  that  the  Father  cares  for  the 
birds  and  the  flowers  and  in  the  same  way 
will  care  for  us.  Instead  of  wringing  our 
hands  and  fretting  our  brows  over  what 
tomorrow  may  bring,  Jesus  asks  us  to 
renew  our  partnership  with  the  Source  of 
all  good  things.  We  need  to  cooperate  with 
God  the  Creator  and  renew  an  old 
partnership  which  we  Brethren  have  had 
for  centuries.  Let  the  sun  shine  in  and 
warm  our  homes  and  our  hearts  too  with  a 
sense  of  God's  caring  love! 

Why  not  a  Brethren  task  force  of  those 
who  will  restore  our  heritage  of  frugality, 
simplicity,  and  partnership  with  God's 
bounty?  If  you  plan  to  build  a  house,  con- 
sider solar  heating.  If  you  seek  a  new  and 
relevant  faith  and  yet  see  the  value  of  our 
heritage,  why  not  find  others  and  begin  to 
share  ideas  and  assist  each  other  with  such 
projects?  Perhaps  local  churches  need  to 
begin  to  form  task  groups  to  work  toward 
a  better  stewardship  of  God's  resources  in 
the  future.    L] 

CUSSIFIED  ADS 


WANTED:  R.N.  to  be  in  charge  of  office  of  a 
two-doctor  partnership  general  practice. 
Hoping  to  develop  into  a  group  practice. 
Beautiful  rural  community  in  high  Southern 
Appalachians,  with  small  hospital.  Brethren 
church  with  warm  fellowship  12-15  miles 
away.  Contact  — Fred  W.  Wampler,  M.D., 
Route  1,  Mountain  City,  Tennessee  37683  or 
phone  (615)  727-7708  or  727-5152. 

FOR  RENT-Wmtenng  in  Orlando,  Florida?  A 
Brethren  widow  has  available  for  a  married 
couple  one  bedroom,  shared  bath  and  use  of 
the  kitchen  facilities  in  a  comfortable  home, 
residential  area,  centrally  located.  (No  tobac- 
co or  alcohol).  Write  or  call:  Mrs,  Mabel 
Homman,  120  East  Kaley,  Orlando,  Fla. 
32806.  Phone:  305-422-9766. 

INVITATION  — If  you  are  planning  a  trip  to 
Florida,  why  not  worship  with  us?  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  7040  -  38th  Ave.  No., 
St.  Petersburg,  Fla.  33710.  Phone  341-3561. 
Sunday  School  9:15  A.M.  Morning  Worship 
10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor 


There's 
another  way 
to  read  it. 


REVEMJNG 
BOQKOF 


VERmSDHiM 


What  does  the  book  of  Revelation  re- 
veal? Writing  primarily  for  the  layman, 
Vernard  Eller  offers  a  fresh  approach 
to  a  book  that  is  often  regarded  as 
mysterious  and  confusing. 
But  what  Revelation  is  intended  to 
reveal,  says  Eller,  is  simply  "the  gos- 
pel, the  good  news  of  who  Jesus 
Christ  is  and  what  he  accomplishes." 
What  it  does  not  intend  to  reveal  is 
"secret  information  regarding  the 
when  and  how  of  events  from  the  hid- 
den future."  And  in  his  "reading  com- 
mentary" on  Revelation,  Eller 
approaches  every  passage  with  the 
question,  "What  is  John  trying  to  tell 
us  about  Jesus?" 

Filtering  out  distracting  details,  the 
author  focuses  on  the  meaning  of  the 
book  as  a  whole,  rather  than  offering 
a  verse-by-verse  interpretation. 
Read  in  that  way,  Eller  finds  THE 
MOST  REVEALING  BOOK  OF  THE 
BIBLE  does  make  sense. 

THE  MOST  REVEALING 

BOOK  OF  THE  BIBLE: 

Making  Sense  out  of 
Revelation 

by  VERNARD  ELLER 

232  pages,  paper  $4.95 

At  your  bookstore  or  write 


^^ 


WM.  B.  EERDMANS 
PUBLISHING  CO. 


February  1975  messenger  35 


[rss(Q)[LaD^©s^ 


FOR  STUDY 
ON  HUNGER 


"We  could  read  all  sorts  of  books  and  learn 
all  about  the  problem  of  hunger,  and  still 
sit  back  and  say.  Okay,  so  it's  a  problem." 

The  experiences  we  have  in  our  con- 
gregations about  the  problem  of  world 
hunger  must  be  those  which  carry  us 
beyond  just  being  aware  of  the  problem. 
Just  to  feel  guilty  about  having  too  much 
to  eat  while  other  human  beings  starve  to 
death  is  not  a  sufficient  response. 
Somehow,  we  must  create  ways  in  which 
we  can  make  changes — even  small 
changes  —  in  our  patterns  of  consumption. 

The  following  resources  provide  helps  in 
turning  study  into  action. 


"Sometimes  They  Cry" 

"No  food,  no  meat,  no  milk, — and  the 
children  go  to  bed  hungry.  Sometimes  they 
cry." 

These  words  from  a  litany  and  the 
quotation  at  the  outset  of  this  article  are 
from  the  book.  Sometimes  They  Crv 
(ISBN  0-377-00091-4— $1.95).  A  study- 

36  MESSENGER  February  1975 


action  manual,  it  was  edited  by  Estelle 
Rountree  and  Hugh  Halverstadt  and  is 
available  from  Friendship  Press,  Box 
37844.  Cincinnati,  Ohio  45237.  Beginning 
with  a  quiz  to  determine  what  the  group 
already  knows,  this  book  moves  on  to  deal 
with  other  questions  — 

What  else  do  we  need  to  know? 

Why  and  how  do  we  care? 

What  can  we  do  now? 


^^^ 


HUNOEH  EVEtiYONES  PROBLEM 


A  Hunger  Packet 

Shantilal  Bhagat  and  Janice  Martin  have 
prepared  a  packet  of  materials  that 
provides  information  about  world  hunger. 
You  can  get  that  packet  free  by  writing  to 
1451  Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  111.  60120. 

Another  packet  which  provides  resources 
and  activities  that  are  useable  with  children 
and  youth  is  called  Hunger:  Everyone's 
Problem  ($2.95  from  The  Brethren  Press). 
Prepared  by  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  USA,  it  includes  some 
materials  that  interpret  its  mission  action 
program.  Therefore,  with  each  of  the 
packets,  there  will  be  sent  current  materials 
that  focus  on  Brethren  mission  action  in 
the  world  and  a  copy  of  the  Brethren 
hunger  packet. 

Hunger:  Everyone's  Problem  contains  a 
simple  simulation  played  with  pennies;  ar- 
ticles and  booklets  giving  information 
about  hunger  and  activities  for  those  con- 
cerned about  the  hungry  world;  a  mobile 
from  CROP;  posters  and  a  map.  Some  of 
the  resources  and  activities  are  appropriate 
for  groups  that  include  children. 


India  and  l-lunger 

To  help  children  learn  about  hunger  and 
how  it  dominates  life  in  India,  use  Mary 
Anne  Cavichhi's  How  India  Feeds  the 
Hungry  (0-377-91241-7— $1.35)  as  a  guide. 
The  book  for  the  children  is  called  The 
Secret  of  the  Drumstick  Tree  (0-3  77- 12701 - 
9— $1.95)  by  Jane  Day  Mook. 

"What's  Nice?  Rice!"  (0-377-52206-6— 
$7.50)  is  a  color  filmstrip  with  recording 
which  shows  how  hunger  influences  the  life 
of  a  child  in  India — appearance,  health, 
family  life,  and  happiness. 

All  these  are  available  from  Friendship 
Press,  Box  37844,  Cincinnati,  Ohio  45237. 


princry  teacher's  guide  on 


,\^^:^^^ 


nxFyannocoviorf» 


Brethren  Service  Cup 

Brethren  Service  throughout  the  years  has 
worked  in  ways  that  allow  persons  to  help 
themselves.  The  Brethren  Service  cup  has 
long  been  a  symbol  of  a  lifestyle  that  gives 
drink  to  the  thirsty  and  food  to  the  hungry. 
Small  Brethren  Service  cups  are  available 
for  $2  plus  postage  and  handling  (50e) 
through  Sales  Exchange  for  Refugee 
Rehabilitation  Vocations  (SERRV),  Box 
188,  New  Windsor,  Md.  21776. 

The  buying  of  these  cups  made  in 
Thailand  as  a  SERRV  product  is  more 
than  a  business  transaction.  It  provides 
hope,  dignity  and  food  for  persons  that 
might  otherwise  go  hungry.  Get  one  now  to 
place  on  the  table  as  a  reminder  of  your 
decisions  to  consume  less. 

—Shirley  J.  Heckman 


^{ii]\rmin\(m 


Licensing/ 
Ordination 


Joe  Detrick,  licensed.  Oc- 
tober 1974.  Oakland  Mills, 
Mid-Atlantic 

John  H.  Mullins,  licensed 
Aug-  18,  1974.  Southeastern 
Dim  net 

R  ut  us  E.  Smith,  licensed 
Aug,  1 8,  1 974,  Southeastern 
District 

Otto  Zuckschwerdt,  licensed 
Oci      13,     1974,    Moler,    Mid- 


Pastoral 
Placements 

Alvin  Alderfer,  resigned  from 
Royerslord.  Atlantic  Northeast 
to  rciirement 

Raymond  Baugher,  resigned 
from  Elizabethtown,  Atlantic 
Northeast 

John  D.  Bowman,  from 
Frederick.  Walkersville.  Mid- 
Atkintic,  to  Glade  Valley 
Fellowship,  Mid-Atlantic 

Richard  Deemy,  from 
Brooklyn.  Northern  Plains,  to 
Prairie  View,  Western  Plains 

Earl  J.  Foster,  to  Brooklyn. 
Atlantic  Northeast 

Irving  Glover,  resigned 
Decatur,  Illinois/ Wisconsin 

Lloyd  Haag.  to  Long  Green 
(interim)  Mid-Atlantic 

Robert  C.  Harbach,  from 
leave  of  absence  to  Sugar 
Valley,  Southern  Pennsylvania 

F.  T.  Henry,  resigned  from 
part-time  Beech  Run,  Middle 
Pennsylvania 

Fred  Hollingshead  from 
retirement  Mount  Morris,  Il- 
linois/Wisconsin to  Jackson- 
ville, Florida/ Puerto  Rico 

Donald  L.  Kline  from 
Waterloo  City,  South 

Waterloo,  Iowa/ Minnesota  to 
Lynchburg,  Virlina 

Sam  W.  Longenecker  from 
Jackson  Park  and  Knob  Creek, 
Southeastern  to  Morning  Star, 
Florida/ Puerto  Rico 

William  Longenecker  from 
interim.  Mount  Wilson,  Atlan- 
tic Northeast  to  part-time. 
Mount  Wilson.  Atlantic 
Northeast 

Fred  Miller,  to  Clear  Creek, 
South/ Central  Indiana 

Kurtis  Friend  Naylor,  con- 
tinues at  La  Verne  College  and 
Pomona,  Pacific  Southwest 

Bruce  Noffsinger,  to 

Pittsburgh,  South/Central  In- 
diana 

Orviile  Penny,  from  retire- 
ment lay  person,  to  Mountain 
Grove,  Southern  Mis- 

souri/Arkansas 

Ira  S.  Petre,  from  Big 
Swatara,  Atlantic  Northeast  to 
Lorida,  Florida/ Puerto  Rico 

Joseph  S.  Rittenhouse,  con- 
cludes interim  pastorate.  Sugar 
Valley,  Southern  Pennsylvania 

Norma  Ritterspach,  to 
Elizabethtown,  Atlantic 


Northeast 

Randall  Roose,  resigned 
from  Shepherd,  Michigan 

J.  Philip  Shankster,  from 
Spring  Run,  Middle  Penn- 
sylvania to  South  Waterloo, 
Northern  Plains 

Robert  Teegarden,  from  Lick 
Creek,  Northern  Ohio,  to 
Topeka,  Western  Plains 

O,  G.  Wright,  from  other 
denomination,  lay  person,  to 
Fredonia-  Western  Plains 

Brethren 
Colleges  Abroad 

lo  Barcelona.  Spain: 

Beth  Anne  Bauer,  La  Porte, 
Ind.,  Manchester 

Georgia  Kay  Buchanan, 
York,  Pa..  Bridgewater 

Cindy  Sue  Butt,  Peru,  Ind.. 
Manchester 

Ronald  Terry  Czebieniak, 
Wernersviiie.  Pa.,  Elizabeth- 
town 

Denise  Lynne  Dietrich.  Chal- 
font.  Pa..  Lebanon  Valley 

Margaret  Ann  Eshleman. 
Greencastle.  Pa.,  Eastern  Men- 
nonite 

Albert  Thomas  Figuly, 
Mechanicsville,  Va..  Bridge- 
water 

Janean  Gaye  Gilbert,  Koko- 
mo,  Ind.,  Manchester 

Sue  Ann  Kichline.  Easton, 
Pa..  Millersville  State 

Catherine  Ann  Metzger. 
Claypool,  Ind.,  Manchester 

Karen  Lynn  Morse,  West- 
bury.  New  York,  University  of 
Rhode  Island 

Michelle  R.  Moscata,  Crown 
Point,  Ind.,  Manchester 

Lynn  Catherine  Sinapi, 
Coatesville.  Pa.,  Millersville 
State 

Barbara  Jo  Warner,  Mount 
Holly,  N.  J.,  Bridgewater 

Joy  Ellen  Yutzy.  Petoskey. 
Mich..  Eastern  Mennonite 

to  Marburg.  Germany: 

Deborah  Lloyd  Cheslev, 
Oxon  Hill.  Md.,  Hood 

Vicky  Lin  Christy.  Marshall- 
town,  Iowa.  McPherson 

Sandra  Jo  Cooper,  Yucaipa. 
Calif.,  Dordt 

Jayne  Elizabeth  Drake. 
Phillipsburg,  N.J..  Lebanon 
Valley 

Susan  Elaine  Engelberth, 
Pierceton,  Ind.,  Tri-State 

Steven  John  Friesen,  Fresno, 
CaliL,  Pacific 

Richard  Irvin  Kann,  In- 
dialantic,  Fla.,  Juniata 

Robert  Alan  Klinger,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  Manchester 

Roger  William  Koon, 
Altoona,  Pa.,  Juniata 

Lou  Ann  Lichti,  Mound- 
ridge,  Kans.,  Bethel 

John  David  MacVeigh. 
Cumberland,  Md.,  Juniata 

Regina  Helene  Meschko, 
Morganville.  N.J.,  Elizabeth- 
town 


Jean  Marie  Norton,  Bronson. 
Mich.,  Manchester 

Kathryn  Ann  Oyer,  Goshen, 
Ind.,  Goshen 

Jill  C.  Rieman,  Dayton, 
Ohio,  University  of  Cincinnati 

Gregory  Wayne  Ross, 
Bakersfield,  Calif,  La  Verne 

Carolyn  M.  Stone,  Hagers- 
town,  Ind.,  Manchester 

Audrey  Faye  Swartzen- 
druber,  Elkhart,  Ind..  Goshen 

Randolph  Paul  Wampler, 
Harrisburg.  Pa..  Elizabethtown 

Glenn  Elliott  Whitted.  Troy, 
Ohio.  Case  Western  Reserve 

Eugene  Allen  Wiens.  Dinuba. 
Calif,  Pacific 

Gabriele  E.  Wolters,  Hagers- 
town.  Md.,  Hood 

Rose  La  Rue  Yoder,  Elver- 
son,  Pa.,  Messiah 

lo  Strasbourg.  France: 

Mary  Catherine  Burns,  Falls 
Church,  Va..  Bridgewater 

Mary  De  Bender.  New 
Haven.  Ind..  Manchester 

Bonnie  Kaye  Dunkelberger, 
Loysville,  Pa.,  Elizabethtown 

Susan  Emerson  Garber. 
Winchester.  Va..  Bridgewater 

Carol  Mary  Groeschel.  Lan- 
caster, Pa..  Saint  Francis 

Mary  Anne  Herr.  Quarry- 
ville.  Pa..  Goshen 

Marie  Alice  Hertzler. 

Williamsburg,  Va.,  Eastern 
Mennonite 

Karen  Renee  Hosier.  New 
Cumberland.  Pa.,  Elizabeth- 
town 

Kathleen  Rae  Massanari, 
Goshen.  Ind.,  Goshen 

Kimberly  Anne  McDowell. 
Glen  Ellyn.  III..  St.  Olaf 

Gene  C.  Miller,  Port 
Allegheny,  Pa.,  Eastern  Men- 
nonite 

Gary  Lee  Yoder,  Greenwood, 
Del..  Eastern  Mennonite 

Paul  A.  Zimmerman, 
Wickliffe,  Ohio,  Case  Western 
Reserve 


Wedding 
Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Auburn  Akers, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  Ailing, 
Cabool,  Mo.,  52 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tim 
Bernhardt,  Seattle,  Wash.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell 
Brockus,  Nampa,  Idaho,  62 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Burd, 
Waterloo,  Iowa,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  Cline, 
Staunton,  Va.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
Crosscope,  Winter  Park,  Fla., 
58 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  E. 
Culler,  Cory,  Ind.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price 
Dunahoo,  Cloverdale.  Va.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hazen  Eber- 
sole.  New  Enterprise,  Pa.,  56 

Mr.   and   Mrs.   Mason   Hild, 


Cando,  N.D.,  69 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rov  Kreitzer, 
Dayton.  Ohio.  57 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  A.  Leer, 
Huntsdale,  Pa.,  54 

Mr.  and  Mrs,  George  Mc- 
Coy, Empire,  Calif,  62 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vernon  Miller, 
Rockwood.  Pa.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Over, 
Woodbury.  Pa,,  55 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  Paschek, 
Winter  Park.  Fla.,  51 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Bunyan 
Peters.  Roanoke,  Va.,  70 

Mr,  and  Mrs.  Ralph  Petry, 
New  Pans.  Ohio.  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Reitz. 
Copemish.  Mich.,  61 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rov  Richey, 
Long  Beach,  Calif.  50 

Mr,  and  Mrs.  George  T. 
Royer,  Ottawa.  Kans..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilbur  Royer. 
West  Milton.  Ohio.  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  R.  Shively. 
Empire.  Calif,.  63 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellsworth 
Smith,  Orbisonia.  Pa.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Arthur 
Smith.  Neffsville.  Pa..  64 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Sprenkel. 
New  Oxford.  Pa..  55 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Henry  Swayer, 
Mexico.  Ind,.  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jim  Vaughn. 
Salamonia.  Ind,.  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bob  Wade. 
Cabool.  Mo.,  54 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarence 
Weber,  Dallas  Center,  Iowa,  65 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harold 
Williams,  Wenatchee,  Wash., 
50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elmer  G. 
Yoder,  Quakertown.  Pa.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abraham 
Ziegler,  Myerstown.  Pa..  50 


Deaths 

Albert  Bankert,  68,  Hanover, 
Pa.,  Sept.  24,  1974 

Albert  W.  Bishop,  58, 
Lynchburg,  Va.,  Oct.  29,  1974 

Lester  Blocker,  87,  Barstow 
Calif,  June  15,  1974 

Stella  V,  Bowman,  89 
Oakton,  Va..  Sept.  19,  1974 

Ivan  Bream.  59.  New  Oxford, 
Pa..  Sept.  16,  1974 

Laura  E.  Brubaker,  91 
Covina.  Calif.  Sept.  13.  1974 

Maude  Moser  Buchanan.  86 
Dallas  Center.  Iowa.  Oct.  1974 

Harriet  Allen  Burn.  90.  Van 
Nuys.  Calif.  May  26.  1974 

William  Comerford,  59,  San- 
ta Monica,  Calif,  July  12,  1974 

Nancy  B.  Corle,  88,  Mar- 
tinsburg.  Pa,,  Sept.  12,  1974 

William  Crawford,  81. 
Palestine,  Ohio,  Sept.  6,  1974 

John  F.  Danner,  87,  Upper 
Marlboro,  Md..  OcL  17.  1974 

Ray  J.  Deeter,  63, 
Covington,  Ohio,  Oct.  5,  1974 

Amanda  Jensen  Dick,  81, 
Elkhart,  Ind.,  Oct.  30,  1974 

John  H,  Dillen.  80,  Altoona, 


Pa..  July  20.  1974 

Samuel  E.  Dilling,  26.  Mar- 
tinsburg.  Pa.,  May  5.  1974 

Taylor  L.  Dively.  80. 
Claysburg.  Pa..  Aug.  18.  1974 

Dean  R.  Doxon,  9. 
Wakeeney.  Kans.,  Sept.  25, 
1974 

Ben  Ecker.  92.  Walkerton, 
Ind,.  June  15,  1974 

Chester  A,  Edwards.  74. 
Goshen.  Ind..  Sept,  25.  1974 

Jeannie  Eikenberry.  87, 
Greenville,  Ohio,  Sept.  26,  1974 

Bernard  Fillmore.  Bass  Lake. 
Calif.  Oct.  4,  1974 

Sudie  Flory.  Fresno,  Calif, 
Sept.  23.  1974 

Chester  Frenger,  85,  Nap- 
panee.  ind,.  Oct.  2,  1974 

Carl  G.  Gall.  62,  Lusbv.  Md,. 
Aug,  26.  1974 

Kent  Ghost,  Silver  Spring, 
Md..  Sept.  13,  1974 

Mark  Grasser,  Johnstown, 
Pa,.  Sept,  28.  1974 

Fernander  C,  Handv.  93. 
Roanoke.  Va,,  Oct.  27.  1974 

Mavme  Harbaugh.  88.  South 
Bend,  Ind..  Sept.  20,  1974 

Robert  F.  Hecker.  56.  Dun- 
cansville.  Pa.,  Oct.  26.  1974 

Zona  Heiny,  82.  Modesto. 
Calif.  Sept.  6.  1974 

J.  Orviile  Henard,  92.  La 
Verne.  Calif.  Sept.  II.  1974 

Lillian  A.  Hershberger,  75. 
Mt.  Rainier.  Md,.  Sept.  9.  1974 

Wilmer  E.  Hinish.  75. 
Curryville,  Pa..  May  21.  1974 

Betty  Holley.  54.  Cloverdale, 
Va,.  Sept.  22,  1974 

Carson  F.  Holsinger,  84, 
Broadway.  Va.,  Oct.  3,  1974 

Elsie  B.  Holsinger,  77, 
Williamsburg,  Pa.,  Aug.  26, 
1974 

Mata  Hoover,  77,  Somerset, 
Pa..  Sept.  17,  1974 

Leona  Mae  Ickes,  64, 
Hollidaysburg,  Pa..  Sept.  22. 
1974 

Eron  Johannessen,  86,  Long 
Beach,  Calif.  Aug.  15,  1974 

Zola  Judy,  72.  Ashland. 
Ohio.  Aug.  1.  1974 

John  Keeling.  88.  Indepen- 
dence. Mo..  Aug.  10.  1974 

Forest  Keim.  67.  Rock  Lake, 
N.D..  Sept.  4.  1974 

Melvin  F.  Keplinger,  63, 
Maryland,  Va.,  Aug.  27,  1974 

Lloyd  Killian,  88,  Walkerton, 
Ind..  July  5.  1974 

Fannie  Kinley.  77.  York.  Pa.. 
Aug.  25.  1974 

Clarke  Kline.  63.  Sidman. 
Pa..  July  II.  1974 

Mary  Kuckenbrod.  72, 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  July  10.  1974 

Evelyn  Le  Hew,  71,  La  Place. 
111..  Aug.  23.  1974 

Laverne  Martin.  69.  Laguna 
Hills.  Calif,  June  15.  1974 

N.  Dwight  McNeth.  44, 
Harrisonburg.  Va..  Nov.  8, 
1973 

Fred  McNicol.  78.  McPher- 
son, Kans.,  Sept.  18.  1974 

Daniel  Lee  Miller.  86. 
Ladoga,  Ind.,  Oct.  17,  1974 


February  1975  messenger  37 


BTroscslDSi 


Old  age  as  a  qualitative  triumph 


by  Frederic  A.  Brussat 

There  are  presently  more  than  twenty 
miUion  persons  over  65  hving  in  the 
United  States.  Through  science  we  have 
found  ways  of  prolonging  life.  Yet 
modern  chemistry  has  not  discovered  the 
means  to  make  old  age  a  qualitative 
triumph. 

Nobody  Ever  Died  of  Old  Age.  by 
Sharon  Curtin  (Atlantic  Little  Brown. 
$2.95).  is  an  extremely  touching  and 
agonizingly  honest  look  at  the  lives  of 
America's  elderly.  Many  times  they  are 
conceived  as  an  alien  race  in  the  country  of 
the  young,  victims  of  either  debilitating 
poverty  or  passive  consumerism.  Borrow- 
ing a  tactic  from  women's  liberation,  she 
suggests  "consciousness  raising"  for  the 
aged:  "1  think  it  is  time  for  old  people  to 
turn  their  energies  toward  discovering  their 
common  oppression;  to  move  from  think- 
ing about  safe,  gracious  living  out  in  some 
planned  community  to  a  fight  for  self- 
respect  and  their  right  to  a  place  in  the 


larger  community."  She  offers  some  fine 
vignettes  about  old  people  and,  in  the 
process,  forces  us  to  rethink  our  own  at- 
titudes toward  aging,  death  and  the  place 
of  the  elderly  in  our  society. 

Growing  Old.  by  Margaret  Hellie  Huyck 
(Spectrum,  $2.65),  argues  that  American 
"ageism"  must  be  done  away  with  im- 
mediately. Ms.  Huyck  provides  a  healthy, 
optimistic  and  encouraging  picture  of 
growing  older.  She  suggests  that  self- 
analysis  is  a  lifelong  process;  how  we  view 
ourselves  now  will  probably  shape  "how  we 
live  in  the  future  in  regard  to  our  children, 
our  living  space,  our  economic  situation 
and  our  vision  of  life."  Successful  aging 
(becoming  more  self-actualized  as  one 
grows  older)  is  an  important  aspect  of  life 
as  an  ongoing  experiment.  The  pleasures, 
rewards  and  satisfactions  of  preparing  now 
for  a  fulfilling  life  as  an  elderly  person  are 
made  vividly  clear  in  this  valuable  paper- 
back. 

Several  recent  novels  have  also  given  af- 
firmative pictures  of  old  age.  Here  the 


For  20,000.000  persons  over  65  in  the  US,  science  has  found  ways  of  prolonging  life. 
Yet  modern  chemistry  has  not  discovered  means  to  make  old  age  a  qualitative  triumph. 


elderly  live  vivid  and  expansive  lives.  Saul 
Bellow's  Mr.  Sammler's  Planet  and  Wright 
Morris'  A  Life  offer  portraits  of  two  sep- 
tuagenarians who  influence  and  even  in- 
spire those  around  them.  On  the  screen, 
Vitorio  De  Sica's  "Umberto  Do"  and  Jack 
Lemmon's  "Kotch"  provide  examples  of 
old  men  who  win  both  our  hearts  and  our 
admirations.  And  now,  via  Paul 
Mazursky's  excellent  new  film  "Harry  and 
Tonto,"  we  have  Harry  Combs  to  tell  us 
that  old  age  does  not  have  to  be  a  long 
prison  sentence  with  no  time  off  for  good 
behavior. 

Harry,  beautifully  portrayed  by  Art 
Carney,  is  a  72-year-old  widower  who  lives 
in  New  York  City  with  his  faithful  cat, 
Tonto.  He's  the  kind  of  guy  who  has  no  in- 
tention of  fading  slowly  into  the  sunset 
years. 

When  Harry  is  forcibly  evicted  from  his 
apartment  by  the  police,  he  begins  a 
journey  across  the  country  wherein  he  dis- 
covers the  joy,  the  confusion,  the  zaniness 
and  the  stoutness  of  human  adventure. 
Although  he  misses  his  wife,  Annie,  Harry 
has  a  song  for  every  mood:  ditties  by  Russ 
Columbo,  Bing  Crosby,  Maurice  Chevalier 
and  many  others. 

He  just  naturally  gets  along  with 
people — the  used  car  dealer  who  tells  hi 
that  a  dose  of  strychnine  can  restore  his 
sexual  virility,  a  hitch-hiking  runaway 
teenage  girl,  a  cowboy  who  sells  vitamins 
and  blenders,  an  Indian  healer  and  a  happy 
hooker.  Despite  the  fact  that  his  children 
are  confused,  Harry  manages  to  make  the 
best  out  of  his  life,  savoring  all  the  magic 
moments. 

The  message  to  take  home  from  this 
funny  sad  film  is  that  growing  old  and 
reveling  in  the  goodness  of  life  are  not  mu- 
tually exclusive.  Or,  as  Director  Paul 
Mazursky  put  it:  "'Harry  and  Tonto'  is  an 
important  film  to  me  in  that  it  helps  people' 
to  see  that  old  people  are  not  invisible.  1 
was  sick  and  tired  of  seeing  movies  in 
which  the  old  people  were  either  senile  or 
bizarre.  1  wanted  my  hero  to  be  real, 
cranky,  funny;  a  man  who  at  72  was  what 
he  was  at  25,  only  a  little  bit  slower."  You 
owe  it  to  yourself  and  your  loved  ones  to 
travel  along  with  Harry  and  Tonto  in  this 
excellent  film!  D 


1 


38  MESSENGER  February  1975 


Cookbooks  from  the 
Dunker  Tradition 

1911  edition  of  THE  INGLENOOK  COOK  BOOK 

A  book  of  recipes  that  grandmother  used,  with  a  sprinkling  of  homegrown  wisdom 
thrown  in  as  well.  This  book  divulges  not  only  the  favored  recipes  from  the  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  tradition,  written  in  a  style  of  language  consistent  with  that  tradition 
("Boil  til  it  hairs"),  but  includes  a  section  on  caring  for  the  sick  by  using  the  same 
home  kitchen  arts.  The  book  distills  the  best  of  the  Dutch  heritage  handed  down  by  the 
German  Baptist  Brethren,  as  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  was  then  known.  Cloth,  $4.95; 
Paperback,  $1.95 

GRANDDAUGHTERS  INGLENOOK  COOKBOOK 

This  "granddaughter's"  edition  combines  up-to-date  nutritional  information  with  the 
practical  experience  of  homemakers.  Here  are  basic  recipes  with  variants,  in  all  the 
categories— creative,  imaginative,  but  also  substantial  and  practical.  Each  recipe  was 
tested  m  the  farm  kitchens  of  Church  of  the  Brethren  homes.  There  are  sections  on 
one-dish  cooking,  group  cooking,  international  cookery,  invalid  cookery,  leftovers,  meal- 
planning,  household  hints,  and  tables,  charts  and  indexes.  Cloth,  $4.95 


I 


1451 


THE  BRETHREN  PRESS 
Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.60120 


Please  send; 

copies    of  Inglenook   Cook 
Book,  cloth  edition,  $4.95 
copies    of  Inglenook   Cook 
Book,  paper  edition,  $1.95 

copies    of  Granddaughter's 

Inglenook  Cookbook,  $4  95 

Add  postage  and  handling;  Cloth  edition— 40<t  first  copy.  20$  each  ad- 
ditional copy  Paper  edition— 30C  first  copy;  lOt  each  additional 
copy. 

Please  include  cash  with  order  under  $5.00 

To 

Address 


City_ 


.StateL. 


February  1975  messenger  39 


odDftoiroaiD 


On  partisanship  with  the  poor 


One  cause  for  rejoicing  in  these  somber  times  is 
the  creative  opportunity  for  outreach  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Currently  Brethren  are 
on  the  cutting  edge  in  a  cluster  of  programs  in  dis- 
tressed or  developing  parts  of  the  world. 

In  Nigeria  three,  perhaps  four,  significant 
thrusts  are  occurring  at  an  accelerated  pace.  One 
continues  to  be  evangelism:  Messenger  staffer 
Kermon  Thumason  in  a  visit  after  only  18  months 
away  found  five  new  Lardin  Gabas  congregations 
in  existence.  He  was  astounded  at  the  scope  of 
community  development  projects  spreading 
throughout  the  villages.  Unfolding  too  is  the 
Lafiya  medical  program  which  represents  nothing 
short  of  a  turnaround  in  conventional  health 
planning.  "Many  of  us  meet  in  conferences  and 
discuss  the  urgency  of  replacing  institutionalized, 
curative  approaches  to  health  care  with  decen- 
tralized, preventive  measures,"  an  ecumenical  of- 
ficer said  recently  in  Geneva,  Switzerland.  "In 
Nigeria  the  Brethren  with  others  are 
demonstrating  how  to  do  it."  A  fourth  develop- 
ment that  underlies  all  others  is  the  increasing 
responsibility  being  taken  by  Nigerians  themselves 
in  shaping  and  staffing  the  work  of  the  church 
and  the  mission. 

As  enumerated  in  last  month's  Messenger, 
Brethren  are  involved  in  a  dozen  food  production 
enterprises,  some  of  them  of  long  standing.  The 
global  impact  of  such  a  program  as  the  Polish 
Agricultural  Exchange  is  described  in  this  issue  on 
page  5.  New  partnerships  are  beginning  in  India, 
in  the  reclamation  of  sea  land,  and  in  Niger,  in  the 
launching  of  health  and  development  projects  in 
an  area  of  the  Sahel  drought. 

No  less  imaginative  and  wide-ranging  is  the 
work  of  SHARE  in  this  country,  bringing 
Brethren  into  an  enabling  and  a  learning 
relationship  with  Indians,  blacks,  Appalachians, 


and   Latinos  and  their  struggles  for  dignity  and 
justice. 

Such  endeavors  as  these  stand  as  models  of 
creative  ministry  in  a  world  where  the  most  need- 
ed detente  is  between  the  powerful  and  the 
powerless,  between  the  overfed  and  the  hungry, 
between  the  developed  and  the  developing 
peoples.  As  with  the  massive  dispatch  of  relief 
materials  and  heifers  and  the  cross-cultural  ex- 
changes set  up  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
following  World  War  II,  the  new  undertakings  of 
the  Brethren  today  represent  a  timely  and 
prophetic  Christian  response  to  world  community. 


J_/ven  so,  most  of  us  who  are  related  to  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  have  far  to  go  in  grasping 
what  it  means  to  proclaim  hope  to  the  poor,  to 
defend  the  defenseless,  to  know  powerlessness.  We 
have  homework  to  do  on  learning  to  give  so  as 
not  to  create  patterns  of  dominion  and  dependen- 
cy. We  have  questions  to  resolve  about  liberation 
and  oppression. 

Is  partnership  with  the  poor  mandated  by  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ?  Can  the  church  be  the 
church  and  not  identify  with  the  poor?  What  does 
our  standing  with  the  oppressed  do  to  the  unity  of 
the  fellowship  if  the  oppressor  is  one  of  us?  How 
do  we  deal  responsibly  with  our  own  consumerism 
and  greed,  and  with  the  self-centeredness  of  our 
own  society? 

Mission  today  requires  not  only  a  response  to 
external  needs  but  an  examination  of  the  roots  of 
faith  and  our  own  motivation.  Let  us  rejoice  in 
the  fresh,  insightful  models  of  sharing  that  are 
before  us  as  a  church.  But  let  us  also  be  open  to 
further  changes  of  attitudes  and  actions  which  our 
faith  may  evoke  and  the  world  situation 
require.  —  h.e.r. 


40  MESSENGER  February  1975 


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STANDPOINT:  THE  WORK  JESUS  CALLS  US  TO  DO 


The  latest  venture  of  the 
Rural  Service  Center  here 
in  India  is  tideland 
reclamation  along  our 
Gujarat  coast  with  the 
cooperation  of  state 
government.  Since  there 
is  a  great  demand  for  land 
for  the  landless  and  since 
there  are  hundreds  of 
square  miles  of  potential 
agricultural  land  at  pres- 
ent unusable  because  of 
periodic  flooding  with  sea 
water,  it  is  proposed  that 
we,  with  the  aid  of  funds 
from  abroad,  help  build 
and  stabilize  sea  walls,  in- 
stall tide  valves,  and  con- 
struct a  system  of  canals 
and  ditches  for  draining 
the  land  and  for  leaching 
out  the  salt.  We  would 
treat  the  land  chemically 


to  remove  the  saiiniza- 
tion,  build  communica- 
tion roads  into  the  area, 
level  and  "bund"  the  land 
for  rice  culture,  help  in 
the  selection  of  families 
for  resettlement,  and 
provide  agriculture  exten- 
sion services  and  crop 
production  inputs.  In 
short,  the  tideland 
reclamation  project  has  a 
long  look,  a  challenge  of 
great  scope. 

As  to  the  ongoing  work 
of  the  Rural  Service 
Center,  George  likens  it 
to  the  US  Extension  Serv- 
ice. When  started  22 
years  ago,  the  center  was 
not  happily  accepted  by 
the  Indian  church  nor  by 
the  American  church. 
Many  felt  that  it  did  not 


have  connection  with  the 
work  of  the  church.  Now 
they  realize  there  could 
not  be  a  more  direct  in- 
terpretation of  what  jesus 
told  us  to  do. 

Not  in  so  many  words 
did  Jesus  say,  "Help  per- 
sons to  keep  their  dignity 
and  their  worthwhileness 
and  you  help  them  to  act 
like  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  God,"  but  1 
think  he  implied  it.  The 
Bible  actually  lays  more 
emphasis  on  witnessing 
than  it  does  on  winning. 
We  Christians  are  just  a 
bit  of  salt  and  leavening. 
The  winning  must  be  left 
to  God — that's  his 
business. — Rae  Mason, 
missionary,  Anklesvar,  In- 
dia 


General  Board 
Church  of  the  Brethren 


messenger 

DHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  MARCH   1975 


^/^fta^^af/ia^^ 


©©[TDl^SDI]!^^ 


i  O    ''^^'I's  ^^^  Butterflies:  Marks  of  Christian  Community. 

The  task  of  the  contemporary  Christian  community  is  to  celebrate  Hfe 
in  the  midst  of  death — there  are  still  petals  in  the  ashes  and  butterflies 
on  the  coffins,  affirms  Glenn  R.  Bucher. 

^  ^  Lord,  Give  IVIe  a  Drinl(.  Larry  GraybiU,  reflecting  on  John  4:1- 
26,  tells  us  that  without  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  the  Spirit  of  Jesus, 
we — like  the  Samaritans — worship  what  we  do  not  know. 

^  Q    The  Night  Jesus  Came  to  Love  Feast.  Noah  s.  Martin 

spins  a  tale,  and  it  has  a  message:  Jesus  now  lives  in  the  hearts  of  his 
people.  And  where  his  people  go  in  love  to  minister  in  his  name,  there 
he  shall  be  found. 

1  9    China:  Religious  and  Secular  Values  Today.  Donald  e. 

Maclnnis,  back  from  a  return  visit  to  China,  reports  on  the  total 
secularization  of  a  society  and  culture  once  permeated  with  religious 
signs  and  symbols. 

24     When  Failure  Succeeds.  By  popular  business  standards  the 

Christiansburg  Housing  Corporation  failed.  But  for  the  sixty  families 
that  got  new  or  improved  homes  it  spelled  success.  By  Owen  G.  Stultz. 

26    ^^^  Ministry:  Ordination  and  Family  Life.  The  report  of 

the  study  of  the  ministry  projected  by  Standing  Committee  and  Annual 
Conference  in  1972  will  familiarize  Brethren  with  its  issues  and 
recommendations  in  time  for  Annual  Conference  consideration. 

In  Touch  introduces  Mary  Workman,  Ralph  E.  Jelf,  and  Dave  Ingold  (2)  . . . 
Outlook  reports  on  a  tv  special,  nonviolence  and  feminism  study,  creative 
simplicity.  India  peace  center,  ladybugs  in  Niger,  busing  in  Boston,  Food  Day, 
and  Freedom  Village  (start  on  4)  . . .  Underlines  (7)  . . .  Special  Report  on 
Nigeria  (8)  . . .  Statement  from  "An  Affirmation  on  Salvation  Today,"  from 
Bangkok  Conference  (12)  ...  "WIN  With  Military  Spending  Cuts,"  by  Steve 
Longenecker  (34)  . . .  "'Signing'  the  Sermons  and  Songs  at  Frederick,"  by  Darl 
W.  Hinkle  (36)  . . .  Resources  for  "Study  Series  for  75-76,"  by  Shirley  J. 
Heckman  (38)  . . .  Turning  Points  (39)  . . .  Editorial,  "Harried  but  Not  Hemmed 
In"  (40) 


EDITOR 

Howard  E    Rover 
MANAGING  EDITOR 
Kermon  Thomason 
ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 
Kenneth  I    Morse 
DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 
Clyde  E   Weaver 
PUBLISHER 
Galen  B   Ogden 

VOL    124,  NO   3 


MARCH  1975 


CREDITS:  Cover:  Painting,  "And  the  Glory 
Forever,"  by  Garrett  Whyte.  2  Ed  Bu/inski.  4.  19 
RNS.  5  Sid  Bliss,  8,  9  Kermon  Thomason,  10 
Bob  Taylor,  12,  13  Gene  Ahrens.  14  National 
Gallery  of  Art.  16  Art  by  Ken  Stanley,  20-2.3 
Donald  E.  Maclnnis.  27.  31  H,  Armstrong 
Roberts,  28  (right)  Bill  Smith,  29  (left)  A. 
Devaney.  (center)  Mark  Kurtz,  30  J,  Henry  Long, 
32  (left)  McPhearson  from  Monkmeyer.  (center) 
Walter  Hering,  36.  37  Kurt  Holter. 


MtsstNoiiR  IS  the  official  publication  of  the  Church 
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Subscription  rates:  $5.00  per  year  for  indi- 
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1975,   Church  of  the   Brethren   General   Board. 


■ 


GOD  COMES  THROUGH 

After  the  wonderful  article  Messenger  had 
about  me  in  April  1973,  "Church  School  Teach- 
er of  the  Air,"  one  would  hardly  believe  that  one 
year  later   I   would   be  vitlually   incapacitated. 

1  can  no  longer  type.  I  am  just  beginning  to 
restore  my  strength  to  write  with  a  pen. 

In  March  1974,  I  began  to  feel  my  physical 
strength  waning.  I  couldn't  throw  a  bale  of  hay, 
over  a  wire  fence,  I  tripped  on  my  brick  sidewalk 
and  plunged  violently  into  the  end  of  my  garage.i 
1  thought  I  had  a  virus. 

Two  weeks  of  testing  and  X-rays  ir 
Mansfield  hospital  revealed  little.  In  July  at 
Ohio  State's  Medical  School,  tests  revealed  the 
affliction  as  calcium  deposits  and  spurs  inside 
several  vertebrae,  compressing  and  damaging  my 
spinal  cord  in  the  area  that  controls  my  arms 
and  legs. 

My  case.  I  am  told,  is  one  in  200,000.  Now,  I 
have  always  known  I  was  a  rare  one.  but  I  don't 
care  for  this  kind  of  rarity.  (Rare!  Some  folks 
think  I  am  half  baked;  others,  just  plain  raw!) 

After  countless  tests  and  85  X-rays  later,  I  was 
operated  on  at  the  end  of  July.  I  was  warned 
that  recovery  might  stretch  over  two  years.  Can 
you  imagine  how  this  cramps  my  style? 

During  May  and  June  I  simply  did  not  know 
how  to  pray,  or  what  to  pray  for.  Then  very  ear- 
ly in  July,  I  said,  "God,  tell  me  what  I  should 
pray  for."  In  a  few  days  came  the  unmisfak-i 
able  answer,  "Pray  that  your  recovery  may  be 
slow,  precise,  and  complete."  Even  then,  I  didn't 
yet  know  what  my  trouble  was. 

Hundreds  of  people  have  been  praying  for  my 
return  of  health.  Even  a  public  prayer  was 
offered  for  me  at  District  meeting.  May  I  sayi 
humorously  that  God  is  going  to  have  to  come' 
through  or  he'll  lose  face! 

The  surgery  was  a  success,  performed  by  the,: 
head  of  neuro-surgery  at  Ohio  State. 

There  were  three  almost  immediate  resto- 
rations. Then  began  the  slow  processes  of 
change.  I  have  been  on  crutches  since  last  April. 

The  name  of  the  surgery  is  called  a  laminec- 
tomy. I  had  learned  that  one  of  the  accom- 
paniments of  this  kind  of  surgery  is  extreme: 
highs  and  lows  of  emotional  expression.  1  have 
wept  and  howled  in  extreme  fears.  Then  a  half 
hour  later  I  might  be  laughing  at  something. 

The  physical  changes  are  beginning  to  multi- 
ply. I  can  now  drive  my  car.  Just  yesterday  1  was: 
strong  enough  to  tear  the  ends  off  from 
envelopes,  whereas  a  month  ago  I  couldn't.  Andi 
just  an  hour  ago,  I  walked  unaided  a  distance  of 
20  feet  in  the  house.  I  ended  the  "trek"  in  tears 
of  joy!  Even  now,  as  1  write,  1  fight  back  the: 
tears  in  the  realization  of  the  answer  to  thei 
prayer  that  God  dictated  to  me. 

On  the  evening  of  October  6th,  I  made  it  to 
the  evening  communion  service — with  the  aid  of 
several  friends.  At  the  close  of  the  service.  Dr. 
Perry  Prather  and  Rodger  Miliar,  the  Sunday 
school  superintendent,  stood  up  and  said  my{ 
presence  was  an  answer  to  their  prayers  that  I' 
could  be  there!  Many  worshipers  openly  wept. 


paigjs  (Q)Di]s 


People  here  and  there  have  been  pressuring 
me  to  get  my  "Sunday  School  Broadcast"  back 
on  the  air.  The  station  manager  has  assured  me  I 
may  do  it  from  my  local  telephone.  He  has 
offered  to  place  a  full  week's  promotional  an- 
nouncements in  anticipation.  But  my  physical 
strength  must  be  stronger  and  more  stable,  and 
my  emotional  responses  more  reliable  before  I 
shall  attempt  the  broadcasts.  Such  work  is  a 
relentless  responsibility. 

1  am  now  worn  out  from  writing.  But  1  must 
be  self-disciplined. 

WiLBERT  MiLEV 

Ashland.  Ohio 

NEW  POINTS  ON  FASTING 

1  would  like  to  request  permission  to  reprint 
the  article  entitled,  "Fasting:  A  Road  to  Di.s- 
covery"  by  Alma  Long  (January). 

We  found  this  article  extremely  interesting  in 
presenting  points  that  we  had  never  considered 
before  in  regard  to  this  question.  We  feel  our 
readers  would  also  profit  by  studying  this  article. 
We  continue  to  enjoy  the  exchange  copy  which 
we  receive;  it  is  read  by  several  people  in  our  of- 
fice. You  are  to  be  commended  for  the  excellent 
use  of  graphics  and  layout  — as  well  as  the 
challenging  and  thought-provoking  articles. 

May  God  continue  to  bless  your  ministry  in 
this  new  year. 

John  D.  Bevis,  Editor 
The  Sabbath  Recorder 
Plainfield,  N.J. 

PRESCRIPTION  ON  DIET 

Vision  of  health:  A  bowl  of  hot  cereal  or  soup 
:very  day  can  keep  a  lot  of  people  from  having 
;o  suffer  the  aches  and  pains  of  piles,  and  those 
who  already  have  them  will  find  a  much-wanted 
relief 

William  R.  Sullivan 
Vale,  Ore. 

A  VISION  FOR  OUR  TIME' 

The  centerfold  in  the  December  issue  ("The 
Peaceable  Kingdom")  escaped  my  attention  the 
First  time  through  the  Messenger.  In  later 
■eading,  it  caught  my  eyes  and  held  them.  The 
irticle  and  accompanying  paintings  were  very  in- 
ipiring. 

The  animals — all  of  them  pictured  as  being  in 
larmony,  along  with  the  children  —  make  a  very 
peaceful  scene.  The  animals  had  the  look  of  con- 
tentment in  their  eyes.  They  appeared  to  have  no 
desire  to  devour  one  another.  There  was  no  need 
for  it.  And  the  children  felt  safe. 

I  have  often  read  this  passage  from  Isaiah 
11:6-9.  Now  it  is  more  meaningful  after'  my 
study  of  these  two  pages. 

When  will  people  and  animals  everywhere  live 
in  peace  and  harmony?  When  we  decide  we  do 
not  need,  for  any  reason,  to  devour  and  destroy 
;ach  other.  What  will  help  us  make  this 
decision?  The  deeper  message  of  Christmas. 

Byron  E.  Dell 
Union  City,  Ind. 


Our  Easter  message  this  year  is  carried  as 
much  on  the  magazine's  cover  as  in  its 
contents.  According  to  the  Christian 
Gospel,  history  will  end  as  the  Lord's 
Prayer  ends — with  a  doxology.  Artist 
Garrett  Whyte  makes  this  affirmation  in 
our  cover  painting,  "And  the  Glory 
Forever,"  the  final  work  in  a  series  based 
on  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

Whyte,  a  native  of  Mount  Sterling, 
Kentucky,  has  been  featured  in  art  ex- 
hibits   since    his    first   one-man   show   in 


Garretl  Wbvle 


1936.  Since  1972  he  has  been  an  art  in- 
structor at  Kennedy-King  City  College  in 
Chicago.  There  last  May  a  major  exhibit 
of  his  works  was  held  that  reflected  to  a 
large  degree  the  depths  of  his  philosophy 
of  life.  As  suggested  by  the  exhibit  title, 
"Of  Love,  Life  . . .  Unity,"  Whyte's  con- 
cept of  life  has  its  foundation  upon  two 
principles:  love  of  God  and  love  of  man. 

Whyte  expresses  himself  in  his  paint- 
ings in  an  abstract  contemporary  im- 
pressionistic idiom.  Through  paintings 
such  as  "And  the  Glory  Forever,"  he  ex- 
presses visually  feelings  of  God  and  our 
relationship  to  Him  that  individuals  find 
impossible  to  put  into  words.  In  "And  the 
Glory  Forever,"  Whyte  celebrates  the 
resplendence  and  unconquerability  of  the 
God  who  "was,  and  is,  and  is  to  be." 

Whyte  provides  a  synopsis  of  his  work 
by  saying,  "My  art  is  based  primarily  on 
man,  his  environment  and  the  physical 
and  spiritual  relationship  to  the  universal 
concept.  The  subject  matter  is 
predominantly  black.  It  was  in  1960  that 
1  began  to  work  in  the  black  nationalistic 
style  because  I  believe  in  black  con- 
sciousness. It  is  the  chosen  style  of  this 
age.  I  also  express  myself  with  religious 
works,  in  terms  of  applicability  of  the 
now  of  our  existence." 


Many  of  Whyte's  paintings  are  parts  of 
permanent  collections  and  are  housed  in 
such  places  as  the  National  Labor 
Relations  Board  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
Johnson  Publishing  Co.,  the  Ministry  of 
Education  and  Culture  National  Museum 
and  Art  Gallery  in  Port  of  Spain, 
Trinidad,  and  in  private  collections 
throughout  the  East  and  Midwest. 

For  three  consecutive  years,  1970-1972, 
he  was  the  winner  of  the  Grand  Award 
for  Art  Teacher  at  the  Illinois  Regional 
Vocational  Exhibit. 

Turning  back  to  our  magazine,  the 
wide  range  of  dates  on  which  Easter  falls 
causes  editors  problems  in  planning. 
Messenger's  March  issue  has  been  sent 
to  subscribers  the  last  week  of  February. 
The  April  issue  should  reach  you  just  a 
day  or  so  before  Easter.  Which  one  then 
should  be  our  "Easter  issue?"  We  resolved 
it  by  making  March  our  main  "Easter 
issue,"  and  will  include  further  Easter 
material  in  April. 

Inside  this  issue,  Glenn  R.  Bucher  of 
the  department  of  religion.  The  College 
of  Wooster,  Wooster,  Ohio,  picks  up  two 
symbols  of  resurrection — flowers  and 
butterflies — to  bring  a  seasonal  message 
of  the  celebration  of  life  over  death. 
Larry  Graybill,  pastor  of  the  Coventry 
congregation,  Pottstown,  Pa.,  and  Noah 
S.  Martin,  pastor  of  Moxham  Colonial 
congregation,  Johnstown,  Pa.,  continue 
the  Easter  theme. 

Another  major  contributor  this  month 
is  Donald  E.  Maclnnis,  director  of  the 
China  program  for  the  National  Council 
of  Churches.  Maclnnis  is  an  old  China 
hand,  having  served  as  a  Methodist 
teacher  at  Fukien  Christian  University  in 
south  China  1948-49.  Last  October  he  ad- 
dressed the  General  Board  on  China. 

The  report  of  the  Annual  Conference 
committee  to  study  the  ministry  is  the 
work  of  J.  Earl  Hostetter  (chairperson), 
pastor.  New  Paris,  Ind.,  Oswald  Goering, 
university  professor,  Oregon,  111.,  Arlene 
May,  college  instructor,  Timberville,  Va., 
Carroll  M.  Petry,  district  minister, 
Marion,  Ind.,  and  Charles  E.  Zunkel, 
pastor.  North  Manchester,  Ind. 

Other  contributors  are  Owen  G.  Stultz, 
district  executive  of  Virlina  District; 
Steve  Longenecker,  Washington  Office 
BVSer;  Darl  W.  Hinkle,  who  chairs  the 
nurture  commission  of  the  Mid-Atlantic 
District;  and  Shirley  J.  Heckman,  consul- 
tant for  educational  ministries.  General 
Board. — The  Editors. 

March  1975  messenger  1 


Mary  Workman:  Finding  alternatives 


Mary  Workman  says,  "No  experience 
in  life  needs  to  be  a  wasted  ex- 
perience. You  can  find  alternatives  to 
despair." 

This  is  the  philosophy  that  guides 
Mary's  work  as  director  of  services 
for  the  visually  impaired  at  the 
Elkhart,  Indiana,  Rehabilitation 
Center.  Though  she  now  heads  a  staff 
of  five  teachers  of  the  blind  in  a  daily 
program,  Mary  recalls  the  time,  a  few 
short  years  ago,  when  there  was  no 
such  program,  when  she  and  her  hus- 
band Ron,  who  had  already  lost  most 
of  his  sight,  began  talking  about  "a 
new  image  of  blindness." 

They  were  able  to  find  alternatives 
not  only  in  Ron's  insistence  on  carry- 
ing on  his  own  business  and  learning 
to  move  about  with  a  cane,  but  also 
in  helping  others  who  were  visually 
handicapped.  In  1967  a  volunteer 
program  was  launched  at  the  Elkhart 
Center.  In  1968  Mary  joined  its  staff 
in  order  to  establish  a  program  of 
blind  rehabilitation.  In  1970  trained 
instructors  were  employed.  Since 
then  around  one  hundred  blind  per- 
sons have  come  from  all  parts  of  In- 
diana to  receive  training. 

To  know  what  Mary  means  by 
alternatives,  one  has  only  to  spend 
some  time  with  her  and  Ron,  to 


111^ 


observe  with  amazement  how  mobile 
and  independent  a  blind  person  can 
be,  but  even  more  to  note  how  infec- 
tious is  the  loving  concern  they  have 
for  all  persons.  Along  with  Ron's  in- 
surance business  and  Mary's  full-time 
program,  they  carry  heavy  respon- 
sibilities in  the  Goshen  City  church; 
they  are  active  in  statewide  re- 
habilitation services;  their  home  is 
a  "home  away  from  home"  for 
Goshen  College  students. 

Finding  alternatives  has  inter- 
national implications  for  the 
Workmans.  Last  summer  they  hosted 
a  delegation  from  the  Blind  and 
Sighted  Citizens  Action  Society  of 
Japan. 

Ron  and  Mary  continue  to  serve  as 
regional  counselors  and  coordinators 
for  ICYE  exchangees  and  sponsoring 
families. 

But  finding  alternatives  is  more 
than  a  philosophy  for  the  Workmans: 
it  is  an  integral  part  of  their  Christian 
faith.  Mary  puts  it  this  way;  "God 
shares  in  our  pain  and  grief.  Suffer- 
ing can  be  an  occasion  of  growth  if 
we  use  it  to  God's  glory." — K.I.M. 


\h\ 


Ralph  E.  Jelf:  Fiddler  j 

From  the  "Eighth  Street  Theater  ot 
the  Air"  on  radio  station  WLS  in 
Chicago  to  the  Taneytown, 
Maryland,  firemen's  parade,  Ralph 
E.  Jelf  has  been  playing  the  fiddle 
behind  his  back,  on  top  of  his  head 
and  between  his  legs  for  45  years. 

Billed  as  the  "Roamin'  Fiddler" 
when  he  did  radio  and  live  amateur  I 
shows  throughout  the  Midwest  dur-  i 
ing  the  thirties  and  forties,  Jelf  has 
been  a  custodian  at  the  New  Winds( 
Brethren  Service  Center  for  the  last  _ 
twelve  years. 

If  there  is  anything  he  can  do 
better  than  play  a  fiddle,  it's  tell  a 
story.  When  he  is  at  his  best,  he  is 
doing  both  before  a  crowd  of  kids.  . 
"You  can  get  to  them,  just  like  thaU 
he  said,  snapping  his  fingers. 

After  beginning  "Pop  Goes  the 
Weasel"  with  the  violin  resting  on  to; 
of  his  head,  Jelf  handed  his  bow  to . 
reporter. 

Grabbing  his  fiddle  at  each  end,  h 
turned  it  upside  down.  Rubbing  it 
against  the  bow  hanging  from  the 
reporter's  hand,  Jelf  continued  play-) 
ing  the  tune  with  only  a  brief  pause.i 

Jelf  has  performed  for  Carroll 
County  retarded  children  three  times 
and  most  recently  played  in  a  benefr 
for  a  Westminster  drug  counseling 
center.  He's  played  in  hospitals, 
schools,  and  nursing  homes.  In  19471 
he  played  in  Ethiopia  as  a  member  c 
a  United  Nations  relief  team. 

"The  most  beautiful  talent  in  the 
world  is  being  able  to  make  people 
happy,"  he  says.  "People  are  always 
in  a  hurry.  They  don't  want  to  take 


2  MESSENGER  March  1975 


yteller 


Nb  to  do  what  they  want,  like  make 
If  pie  happy." 

letting  ready  to  fiddle  another 
eg,  Jelf  said,  "It's  supposed  to  be 
*kansas  Traveler,'  but  if  it  isn't,  it 
(sn't  make  any  difference." 

he  storyteller  says  he  never  drinks 
iiimokes. 

;You  got  to  do  things  right,"  he 
al  as  he  leafed  through  a  folder 
il'd  with  mementos  of  his  career 
ht  took  him  to  square  dances, 
riiteur  hours,  fiddle  conventions, 
t:  church  suppers. 

n  one  photograph,  he  was  posed 
i  Charlie  Chaplin's  character.  The 
-i  le  Beggar.  "I've  been  compared 
n  him  and  Jack  Benny,  both,"  he 
al. 

lowever,  there  is  at  least  one 
ierence  between  the  two  celebrities 
I  the  57-year-old  trick  fiddler — 
('  has  always  been  an  amateur. 

kn  easel,  the  smell  of  oil  paints, 
I  the  brightly  colored  portraits  — 
nst  of  them  copied  from  maga- 
i;s— that  hung  on  the  wall  of  his 
Dirth  floor  dormitory  room  at  the 
lithren  center,  mark  the  amateur 
t:rtainer  as  an  amateur  painter. 

'osing  for  a  photograph  in  front 
li  self-portrait,  Jelf  insisted  that  his 
iating  of  Christ,  carrying  a  cross, 

is  prominent  as  his  violin. — 

kNK   MlHALOVIK,  Jr. 


Dave  Ingold:  Cited  in  Sahel 


When  the  General  Board  voted 
emergency  disaster  funds  last  October 
to  implement  a  food  production 
program  in  Niger  Republic,  few  people 
were  aware  that  there  had  already  been 
a  Brethren  presence  in  that  Sahelian 
country  for  almost  a  year. 

Quietly  working  away  through 
1974,  Dave  Ingold  had  been  doing  his 
share  to  help  the  victims  of  drought  in 
Niger,  and  so  effective  had  he  been  that 
an  official  citation  from  the  Niger 
government  was  presented  to  him  in 
gratitude  for  his  service. 

The  story  really  begins  in  1 960  when 
six-year-old  Dave  accompanied  his 
parents,  Roger  ana  Ginny  Ingold,  to 
the  Nigerian  mission  field.  Dave  grew 
up  in  Nigeria  and  developed  a  love  for 
the  land  and  its  people.  From  Nigerian 
pals  he  learned  the  lore  of  the  bush  and 
the  language  of  the  Nigerians.  Hunt- 
ing became  his  favorite  sport  (he  has 
bagged  most  of  the  big  game  animals, 
including  the  elephant  and  lion).  When 
Dave  graduated  from  Hillcrest  School 
at  Jos,  Nigeria,  the  mission  hired  him 
to  train  Nigerian  drivers  for  the  Lafiya 
medical  program. 

It  was  in  late  1973  that  the  chance 
came  for  Dave  to  work  in  Niger. 
Lutheran  World  Relief  was  setting  up 
a  program  to  aid  drought  victims  in  the 
Sahel.  Dave  joined  their  team,  and 
helped  drive  the  relief  vehicles  across 
the  Sahara  Desert  from  Europe.  He 
reached  Niger  in  January,  1974. 

In  May  Dave  began  driving  a  truck, 
distributing  sorghum  grain  for  food 
and  millet  seed  for  planting  to  refugee 
centers  across  the  lower  edge  of  the 
desert.  Many  centers  could  only  be 


reached  by  four-wheel  drive  vehicles, 
over  almost  unrecognizable  desert 
tracks.  When  the  team's  contract  ex- 
pired in  July,  he  began  working  for  the 
International  Red  Cross,  supplying 
food  to  their  nutritional  teams.  Until 
October  he  was  busy,  working  from  his 
headquarters  in  the  country's  capital, 
Niamey,  delivering  precious  loads  of 
fish  powder,  palm  oil,  and  corn-soya 
milk.  In  addition  to  driving,  Dave 
acted  as  administrator  for  the  team. 

Dave  is  modest  when  he  tells  of  his 
Sahel  adventures;  he  doesn't  dwell  on 
the  discomforts  of  his  work,  the  long 
hours,  the  wretched  food,  his  illnesses, 
the  loneliness.  He  tells  of  thejoys  of 
learning  to  know  people — Dave's 
facility  in  the  Hausa  language, 
augmented  with  French,  makes  him 
instantly  at  home  in  Niger.  In  August 
the  situation  was  brightened  by  Dave's 
marriage  to  Cheryl  Ottemoeller,  a 
Hillcrest  classmate.  Cheryl  joined 
Dave  in  Niamey  and  became 
bookkeeper  and  secretary  for  the  relief 
operation. 

On  October  19,  Dave  was  officially 
cited  by  the  Niger  government  for  his 
unselfish  service  to  the  country  in  its 
need,  for  his  good  spirit  of  coopera- 
tion, and  devotion  to  duty.  What  finer 
witness  to  the  traditional  Brethren 
response  to  a  neighbor's  need  than 
twenty-year-old  Dave  Ingold,  alone  in 
the  drought-stricken  Sahel,  delivering 
in  a  three-month  period  over  650  tons 
of  life-giving  food  and  seeds  to  African 
brothers  and  sisters  in  need? — K.T. 


March  1975  messenger  3 


Old  Testament  drama 
to  rerun  Palm  Sunday 

A  two-hour  television  special,  centering 
on  the  hves  of  two  bibhcal  giants.  Jacob 
and  his  son  Joseph,  and  emphasizing  the 
human  story  of  the  Genesis  accounts, 
will  be  a  "prime  time"  release  by  ABC-TV 
on  Sunday,  March  23.  The  film  made 
its  network  debut  on  Palm  Sunday 
1974. 

Filmed  entirely  on  location  in  Israel,  the 
production  is  billed  as  the  first  of  a 
series  of  biblical  dramas.  "The  Story  of 
Jacob  and  Joseph"  begins  with  the  birth 


of  Jacob  and  Esau  and  ends  with  the 
settling  of  the  Hebrews  in  Egypt  under 
Joseph's  leadership. 

In  the  upper  photo,  Keith  Michell,  who 
portrays  Jacob,  Julian  Glover  as  Esau, 
Colleen  Dewhurst.  who  plays  Rebekah, 
and  Harry  Andrews  as  Isaac  (left  to  right), 
stand  outside  their  family  tent  before  Jacob 
usurps  his  brother  Esau's  birthright  and 
flees  to  escape  his  wrath. 

In  the  lower  photo,  Tony  LoBianco 
(center),  Joseph,  reveals  his  identity  to  his 
brothers  who  had  sold  him  into  slavery. 

Background  on  the  film  and  questions 
for  discussion  appeared  in  the  Feedforward 
column  of  the  April  1974  Messenger. 


'The  Story  of  Jacob  and  Joseph"  emphasizes  the  human  story  of  the  Genesis  accounts. 


Evangelicals  to  study 
nonviolence,  feminism 

Workshops  on  evangelical  nonviolence  aa 
conferences  on  Christian  feminism  are  be- 
ing launched  by  a  coalition  of  evangelical 
leaders  identified  with  the  "Declaration  ol 
Evangelical  Social  Concern." 

The  coalition's  1973  declaration,  issued 
in  Chicago,  was  a  point  of  focus  for  the 
enlarged  number  of  evangelical  church  peii 
sons  who  gathered  late  last  year  to  add  aci 
tions  to  their  words. 

The  actions  center  heavily  in  plans  for  i 
series  of  regional  seminars  on  discipleship 
evangelism  for  pastors;  15  regional 
workshops  on  biblical  social  action;  a 
movement  of  evangelical  nonviolence 
directed  initially  to  the  problem  of  hungeii 
and  an  extensive  examination  of  church 
school  materials  for  se.xual  bias. 

In  proposing  workshops  on  evangelical  i 
nonviolence,  the  coalition  states  that 
"'nonviolent  direct  action'  is  a  relatively 
recent  phrase  for  something  that  has  been 
present  in  biblical  faith  from  the  beginning. 
It  refers  to  an  approach  which  unites  the 
prophetic  cry  against  injustice  with  the 
Gospel's  loving  concern."  The  coalition 
urges  evangelicals  not  to  be  blinded  "to  th-' 
power  and  love  which  can  be  expressed  im 
nonviolent  action  carried  out  with  dis- 
cipline and  in  the  spirit  of  Christ." 

Information  on  the  nonviolence 
workshops  may  be  obtained  by  writing  thil 
Post-American,  1105  West  Lawrence  Ave.; 
Chicago,  111.  60640,  or  The  Churchmouse,' 
4719  Cedar  Ave.,  Philadelphia.  Pa.  19143. 

A  task  force  on  women,  in  addition  ti 
sponsoring  regional  conferences  and  stud; 
resources  on  Christian  feminism,  is  circu- 
lating a  new  evangelical  feminist  newsletter 
"Daughters  of  Sarah."  It  is  available  from 
5104  N.  Christiana,  Chicago,  111.  60625. 

In  a  plea  for  openness  and  cooperation 
the  group  noted: 

"We  need  each  other's  criticism,  respect, 
and  prayers.  It  is  crucial  at  this  stage  of  thil 
development  of  evangelical  social  action 
on  this  continent  that  we  avoid  that  arro- 
gant exclusiveness  and  fragmenting  self- 
righteousness  which  denounces  all  strate- 
gies and  programs  save  one's  own  as  sinfui 
compromise  or  radical  irresponsibility." 

Ka  Tong  Gaw,  member  of  the  York 
Center,  111.,  Church  of  the  Brethren  and 
Wheaton  College  professor,  was  a  leader  oi 
the  closing  session,  a  communion  service. 


4  MtssiNciK  March  1975 


:ill  sounded  for  lives 
) 'creative  simplicity' 

fi'jrmulating  proposals  for  dealing  with 
u'jer  at  home  and  abroad,  some  90 
li'ch  leaders  from  16  denominations 
jinanted  together  to  mount  "a  massive 
J;ational  effort  that  upholds  the  benefits 
tilpossibilities  of  a  life  of  creative 
nlicity." 

he  goal  was  one  of  a  half  dozen  out- 
nl  in  work  sessions  convened  at  the 
'iifmoor  Christian  Unity  Center,  Gar- 
sH,  N.Y.    J.  Benton  Rhoades,  Church 
file  Brethren  minister  who  heads 
|!cultural  Missions,  organized  the  parley 
(i.ehalf  of  the  National  Council  of 
hrches. 

jie  church  leaders  also  resolved  "to 
,ie  hunger  a  priority  issue  in  every  local 
1  ch  and  community"  and  "to  affect  the 
3;ies  of  government  by  increasing 
flative  action  through  local  networks 
1  a  strengthened  voice  in  Washington." 

)wards  seeing  the  proposals  im- 
(lented,  the  group  established  a  short- 
I  World  Hunger  Task  Team  to  study 
nfecommendations  and  to  elicit  support 
;:iss  denominational  and  interfaith  lines, 
li  Thornberry  of  the  NCCs  Chma 
r|ram  is  leading  the  team. 

epresenting  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
ihe  task  team  is  Jan  Martin  of  the 
'jld  Ministries'  hunger  program.  She 
u|Joel  K.  Thompson,  World  Ministries 
dilutive,  were  participants  in  the 
lymoor  sessions. 

tethren  lend  support 
^ India  peace  center 

t 

;hiversity  founded  and  directed  more 
.1  50  years  ago  by  Mahatma  Gandhi  in 
1(3  has  launched  a  center  to  promote 
steful  social  change  and  to  train  teachers 
^e  methods  of  nonviolence, 
he  university,  known  as  Gujarat  Vidya- 
[  and  located  at  Ahmedabad  in  Gujarat 
e,  has  in  the  quest  for  nonviolence 
ised  on  the  reconstruction  of  rural 
s.  Through  the  new  center,  summer 
tutes  and  special  classes  will  seek  to 
iden  the  impact  to  other  communi- 
and  across  the  educational  system. 
lajor  impetus  for  the  center  came 
)wing  a  seminar  on  science,  education, 
nonviolence  in  1969.  Scholars  who 


Scientist-etymologist  Maiguizo  Mounkaila  (center)  explains  to  CWS  worker  Jan  van 
Hoogstraten  (left)  how  the  ladybugs  incubate  and  hatch  in  net-covered  insectariums. 


Ladybugs  fight  aphids 
on  Niger's  date  palms 

Ladybugs,  famous  in  nursery  rhyme  lore 
for  their  response  to  crises,  are  now  busy 
averting  disaster  in  Niger's  date  palm 
groves.  The  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
through  a  $10,000  contribution  to  Church 
World  Service,  is  participating  in  this 
unique  program  to  save  the  date  palms  that 
furnish  both  a  food  crop  and  a  cash  crop 
for  the  people  in  the  hunger-wracked  Sahel 
area  of  Africa. 

In  addition  to  the  dates,  the  palm  trees 
provide  building  material,  fiber  for  weav- 
ing, and  shade  for  gardens.  The  trees  were 
being  destroyed  by  an  infestation  of  aphids 
that  draw  the  chlorophyll  from  the  leaves 
and,  if  unchecked,  eventually  kill  the  trees. 


IFAC,  a  French  Overseas  Fruit  Research 
Institute  in  Niger,  discovered  that  Iranian 
ladybugs  were  effective  in  controlling  the 
infestation,  consuming  up  to  400  aphids  a 
day  and  creating  no  bad  side  effects. 

The  ladybugs  are  incubated  on  net- 
covered  palms  in  an  oasis  area  and  then 
released  in  large  numbers  in  the  infested 
groves.  Reports  indicate  that  the  project 
already  has  been  80  percent  effective  in  the 
areas  where  the  bugs  have  been  released. 

The  $20,000  1975  budget  is  due  to  be  in- 
creased with  the  anticipated  expansion  of 
this  effective  project.  Brethren  who  wish  to 
contribute  to  this  work  should  do  so 
through  the  General  Board  Treasurer,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  111.,  60120.  Ear- 
mark the  gift  for  the  World  Hunger 
Program,  specifying  that  it  is  for  Operation 
Ladybug. 


attended  from  around  the  world  urged  that 
a  research  institute  on  peace  be  established 
by  Gujarat  Vidyapith  to  broaden  the 
Gandhian  view  of  achieving  a  nonviolent 
social  order  through  education.  The  center 
began  operation  in  December  1971. 

A  major  summer  institute  last  year 
enlisted  30  teachers  from  12  universities  in 
India.  The  participants  reviewed  books  on 
peace  and  nonviolence,  studied  aggression 
and  conflict  resolution,  and  developed 
papers  on  political,  educational,  and 
economic  aspects  of  the  peaceful  society. 


The  center  is  projecting  a  post  graduate 
course  on  peace  research  and  peace  educa- 
tion. 

Located  in  the  state  where  Church  of  the 
Brethren  work  has  been  carried  on  for  over 
75  years,  the  Peace  Research  Center  has 
been  granted  $1,000  by  the  World 
Ministries  Commission  to  strengthen  the 
institute's  library  and  to  enable  its  offering 
of  scholarships.  The  development  is  but 
one  of  several  steps  to  be  taken  by  World 
Ministries  to  strengthen  the  nonviolence 
movement  within  India. 


March  1975  messenger  5 


Federal  agency  'jinxes' 
rural  housing  project 

Nine  years  ago  a  group  of  displaced 
sharecroppers  seei<ing  alternatives  to 
the  existing  rural  poverty  in  Mississippi 
formed  a  community  known  as  Freedom 
Village.  Acquiring  land  12  miles  outside  of 
Greenville,  the  group  set  out  to  develop  80 
acres  into  adequate  housing  space  for  other 
families  in  similar  situations.  Over  a  period 
of  years,  with  changing  leadership,  many 
people  struggled  to  make  this  dream  a 
reality. 

In  1972,  Freedom  Village  hoped  to  com- 
plete the  80-acre  tract  as  a  subdivision.  For 
help  the  leaders  turned  to  the  Farmers 
Home  Administration  (FmHA),  a  branch 
of  the  US  Department  of  Agriculture, 
whose  role,  as  set  by  the  1949  Housing  Act, 
was  to  provide  housing  loans  for  farm 
families. 

BVSer  Joe  Myer  from  Lancaster,  Pa., 
was  given  the  project  of  negotiating  with 
the  FmHA  on  behalf  of  Freedom  Village. 
But  disillusioned  after  two  years  of  efforts, 
Myer  came  out  with  a  report  detailing 
what  he  termed  "The  Sabotage  of  Freedom 
Village."  The  report  chronicles  his  work 
with  the  Mississippi  branch  of  the  FmHA, 


This  sharecropper's  shack   near   Freedom    Village  is  representative  of  the  inadequaUi 
housing  that  Freedom   Villagers  are  seeking  to  break  away  from  through  FmHA  loans 


which  he  feels  put  the  jin.\  on  Freedom 
Village  from  the  start. 

One  FmHA  official  contended  that  the 
very  name  "Freedom  Village"  brought 
back  bitter  memories  of  the  civil  rights 
struggles  in  the  mid-60s  for  some  on  the 
FmHA  staff.  Rather  than  provide  the  help 
needed,  Myer  contends,  the  agency  has 
gone  out  of  its  way  to  lay  obstacles  in  the 
path  of  Freedom  Village's  development. 

For  example,  he  asserts  that  laws  which 
were  ignored  in  many  parts  of  Mississippi 
were  strictly  applied  to  Freedom  Village.  A 
100-year  flood  plain  statute,  requiring  that 


Boston:  The  black 
and  white'  of  busing 

When  upwards  of  15,000  persons  joined  in 
Boston's  Mobilization  Against  Racism 
several  weeks  ago,  one  member  of  the 
General  Board  staff  was  among  them.  He 
was  Tom  Wilson,  former  inner  city 
Chicago  pastor  now  coordinating  Parish 
Volunteer  Service  under  the  Parish 
Ministries  Commission. 

"The  apparent  issue  is  busing,  but  the 
real  issue  is  the  right  of  black  children  to 
quality  education  without  abuse  and 
violence  perpetrated  against  them  and  their 
parents  by  the  white  Irish  of  South 
Boston,"  Wilson  asserted.  "The  Irish 
themselves  are  only  one  or  two  generations 
removed  from  this  kind  of  discrimination 
and  persecution. 

"In  essence,  the  mobilization  was  a  way 
of  saying  no  to  institutionalized  racism  and 
no  to  mob  violence.  In  positive  terms,  it 
was  to  provide  a  channel  for  the  voice  of 
decency  and  moderation  to  be  heard." 


Wilson  does  not  see  Boston  as  an 
isolated  situation,  however,  but  more  of  a 
rallying  cry  for  quality  education  by  blacks 
everywhere.  His  conviction  is  that  as  the 
renewed  struggle  spreads  throughout  the 
north,  the  potential  for  violence  is  greatly 
magnified. 

"Urban  blacks  represent  a  different 
breed,"  he  believes.  "Northern  cities  no 
longer  have  psychological  and  physical 
enslavement  that  worked  so  well  in  produc- 
ing the  nonviolent  movement  of  the  60s." 
He  sees  the  danger  heightened  further  by 
large  concentrations  of  ethnics  such  as  ex- 
ist in  South  Boston,  who  historically  have 
guarded  rather  jealously  what  they  con- 
sidered to  be  their  turf.  Also  the  fact  that 
radical  and  violent  militants,  issuing  out  of 
the  guerilla  warfare  of  Korea  and  Vietnam, 
are  now  more  out  in  the  open  and  leading 
larger  numbers  of  people  than  was  true  in 
the  1960s. 

In  this  renewed  struggle  Wilson  feels  the 
role  of  the  church  is  not  clearly  known, 
and  that  both  its  awareness  and  its 
presence  need  to  be  enlarged. 


all  houses  be  built  above  sea  level,  had 
been  largely  overlooked  in  many  parts  of 
the  state,  including  Washington  county 
where  Freedom  Village  is  located.  But  for 
Freedom  Village,  at  4.5  feet  under  the 
level,  subdivision  negotiations  were  frozen. 

Another  illustration  is  FmHA's  require- 
ment that  brick  siding  be  added  to  the 
cinder  block  houses  in  Freedom  Village  fo 
cosmetic  effect  and  enhancement  of  their 
resale  potential.  This  would  cost  home 
owners  $2000  to  $2500  in  repairs,  ex- 
ceeding unnecessarily  the  minimum  propen 
ty  standards.  FmHA  made  completion  ofi 
the  repairs  mandatory  before  it  would  eveii 
consider  approving  the  subdivision.  "In  151 
months  of  negotiations  this  was  the  first 
time  that  FmHA  conditioned  subdivision r 
approval  on  repair  of  the  existing  houses,'* 
says  Myer  in  his  report. 

Other  roadblocks  and  broken  promises 
continued  to  multiply  during  the  two  yean 
of  negotiations. 

More  recently,  other  agencies  seeing  thtf 
irresponsibility  of  FmHA's  actions  towardi 
Freedom  Village,  have  begun  to  speak  oun 
in  behalf  of  the  project.  Hope  for  new 
development  is  in  the  air. 

Yet,  as  indicated  in  the  Myer  report,  th 
opposition  of  Mississippi's  FmHA  is  still  i 
reality.  It  concludes:  "Without  major 
changes  in  FmHA's  approach  to  solving 
the  more  difficult  rural  housing  problems, 
the  promise  of  the  1949  Housing  Act  willl 
remain  a  cruel  hoax  to  . . .  thousands  of 
rural  poor  in  Washington  County,  Mis- 
sissippi." 

Copies  of  "The  Sabotage  of  Freedom 
Village"  may  be  obtained  by  writing  to 
Delta  Housing  Development  Corpora- 
tion, Box  847,  Indianola,  Mississippi 
38751. 


6  MESSENGER  March  1975 


[U]DT]d]s[rDD[n]( 


I 


Food  Day  focus:  costs, 
shortages,  and  quality 

-ood  Day,  a  sequel  to  Earth  Day  com- 
nemorations  of  recent  years,  is  being 
)rganized  as  a  nationwide  observance  on 
\pril  17.  Congregations  are  invited  to  join 
vith  other  agencies  in  planning  activities  to 
lelp  dramatize  the  world's  worsening  food 
irisis. 

To  be  highlighted  will  be  three  themes: 
The  severity  of  the  world  food  shortage, 
ising  prices  at  home,  and  the  declining 
luality  of  American  diets  and  the  effect 
ipon  health. 

1  hese  foci  and  a  list  of  suggested  ac- 
ivitics  were  drawn  by  the  Center  for 
kicnce  in  the  Public  Interest,  the  coor- 
linating  body.  The  activities  include: 

A  Food  Day  coordinating  committee 

0  enlist  support  of  local  groups  and  to 
:eep  the  media  informed. 

Establishment  of  a  food  cooperative 
limed  at  lower  prices  and  improved 
luality. 

Development  of  a  farmers  market  for 
)u\ing  produce  direct  from  farmers. 

Promotion  of  community  gardens  on 
acant  city  lots  or  unused  church  land. 

1  -    Assistance  to  persons  eligible  for  food 
'tamp  programs  but  not  now  benefiting 
roni  them. 

Boycott  of  "junk  foods." 

(valuation  and  improvement  of 
chool  lunch  programs. 

Introduction  of  nutrition  education 
nto  elementary,  secondary,  college,  and 
nedical  school  curricula. 

Study  of  farm  issues.  (The  1974 
"hurch  of  the  Brethren  booklet  on  This 
'Mild:  Ours  for  a  Season  provides  a  broad 
ind  penetrating  look  at  the  church  and 
igriculture.) 

A  food  action  handbook  by  Ballantine  is 
o  be  released  early  in  March.  A  newsletter, 
losters,  brochures,  and  other  materials 
nay  be  procured  from  Food  Day,  1785 
klassachusetts  Ave.  NW,  Washington, 
).C.  20036(202  462-3510). 

The  Center  for  Science  in  the  Public  In- 
erest  includes  on  its  advisory  board  Har- 
'ard  nutritionist  Jean  Mayer,  legislators 
iulian  Bond,  Dick  Clark,  and  Hubert 
lumphrey,  communications  activist 
^licholas  Johnson,  consumer  advocate 
Jess  Myerson,  Nobel  laureate  George 
iVald,  and  Yale  chaplain  William  Sloan 
"offin. 


GOOD  NEWS    .    .    .    Giving  to  programs  of  the  General  Board 
reached  $2,255,000  in  1974,  an  increase  over  the  previous 
year  of  10.6  percent,  according  to  Ronald  D.  Petry  of  the 
Stewardship  Enlistment  office.   An  additional  $240,000 
was  contributed  to  the  Disaster  Fund. 


VOLUNTEERS   IN  BRETHREN  SERVICE 


Three  regional 


weekends  designed  to  help  individuals  explore  volunteer 
service  possibilities  are  slated  this  spring:   April  4-6  at 
North  Manchester,  Ind.,  May  16-18  at  New  Windsor,  Md. ,  and 
June  6-8  at  La  Verne,  Calif.   Led  by  the  staffs  of  Parish 
Volunteer  Service  and  Brethren  Volunteer  Service,  the  ses- 
sions will  focus  on  program  opportunities  and  the  relation 
of  the  Christian  faith  and  service.   For  registration  data, 
contact  the  PVS  or  BVS  staffs  at  the  Elgin  General  Offices 
or  district  or  congregational  offices. 


ARTISTS   TAKE  NOTE 


The  Association  for  the  Arts 


extends  an  invitation  to  artists  and  craf tspersons  related 
to  lihe  Church  of  the  Brethren  to  contribute  objects  to  ex- 
hibit at  the  Dayton  Annual  Conference  that  affirm  or  in- 
terpret the  conference  theme,  "All  Creation  Awaits!"   For 
detailed  information  and  entry  blanks,  write  Mary  Ann  Hylton, 
Brentwood  Drive,  Braddock  Heights,  Md.  21714. 

A  24-hour  "total  immersion"  Music  and  Arts  Worship  Re- 
treat will  take  place  May  9-10  at  New  Windsor,  Md.,  with 
Alvin  Brighthill,  Wilbur  Brumbaugh,  Mary  Ann  Hylton,  Matthew 
Meyer,  and  Kenneth  Morse  as  leaders.   The  event,  open  to  all, 
is  planned  by  the  Association  for  the  Arts  in  conjunction 
with  a  second  religious  exhibition.  Art  A.D.  '75. 

SUMMER   INSTITUTE    ...  In  addition  to  Bethany  Semi- 
nary 's  Summer  Extension  School  July  28 — Aug.  1  at  Elizabeth- 
town  College,  a  Stammer  Institute  on  the  theme,  "Freedom  and 
Authority  in  the  Church,"  will  occur  Aug.  4-14  on  Bethany's 
own  campus.   Cosponsored  by  the  Parish  Ministries  Commission 
and  the  seminary,  the  institute  will  be  led  by  Byron   £.  Royer 
and  Rick  Gardner.      For  details,  write  Bethany  Seminary,  But- 
ter field  and  Meyers  Road,  Oak  Brook,  111.  60521. 


IN   THE  HOPPER 


The  Spring  BAM  Gathering  of  the 


Brethren  Action  Movement  will  occur  April  11-13  at  McPherson 
College.   For  travel  data,  contact  Mike  Gray,    1234  Dogwood 
Dr.,  Harrisonburg,  Va.  22801;  for  program  information,  Dave 
Hendricks ,    422  N.  Maxwell,  McPherson,  Kan.  67460.  ...  A 
reunion  of  European  BVSers  (1948-63)  and  their  families  is 
planned  at  the  Brethren  Service  Center,  New  Windsor,  Md. , 
Aug.  22-24,  where  all  facilities  have  been  reserved. 


HERITAGE  RESOURCES 


"The  Brethren  Story, "  a  re- 


vised, updated  version  of  Virginia  Fisher' s   "The  Story  of 
the  Brethren,"  is  available  in  paperback  for  $2.50  from 
The  Atlantic  Northeast  District,  900  South  Arlington  Ave., 
Rm.  213,  Harrisburg,  Pa.  17109.  Ten  or  more  copies,  $2  each. 
.  .  .  "Brethren  in  Florida  and  Puerto  Rico,"  a  new  district 
history,  is  just  off  the  press  and  available  for  $5  from 
3321  Sparta  Road,  Sebring,  Fla.  33870. 

March  1975  messenger  7 


ps©DS]D  [rsp©[rlt 


I 


"Sabon  Ral 

by  Kermon  Thomason 


A  very  popular  evangelistic  song  in  Lardin 
Gabas  has  the  recurring  line,  "Sabon  rai 
don  Kowa"  ("New  life  for  all").  Sabon  rai 
in  the  Nigerian  church  is  being  matched  to- 
day by  new  life  through  the  Lafiya  j 
program.  j 

As  1  traveled  through  Lardin  Gabas  last 
November  the  presence  of  Lafiya  was  evi- 
dent in  every  corner  of  the  district.  At  Gar- 
kida,  Lassa,  and  Ngoshi  new  hospital  ' 

facilities  were  under  construction.  The  first  j 
rural  health  workers  class  graduated  while  | 
1  was  there.  The  under-five  clinic  teams  I 
were  continuing  to  function  well,  bringing  I 
health  to  small  children  and  expectant  i 

mothers  in  the  remotest  villages.  ' 

Talking  with  Roger  Schrock,  Lafiya 
coordinator,  I  found  him  excited  over  the 
innovative,  pioneering  program  that  the 
Brethren  undertook  just  over  three  years 
ago.  The  $1,050,000  grant  from  West  Ger- 
many (Messenger,  September  1974)  has 
gotten  the  building  program  moving  again. 
US  Lafiya  giving  continues  to  be  high.  The 
response  of  the  Nigerians  reached  by  the 
different  thrusts  of  Lafiya  is  enthusiastic. 

"Our  biggest  problem  yet  is  staffing," 
says  Schrock.  "Getting  and  keeping  staff, 
both  expatriate  and  Nigerian,  gives  me 
more  headaches  than  finding  funds." 


The  mosl  readily  visible  results  of  Lafiya 
are  the  new  hospital  facilities  at  Garkida, 
Lassa.  and  Ngoshi.  Top:  Garkida's  out- 
patient clinic  (right),  lab  and  store  (center),  i 
and  public  health  building  (left)  form  an 
open-ended  quadrangle  at  the  new  hospital 
entrance.  Second  from  top:  Out-patient 
housing  at  Garkida.  the  first  completed 
units  of  the  new  complex.  Third  from  top: 
Garkida's  new  men's  ward,  nearing  com- 
pletion. Bottom  left:  Public  health  facilities 
at  Garkida.  Bottom  right:  Ov.en  Shankster. 
Lafiya  building  engineer,  lays  out  Lassa's 
new  surgery  building.  At  the  rear  are  the 
present  administration  building  (left)  and 
surgery  (right). 


\iissi\GER  March  14" 


hrough  Laiiya 


With  the  recent  terminations  by  Drs. 
Homer  Burke  and  Dale  Nash,  the  arrival 
of  Dr.  Samuel  Rayapati  from  India,  and 
four  US  medical  students  (for  three-month 
study  programs)  has  been  more  than  a 
kvelcome  event.  The  medical  students  are 
Nancy  Nealon  and  Maryann  Jedziniak 

rom  Hershey  Medical  Center.  Hershey. 
Pa.,  and  William  Hole  and  Steven  Miller 

rem  Ohio  State  University  College  of 
.Medicine. 

With  indigenization  its  goal.  Lafiya 
needs  Nigerians  trained  for  all  types  of 
medical  and  para-medical  work.  From  Ni- 
geria's National  Youth  Service  Corps  has 
come  Dr.  James  Renner  to  Garkida 


General  Hospital  for  one  year  of  service.  A 
scholarship  fund  hopes  to  sponsor  some  70 
candidates  in  fields  ranging  from  nursing 
to  dispensary  attendants.  Additional  peo- 
ple will  be  trained  in  public  health  and 
preventive  medicine.  At  the  time  of  my 
visit  25  Nigerians  were  in  training  in 
Nigerian  institutions  through  Lafiya 
scholarships. 

These  and  others  to  come,  it  is  hoped, 
will  meet  the  challenge  of  service  in  their 
home  communities,  giving  Lafiya  the  vitali- 
ty to  carry  out  its  purpose  of  building  an 
integrated,  comprehensive  approach  to 
health  care  through  good  public  health 
principles  and  practices.    D 


Above:  Protective  charms  worn  by  this 
under-five  clinic  attender  suggest  a  dual 
faith  in  medicine  and  superstition. 


Under-five  clinic  teams  are  reaching  hun- 
ireds  of  children  and  mothers  with  Lafiya's 
nessage  and  medicine.  Right:  Mwala  Mam- 
■a  of  the  Marama  area  team  gives  home 
lealth  tips  to  mothers  on  clinic  day.  Below 
eft:  Monthly  weight  checks  for  under-fives 
at ch  first  signs  of  malnutrition.  Such 
vatchfulness  does  not  impress  this  dis- 
nchanted youngster.  Below  right:  A  rural 
iealth  workers  class  trains  teams  of  two  — 
me  male:  one  female — to  do  public  health 
vork  in  their  home  villages.  The  first  class, 
node  up  of  South  Margi  villagers,  com- 
pleted training  last  November. 


by  Glenn  R.  Bucher 

Two  words  dominate  the  "Grand  In- 
quisitor" section  of  Dostoyevsky's  novel. 
The  Brothers  Karamazov.  They  are: 
"Maiden,  arise!"  The  scene  is  the  funeral  of 
a  small  girl.  A  cardinal,  symbol  of  the 
church,  and  his  fellow  mourners  are 
perplexed  and  grief-stricken  as  they  process 
to  the  unhappy  ceremony.  Amidst  the 
weeping,  a  lowly  stranger,  the  Christ 
figure,  moves  toward  the  casket.  He  says: 
"Maiden,  arise!"  The  girl  sits  up,  holding 
the  white  roses  placed  in  her  presumably- 
dead  hands.  All,  especially  the  ecclesio- 
crats,  are  astonished.  In  fact,  they  are  out- 
raged; hence,  the  stranger  becomes  a 
prisoner. 

J.B.  is  a  contemporary  portrait  of  the 
Old  Testament  character  Job.  The 
playwright  MacLeish  concludes  the  story 
of  Job's  sufferings  in  dramatic  style.  It's  the 
end  of  J.B.'s  life,  and  it's  been  pure  hell. 
Even  nuclear  destruction  has  now  hit.  Lit- 
tle remains.  Walking  through  the  rubble, 
J.B.'s  wife,  Sarah,  says:  "Among  the  ashes. 
AH  there  is  now  of  the  town  is  ashes. 

10  MESSENGER  March  1975 


Our  task  as  contemporary  Christians  i 
to  celebrate  life  in  the  midst  of  death 


Petals  and  butterflie: 


(There's)  only  this.  I  found  it  growing  in 
the  ashes,  gold  as  though  it  did  not 
know. ...  I  broke  the  branch  to  strip  the 
leaves  off — Petals  again! ..." 

In  A  Death  in  the  Family,  James  Agee 
describes  the  funeral  of  a  beloved  father. 
Relating  the  graveyard  scene  to  the  de- 
ceased one's  son.  Uncle  Andrew  says  to 
young  Rufus:  "There  were  a  lot  of  clouds, 
but  they  were  blowing  fast,  so  there  was  a 
lot  of  sunshine,  too.  Right  when  they 
began  to  lower  your  father  into  the  ground, 
into  his  grave,  a  cloud  came  over  and  there 
was  a  shadow  just  like  iron,  and  a  perfectly 
magnificent  butterfly  settled  on  the  coffin, 
just  rested  there. ...  He  stayed  there  all  the 
way  down,  Rufus.  And  then  he  flew  up  out 
of  that — hole  in  the  ground,  straight  up 
into  the  sky." 

Finally,  consider  the  biblical  witness.  It 
is  the  evening  before  His  crucifixion.  Jesus 
and  the  twelve  meet  in  a  room  to  celebrate 
their  life  together,  to  speak  of  God's 
kingdom,  to  affirm  their  vocation  as 
heralds  of  the  new  age.  They  come  to  give 
thanks  for  a  life  shared  in  common. 
Betrayal  and  death  are  imminent.  In  the 
breaking  of  bread  and  in  the  drinking  of 
wine  they  act  out  life's  meaning  amidst 
forces  that  seek  to  destroy  it. 

A  dead  girl  raised  to  life  by  a  nobody 
while  church  leaders  stand  aghast;  petals  in 
the  holocaust;  a.  butterfly  on  a  coffin;  and 
bread  and  wine  before  a  crucifixion:  what 
do  they  all  have  in  common?  And  so  what? 

All  are  symbols  of  life — of  good  news — 
of  hope.  Even  more,  all  are  life,  good  news, 
and  hope.  In  the  clutch  of  death,  of  bad 
news,  of  hopelessness,  they  all  appeared.  A 
dead  girl  is  raised  to  life.  New  petals  are 
found  in  nuclear  rubble.  A  butterfly  alights 
on  a  coffin.  There  is  a  feast  of  bread  and 
wine  before  death  on  a  cross.  Life  in  the 
midst  of  death — that  is  the  theme  which 
powerfully  assaults  one  in  all  of  these 
references.  These  symbols  should  be 
meaningful  expressions  for  us  because 


that's  what  the  Gospel  is  all  about — life 
the  midst  of  death  . . .  good  news 
superceding  bad  news  . . .  hope  against 
hopelessness. 

Let  us  look  at  some  biblical  evidence. 

•  In  the  exodus  there  was  freedom  fol 
slaves  in  Egypt — a  life  of  freedom,  not 
death  of  slavery.  To  the  Pharaoh,  Mose 
says:  "Let  my  people  go!" 

•  In  the  prophets  there  are  powerful 
words  about  justice  spoken  within  in- 
tolerable conditions  of  injustice.  "Let 
justice  roll  down  like  waters,"  Amos 
thunders  to  a  corrupt  nation. 

•  The  New  Testament  centers  aroundt 
Prince  of  Peace  whose  teachings  were  in 
dramatic  contrast  to  those  of  the  politici 
tyrant  during  whose  tenure  Jesus  lived; ; 
the  writer  of  Matthew  says,  when  Heroc 
heard  of  the  birth  of  a  King  of  the  Jews,> 
was  greatly  troubled. 

•  Finally,  the  resurrection  (life)  after  1 
crucifixion  (death);  why  do  you  seek  the 
living  among  the  dead?  was  the  question* 
the  mourners  at  the  empty  tomb. 


T. 


-  he  Bible  is  full  of  such  images  becau! 
the  biblical  witness  has  a  bias — pro-life 
and  anti-death.  For  me,  that's  what  the 
Judaeo-Christian  tradition  is,  though  in 
this  day  as  in  all  times,  it's  easier  to  talk 
it  than  to  live  it  out. 

What  do  girls  with  new  life  . . .  petals 
butterflies  ...  a  bread-wine  celebration 
have  to  do  with  Christian  community?  Ii 
substance  and  symbol  these  commonplat 
realities  embody  a  Christian  community' 
reason  for  being.  The  Gospel — the  "goCMi 
news" — is  that  life  has  conquered  death 
Petals  in  ashes  and  butterflies  on  coffins 
say  that  well.  And  that's  what  we 
Christians  must  be  saying  in  our  time 

About  Christian  life  in  the  world, 
someone  has  put  it:  "The  messianic  visio 
can  never  be  a  form  of  private  salvation. 
By  nature  it  seeks  community;  it  seeks  a 


ilarks  of  Christian  community 


therhood  which  shares  and  lives  this  vi- 
1 1." 

Vhat  is  the  nature  of  this  Christian  com- 
nity  into  which  the  people  of  God  are 
itd  continually? 
irst,  a  common  faith  is  one  of  the  re- 
lements  for  Christian  community.  Both 
ore  and  after  the  crucifixion,  Jesus'  dis- 
ies  shared  a  common  affirmation:  as 
£is  himself  said  it,  "The  time  is  fulfilled, 
I  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand;  repent, 
I  believe  the  Gospel."  What  does  this 
t  mean? 

or  me  it  suggests  that  the  kingdom  of 
id  is  in  our  midst  to  be  a  way  of  life  for 
r  people  of  God  here  and  now,  in  this 
he.  It  is  a  style  of  life  which  Jesus  lived 
1  recommended,  not  just  an  insurance 
i,cy  for  the  after  life.  What  the  kingdom 
Ijod — the  central  theme  of  the  Christian 
(imunity's  common  faith — means  is  that 
hse  who  have  been  confronted  by  the 
id  news  can  live  it  out  amidst  all  of  the 
>:  news.  Our  faith  has  to  do  with  life — 
th  exposing  the  way  it  can  be  lived  to  a 
.believing,  disgruntled,  and  disen- 
ruchised  world. 

t  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  in 
i'  day  we  are  surrounded  by  death — 
.I'th  as  represented  in  war,  poverty, 
ince,  meaninglessness,  the  loss  of 
h  nation's  spirit  and  soul.  But  that  is 
I  cause  for  Christian  despair — there  is 
!  such  thing,  ultimately.  No — we  are  to 
ii  of  petals  and  butterflies  and  the 
irrection  of  the  death,  not  the  dead 
mselves — let  them  bury  their  own.  We 
surrounded  on  all  sides  with  the  petals 
I  the  butterflies  in  the  men  and  women 
LaMancha  who  use  shaving  basins  as 
den  helmets,  in  the  Cool  Hand  Lukes 
3se  power  to  resist  transforms  human 
s,  and  in  a  Block  Island  home  where 
thers  Daniel,  William,  and  Anthony 
:  of  clowns  and  recipes  while  men  of 
th  sit  in  Washington,  trying  to 
ipher  the  codes  in  which  they  speak. 


All  are  expressions  of  the  Resurrection, 
and  there  are  others. 

It  is  particularly  in  situations  of  obvious 
death  like  the  present  that  the  community 
of  believers  called  Christian  is  summoned 
to  witness  for  good  news.  That  is  our  com- 
mon faith. 

A  second  characteristic  of  Christian 
community  is  the  celebration  of  this  faith. 
It  was  that  which  happened  in  the  Upper 
Room  over  bread  and  wine.  Someone  has 
said:  "To  an  outsider,  the  celebrations  of 
Christians  are  like  a  football  huddle.  You 
know  something  is  going  on,  but  all  you 
can  see  are  their  rear  ends."  Celebration  — 
worship  in  Christian  community — is  the 
way  we  get  ourselves  together,  so  to  speak. 
We  assemble  to  reaffirm  the  good  news 
which  we  say  we  believe — to  hold  the 
petals  high — after  our  faith  has  been 
shaken  by  bad  news  and  ashes.  That's  the 
purpose  of  the  huddle,  rear  ends  and  all. 
But  then  out  of  that  we  break  forth  to  ex- 
hibit the  life  that  we  know  before  the  dis- 
believing world. 


o, 


'f  course,  most  expressions  of  Christian 
worship  are  not  celebrations  at  all.  Usually, 
they  are  like  funerals — time  spent  with  the 
Christ  who  never  rose.  But  that's  not  what 
we  say  we  believe.  So  why  not  act  like  the 
Christian  fools  we  have  been  called  to  be? 
Why  not  say  what  we  believe — that  life 
continues  to  conquer  death?  And  then  ex- 
()ress  that  as  though  we  mean  it.  For  the 
Christian,  every  day  is  Easter  morning — all 
of  our  celebrations  must  be  an  Easter  Sun- 
day celebration. 

Finally,  the  third  necessity  for  Christian 
community  is  corporate  action  in  the 
world.  We  have  a  common  faith — the 
Kingdom  of  God  is  now.  And  we  have  a 
celebration — with  bread  and  wine.  But  we 
also  have  a  purpose — to  act  out  the 
triumph  of  life  over  death  in  the  world 
where  we  live.  The  Bible  is  about  God's  life 


in  our  history — we  enter  into  history  in 
order  to  find  out  where  He  is  and  what 
He's  doing  in  the  world — and  then  we  join 
him  in  those  tasks.  That's  what  corporate 
action  in  the  world  means.  And  the  agenda 
still  remains  the  same  as  it  was  in  Isaiah  61 
and  Luke  4: 

To  bring  good  news  to  the  afflicted,  to 
bind  up  the  broken  hearted,  to  proclaim 
liberty  to  the  captives,  to  open  the  prisons 
for  those  who  are  bound,  to  proclaim  the 
year  of  God's  new  age,  to  comfort  those 
who  mourn. 

As  the  world  sees  it,  that  is  a  strange — 
perhaps  even  a  subversive — agenda.  It's 
not  an  easy  set  of  priorities  to  adopt.  In 
fact,  it's  a  real  risk — but  that's  what  we 
always  have  said  we  knew  it  was. 

As  someone  has  said:  "Those  in  whom 
the  messianic  vision  and  hope  have  been 
reborn  find  themselves  pitted  against  the 
surrounding  society  in  a  fundamental  way, 
and  this  includes  that  religious  society 
which  calls  itself  church.  From  the  stand- 
point of  the  world,  including  the  churches 
of  the  world,  the  Christian,  then,  is  a  mad- 
man, a  dreamer,  a  clown,  a  criminal,  a  man 
maladjusted  to  reality  as  it  is  presently  con- 
stituted." 

And  Jesus  said  to  them,  "1  have  earnest- 
ly desired  to  eat  this  passover  with  you 
before  I  suffer."  With  those  words,  Jesus 
convened  the  early  Christian  community — 
together  they  came  to  share  their  common 
faith,  to  celebrate,  and  to  prepare  for  ac- 
tion in  the  world.  In  the  midst  of  betrayal 
and  death,  they  celebrated  life. 

As  the  contemporary  Christian  com- 
munity, our  task  is  no  different — to 
celebrate  life  in  the  midst  of  death.  There  is 
another  way  to  say  that — there  are  still 
petals  in  the  ashes;  there  are  still  butterflies 
on  the  coffins.  To  believe  this,  to  live  as 
though  it  is  the  case,  and  to  tell  others 
about  it — that  constitutes  the  purpose  for 
those  communities  which  became  Chris- 
tian.  D 

March  1975  messenger  11 


The  Lord  Irm  Hand 

With  gratitude  and  joy  we  affirm  again 
our  confidence  in  the  sufficiency  of  our  crucified  and  risen  Lord. 
We  know  him  as  the  one  who  is,  who  was  and  who  is  to  come, 
the  sovereign  Lord  of  all.    *  . 

To  the  individual  he  comes  with  power  . , 

to  liberate  from  every  evil  and  sin,  ' 

from  every  power  in  heaven  and  earth,  ;, 

and  from  every  threat  of  life  or  death. 

To  the  world  he  comes  as  the'  Lord  of  the  universe,        ^^ 
vith  deep  compassion  for  the  poor  and  the  hungry, 
'to  liberate  the  powerless  and  the  oppressed.  ^ 

To  the  powerful  and  the  oppressors  he  comes 
in  judgment  and  mercy.  < 

We  see  God  at  work  today, 
both  within  the  church  find  beyond  th6  church,  *; 

towards  the  achievement  of  his  purpose, 
that  justice  might  shine  on  every  nation. 

He  calls  his  church  to  be  part  of  his  saving  activity, 
both  in  calling  persons  to  decisive  personal  response  to  his  Lordship, 
and  in  unequivocal  commitment  to  the  movement  and  works 
by  which  all  persons  may  know  justice, 
and  have  opportunity  to  be  fully  human. 

In  joyous  trust  in  Christ's  power  and  victory, 
we  can  live  with  freedom  and  hope, 
whatever  the  present  may  be. 

The  Lord  is  at  hand. 

From  -An  AffirmaHon  un  Salvallan  Todav."  Bangkok   Conjercme 


'^rmm 


'^od  h^  Holu  Spirit  wg  worshi 


Christ  and  the  Samaritan  Woman  Among  Ruins,"  by  Rembrandt 


Read  John  4:1-26 

"Most  people  are  like  a  shaving  of  wood 
which  is  curled  around  its  central  emp- 
tiness." Such  was  the  description  of  human 
nature  by  a  monk  named  Theophan  the 
Recluse.  Now,  hundreds  of  years  later,  that 
description  is  still  hauntingly  true.  Even 
during  an  economic  slump,  we  Americans 
of  the  70s  are  satiated  with  the  "good 
things" — plenty  of  food,  cars,  color  tv, 
recreational  and  cultural  opportunities,  ac- 
tivity upon  activity.  We  have  "good  things" 
in  abundance,  yet,  deep  inside,  many  of  us 
feel  empty. 

During  his  ministry.  Jesus  encountered 
many  who  experienced  this  emptiness.  For 
example,  the  woman  at  the  well. 

She  had  come  to  the  well  hoping  not  to 
meet  anyone.  She  had  come  to  draw  water 
at  noon,  in  the  midday  heat,  rather  than  in 
the  cool  of  the  evening,  when  the  other 
women  in  the  town  came  to  draw  water. 
She  was  known  as  the  "town  whore."  And 
she  had  had  enough  of  the  cold  stares  and 
the  snide  remarks. 


k3o  she  was  caught  off  guard  when  she 
saw  the  Jewish  man  sitting  by  the  well.  But 
she  was  surprised  even  more  when  Jesus 
asked  her,  a  Samaritan,  to  give  him  a 
drink.  The  Jews  looked  upon  the 
Samaritans  as  racial  half-breeds  who  had 
corrupted  the  worship  of  the  God  of  Israel. 
Strict  Jews  would  not  even  travel  in 
Samaria,  let  alone  speak  with  a  Samaritan. 
But  perhaps  even  more  shocking  was  the 
fact  that  this  rabbi  would  speak  with  her,  a 
woman.  The  Pharisee  thanked  God  daily 
that  he  was  not  born  a  woman.  The  rabbis 
used  to  debate  whether  or  not  women  had 
souls.  This  man  was  breaking  all  religious 
and  social  custom. 


Lord! 


14  MESSENGER  March  1975 


/hat  WG  do  nol  know/bu  Larru  Qraub 


1     As  we  follow  the  conversation  between 
iJesus  and  the  woman  at  the  well,  we  get 
the  feeling  that  someone  is  not  com- 
municating. Jesus  speaks  about  offering 
iher  a  drink,  but  he  does  not  even  have  a 
bucket  with  which  to  draw  water.  As  we 
iread  the  dialogue,  it  is  almost  amusing  to 
observe  how  they  are  speaking  past  each 
other.  "How  can  she  be  so  blind?"  we  ask 
ourselves.  But  is  she  really  that  different 
from  us? 


G, 


radually,  the  woman  begins  to  com- 
iprehend  that  Jesus  is  speaking  about 
isomething  deeper  than  physical  thirst. 
j    Jesus  said  to  her:  "Every  one  who  drinks 
jof  this  water  will  thirst  again,  but  whoever 
Idrinks  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him 
(will  never  thirst;  the  water  that  1  shall  give 
jhim  will  become  in  him  a  spring  of  water 
welling  up  to  eternal  life"  (vss.  13-14). 

Previously,  Jesus  had  said  that  if  only 
she  asked  him,  he  could  give  her  "living 
iwater."  C.  S.  Lovett  in  his  commentary  on 
John  points  out  that  the  term  "living 
water"  referred  to  the  spring  water  at  the 
bottom  of  the  well,  where  it  bubbles  and 
Iflows.  Now  Jesus  has  her  imagine  a  well  in 
which  the  spring  water  gushes  clear  up  over 
ithe  top  of  the  well — only,  this  spring  wells 
up  to  eternal  life. 

When  the  woman  perceives  that  Jesus  is 
referring  to  a  spiritual  experience,  a  joy 
Ithat  will  bubble  up  from  deep  within 
herself,  she  responds,  "Sir,  give  me  this 
water." 

Jesus  had  awakened  a  longing  deep 
within  her.  Until  this  person  had  met  Jesus, 
this  need  was  probably  only  a  dim  aware- 
ness— a  dull  ache.  But  he  had  reached  out 
to  her.  He  was  so  full  of  life.  And,  more 
than  anything  else,  she  wanted  to  feel  really 
alive. 


In  spite  of  all  our  comforts  of  home  and 
varied  activities,  many  of  us  feel  that  same 
yearning.  We  are  bombarded  with  slogans 
like  "Come  alive,  you're  in  the  Pepsi 
generation,"  but  Pepsi  isn't  the  answer. 
Neither  is  a  summer  resort,  an  affair,  a 
promotion  we  think  we  deserve.  We  feel 
something  missing,  but,  like  the  woman  at 
the  well,  we  stop  short  of  one  thing 
necessary  before  we  can  experience  that 
spring  of  life  within  ourselves:  being  honest 
before  God. 

"O  Lord,  Thou  hast  searched  me  and 
known  me!"  confesses  the  writer  of  Psalm 
139.  But  we  are  experts  in  deceiving 
ourselves  and  trying  to  deceive  God.  The 
woman  at  the  well  could  have  left  Jesus 
that  day  and  never  had  her  yearning 
fulfilled.  Gradually,  she  would  have 
become  numb  again  to  the  need  he  had 
awakened  within  her. 


B. 


'ut  Jesus  would  not  let  this  happen. 
"Go.  call  your  husband,  and  come  here," 
he  tells  her.  She  tries  to  cover  up  with  a 
half-truth  ("But  I  don't  have  a  husband"), 
but  to  no  avail.  She  has  been  found  out. 
But,  amazingly,  the  uncovered  secret  does 
not  end  the  relationship.  Jesus  does  not  re- 
ject her!  Now  that  the  barriers  are  down, 
he  can  speak  to  her  about  worshiping  the 
Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  No  more  try- 
ing to  "con"  God  or  herself. 

It  may  appear  as  if  the  woman  is  trying 
to  change  the  subject  when  she  responds  to 
Jesus'  confrontation  by  saying:  "Where  is 
the  right  place  to  worship?"  (vss.  19-20). 
No,  she  is  not  trying  to  run  from  the  situa- 
tion by  engaging  Jesus  in  a  theological  dis- 
cussion. She  wants  to  know:  "Where  can  I 
go  to  make  things  right  with  God?" 

Jesus  replies:  "Woman,  believe  me,  the 
hour  is  coming  when  neither  on  this  moun- 


tain nor  in  Jerusalem  will  you  worship  the 
Father.  You  worship  what  you  do  not 
know;  we  worship  what  we  know,  for 
salvation  is  from  the  Jews.  But  the  hour  is 
coming,  and  now  is,  when  true  worshipers 
will  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in 
truth. ..."  When  the  woman  responds,  "I 
know  that  one  day  the  Messiah  will  explain 
these  things  to  us."  Jesus  says:  "/  who 
speak  to  you  am  he"  (vss.  21,  23-26). 

We  live  in  the  age  "when  the  true 
worshipers  . . .  worship  the  Father  in  spirit 
and  in  truth."  God's  refreshing  spring  is 
not  to  be  found  at  Mount  Gerizim, 
Jerusalem,  or  even  before  the  altar  in  the 
church  building.  We  must  go  to  Jesus,  the 
Risen  Lord,  himself.  He  is  our  temple.  We 
are  brought  to  him  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  who 
makes  us  honest  before  the  Father  by  con- 
victing us  of  sin  (John  16:8).  and  then 
dwells  within  us  when  we  ask  him  (John 
14:16-17). 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  spring  of  water 
within  us  which  wells  up  to  eternal  life.  It 
breaks  down  barriers  within,  which 
separate  my  spirit  from  God's  spirit.  And  it 
breaks  down  barriers  without,  between 
races  and  nationalities  and  sexes:  "There  is 
neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither 
slave  nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor 
female;  for  you  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus" 
(Gal.  3:28). 


w„ 


ithout  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  the 
Spirit  of  Jesus,  we  like  the  Samaritans 
worship  what  we  do  not  know.  "God"  is  an 
impersonal,  catch-all  term  for  whatever  we 
want  to  make  him.  Only  when  we  know 
Jesus  can  we  testify  with  Paul:  "God  has 
sent  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  your  hearts 
to  cry.  'Father,  dear  Father'"  (Gal.  4:6.  J. 
B.  Phillips). 

Lord,  give  me  a  drink.  D 


giv€  m€  a  drink 


March  1975  messenger  15 


I 


The  night 
Jesus  came  to 
love  feast  I 

Noah  S.  Martin 


vyne  Sunday  morning  a  certain  pastor  told  his  people  who  had  gathered  in  worship  that  he  had  a 
most  unusual  dream  during  the  night.  He  dreamed  that  Jesus  had  appeared  to  him  and  told  him  that  he 
was  coming  to  the  church  that  evening  to  attend  love  feast.  The  dream  was  very  vivid  and  clear.  There 
was  no  doubt  in  the  minister's  mind  that  it  was  going  to  happen — Jesus  would  be  there  that  evening. 

Naturally  this  announcement  caused  no  small  stir.  Jesus  was  coming  to  love  feast!  The  One  who 
had  begun  it  all  was  going  to  drop  by  and  share  the  feast  of  love  with  his  church! 

Almost  immediately  the  church  broke  up.  Everybody  got  to  work.  The  carpet  was  vacuumed 
again.  Young  men  washed  the  windows.  The  Altar  Guild  polished  the  brass.  The  chandeliers 
were  cleaned.  Extra  bread  was  baked;  more  wine  was  poured;  more  basins  began  to  arrive  at  the 
church  to  accommodate  the  huge  crowd  that  was  anticipated.  The  organist  arrived  early  and  practiced 
her  most  beautiful  pieces  of  music. 


16  MESSENGER  March  1975 


T. 


he  pastor  reviewed  every  item  of  the 
service  very  carefully,  almost  memorizing 
the  scripture  by  heart.  He  was  concerned; 
what  version  should  he  read?  Some  in  the 
church  felt  that  he  should  go  back  to  the 
King  James  Version;  others  said,  "No,  the 
Lord  would  really  be  pleased  with  the  New 
Living  Bible — perhaps  He  hadn't  heard  it 
yet." 

That  afternoon  tv  sets  were  turned  off 
and  some  read  the  Bible  who  hadn't  read 
it  for  years.  Many  persons  for  the  first 
time  got  down  on  their  knees  and  really 
prayed. 


T. 


he  evening  came.  A  huge  crowd  was 
gathering.  The  deacons  had  to  run  down  to 
Sheetz  Kwik  Shop  for  some  more  ham 
salad.  They  had  never  seen  so  many  attend 
a  communion  service.  Yet,  strangely,  there 
were  some  people  missing,  too.  It  seems 
that  some  thought  the  pastor  was  pulling  a 
promotional  gag.  Imagine,  Jesus  coming  to 
love  feast!  Others  were  afraid  to  come  and 
look  on  Jesus.  They  had  not  yet  made  their 
peace  with  him;  they  knew  they  were  not 
serving  him  as  they  should.  A  few  got  all 
kinds  of  strange  illnesses  by  the  time  eypn- 
ing  had  arrived. 

It  was  7  o'clock.  The  church  was  filled. 
The  organist  began  to  play  the  great  hymns 
of  the  church.  7:15 — no  Jesus;  7;20 — no 
Jesus.  The  crowd  began  to  grow  restless. 
Then  it  happened!  Down  the  side  aisle 
came  the  presence  of  a  man  who  electrified 
the  people.  He  looked  much  as  other  men. 
He  wore  simple  clothing.  He  sat  down 
in  about  the  center  of  the  congregation, 
bowed  his  head  in  prayer  and  waited.  The 
pastor  walked  back  to  him  and  welcomed 
him  to  the  church.  When  asked  if  he  would 
come  forward  and  share  in  the  service,  he 
smiled  and  shook  his  head  no. 

The  worship  service  began.  The  pastor 
led  in  prayer.  The  church  sang,  "My 
Jesus,  1  Love  Thee"  in  a  moving  spirit.  One 
of  the  sisters  read  the  scriptures,  in- 
troduced the  footwashing  service  and  dis- 
missed the  congregation  to  do  to  one 
another  what  Jesus  had  done  to  his  dis- 
ciples. 

Jesus  mingled  with  the  people,  waited  his 
turn,  went  down  into  the  basement  and 
began  to  remove  his  shoes  and  socks.  The 


deacons  were  not  sure  what  to  do.  The 
pastor  looked  the  other  way  because  he 
was  not  certain  what  to  do  either.  Finally 
one  of  the  deacons  took  the  pastor  by  the 
hand  and  led  him  to  Jesus  and  said,  "I 
think  it  would  be  nice,  Jesus,  if  you  and  the 
pastor  would  wash  one  another's  feet." 

Every  eye  was  on  Jesus.  What  was  he  go- 
ing to  do?  Jesus  put  his  hands  on  the  pastor's 
shoulders  and  said  tenderly,  "What  I  am 
about  to  do  you  will  not  understand  now. 
But  the  time  will  come  when  you  will  under- 
stand and  believe."  Then  he  walked  away 
from  the  pastor  over  to  an  unnoticed  young 
boy  who  was  attending  his  first  love  feast. 
Jesus  stood  before  him,  then  gently  took  a 
towel  and  girded  himself.  He  knelt  before  the 
boy  and  began  to  wash  his  feet.  He  dried 
them  with  the  towel.  Then  he  sat  down  in  the 
chair  and  asked  the  boy  to  wash  his  feet.  The 
hands  of  the  boy  were  trembling  with  excite- 
ment and  fear.  But  carefully  he  washed  the 
feet  of  Jesus  and  he  dried  them  with  the 
towel.  The  two  stood  facing  each  other. 
Jesus  reached  down,  gave  the  boy  a  big  em- 
brace and  kiss,  and  whispered  something  in 
his  ear.  The  boy  broke  into  a  big  smile  as  he 
threw  his  arms  around  Jesus. 


X_/verything  had  come  to  a  halt.  Every 
eye  was  on  Jesus.  Then  Jesus  climbed  up 
onto  a  chair  and  raised  his  hands  for 
silence. 

Slowly  he  began  to  speak:  "If  you  un- 
derstand what  is  happening  here  tonight 
you  are  among  the  fortunate  ones.  Many 
of  my  people  go  through  the  motions  and 
do  not  understand  what  they  are  doing.  If 
I,  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  the 
feet  of  this  tender  lad,  then  you  ought  to 
wash  the  feet  of  one  another.  No  one  is 
greater  or  better  than  any  one  else;  the 
servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord,  nor  is 
the  lord  greater  than  the  servant.  If  I  have 
washed  your  feet,  then  you  ought  to  wash 
the  feet  of  one  another.  You  will  be  happy 
if  you  understand  what  I  have  done  to  you, 
and  happier  yet  if  you  do  it." 

Then  he  paused  for  a  moment.  His  eyes 
became  clouded.  A  look  of  deep  compas- 
sion passed  over  his  face.  He  spoke  again: 
"Actually,  my  real  concern  in  doing  what  I 
did  was  not  so  much  that  you  observe  the 
washing  of  feet  twice  a  year  at  a  formal 


service,  but  rather  that  you  understand  that 
my  children  are  to  go  forth  into  the  world 
as  humble  servants,  always  willing  to  stoop 
down  at  any  moment  to  wash  the  feet  of 
another.  That  night  in  the  upper  room  my 
disciples  had  been  arguing  about  who  was 
going  to  be  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  I  looked  about  me  for  a  symbol — 
you  know,  just  like  all  those  parables  I 
told.  Only  this  was  a  parable  I  needed  to 
act  out.  I  looked  about  me  and  saw  the 
basin  sitting  beside  the  door.  It  was  just 
what  I  needed  to  make  my  point.  Sure,  it's 
fine  that  you  wash  one  another's  feet 
tonight.  I  commend  you  for  coming.  But 
do  you  really  understand  what  you  have 
done?  Do  you  serve  me  that  way  out  in 
life?  Do  you  help  one  another?  Are  you 
willing  to  stoop  down  along  life's  pathway 
and  wash  the  soiled  feet  of  humanity? 

"Oh  my  children,  don't  you  see  my  love 
for  you?  I  was  sent  of  God  to  show  you  the 
Way.  I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the 
Life.  1  gave  up  the  treasures  of  heaven  and 
was  spit  upon,  ridiculed,  hurt.  And  oh, 
don't  say  I  didn't  hurt.  1  hurt  all  over.  1 
was  flesh  and  blood.  I  was  as  human  as 
you.  I  suffered  and  died  at  the  cross  to 
show  the  Father's  love  for  you.  You  are 
to  love  one  another  as  I  have  loved  you. 
Then  all  people  will  know  that  you  belong 
to  me. 

"The  real  test  comes  for  you  now  and 
tomorrow.  Do  you  love  one  another  here, 
in  this  place?  If  anyone  has  anything 
against  another,  go  now  and  make  up,  then 
go  upstairs  and  eat  the  bread  and  drink  the 
cup.  Remember  that  you  are  only  forgiven 
by  the  Father  in  the  degree  that  you  forgive 
one  another — 'forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as 
we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against  us.' 
Do  you  understand  that?" 


«Jesus  stopped  for  a  moment.  Slowly  a 
son  walked  over  to  his  father  and  placed  a 
loving  arm  around  him.  The  pastor  walked 
over  to  a  man  who  was  standing  there  and 
said,  "1  know  we  don't  often  agree  on 
things  around  here,  but  I  want  you  to 
know  that  I  love  you."  One  of  the  sisters 
ran  to  another  sister  and  kissed  and  hugged 
her.  "I'm  so  sorry,"  she  said,  "for  the  things 
I've  thought  and  said  about  you.  I  just 
haven't  been  able  to  love  you  all  these 


March  1975  messenger  17 


years  and  I've  always  felt  bad  about  it,  but 
I  never  knew  what  to  do."  One  of  the  older 
men  went  up  to  one  of  the  younger  men 
and  said,  "I  could  never  love  a  young  man 
with  long  hair.  But  I  forgot  that  Jesus 
probably  had  long  hair  when  he  walked 
and  lived  among  us."  Together  they  em- 
braced one  another  as  the  young  man  cried 
out,  "I,  too,  have  often  been  critical  of 
older  people.  I  have  said  and  done  things 
that  have  been  harsh  and  cruel.  Forgive 
me."  Together  they  wept  in  their  newfound 
love.  Over  here  a  mother  was  being 
reunited  with  a  daughter;  a  sister  with  a 
brother;  a  daughter-in-law  with  her 
mother-in-law. 

"Isn't  it  something,"  a  deaconess  was 
heard  to  say.  "Every  love  feast  someone  is 
always  complaining;  someone  doesn't  like 
the  ham  salad,  another  wants  the  cheese 
returned  to  the  sandwich,  and  someone 
fusses  that  the  communion  cups  are  not  as 
full  as  the  time  before.  Why,  it  was  getting 
to  the  place  that  I  didn't  even  like  to  come 
anymore.  But  tonight  there  is  such  love 
here;  so  much  peace  and  joy.  Wouldn't  it 
be  nice  if  Jesus  were  to  come  to  every  one 
of  our  love  feasts?" 

The  crowd  turned  to  the  stir  that  was  be- 
ing created  on  the  other  side.  A  black  man 
had  just  walked  in  off  the  street.  He  looked 
exhausted.  Some  were  about  to  lead  him 
out  of  the  church  when  Jesus  intervened. 
He  took  the  black  man  by  the  arm  and 
assisted  him  to  the  center  of  the  room. 

"This  man  is  your  brother,"  he  said. 
"When  I  died  for  you  I  also  died  for  him.  1 
love  him  as  much  as  1  love  you.  Who  will 
wash  his  feet?  Who  will  love  him  as  1  love 
him?" 

Here  and  there  people  began  to  raise 
their  hands.  Some  stepped  forward  and 
began  to  gird  themselves  with  a  towel. 
A  man  who  had  always  boasted  of  his 
prejudice  went  up  to  Jesus  and  said,  "Of  all 
men,  I  have  sinned  against  this  man  and 
his  people.  1  will  wash  his  feet."  In  tears  he 
knelt  on  the  floor  before  the  brother  and 
washed  his  feet.  Then  he  asked  the  visitor 
to  wash  his  feet.  They  embraced  and  kissed 
one  another.  A  roar  of  approval  went  up 
from  the  congregation.  The  two  left  the 
social  room  hand  in  hand. 

From  that  moment  on  the  love  feast  was 
not  the  same.  A  great  love  and  joy  swelled 
forth  that  could  not  be  contained.  The 
printed  program  was  laid  aside  as  people 
began  to  sing  and  pray  spontaneously. 
Here  and  there  someone  would  get  up. 


walk  across  the  aisle  to  be  reconciled  with 
a  brother  or  sister.  It  was  particularly 
touching  when  a  man  reached  out  his  hand 
to  his  wife,  and  a  wife  reached  out  her 
hand  to  her  husband.  "The  Old  Rugged 
Cross"  was  sung  with  new  meaning.  And 
when  at  last  the  congregation  sang.  "Blest 
Be  the  Tie  That  Binds,"  one  could  tell  that 
for  the  first  time  in  their  lives  many  people 
felt  what  they  were  singing. 


T. 


.  he  pastor  walked  slowly  to  the  micro- 
phone. "1  am  going  to  call  on  Jesus  of  Naz- 
areth to  come  forth  and  dismiss  us  with  a 
blessing."  . . .  "Jesus  of  Nazareth,  will  you 
please  come  forth  and  pronounce  the  bene- 
diction?" . . .  (No  Jesus).  Thinking  that  per- 
haps he  had  said  the  wrong  thing,  the  pas- 
tor said:  "Perhaps  Jesus  of  Nazareth  would 
come  forward,  make  some  closing  remarks, 
and  then  dismiss  us  with  a  blessing." 

People  began  to  stir.  Where  was  Jesus? 
Someone  ran  down  into  the  social  room. 
Maybe  he  got  lost  in  the  maze  of  hallways 
and  stairs.  But  no  Jesus.  The  cry  went 
forth;  "Where  is  Jesus?  Where  has  he  gone? 
Is  he  upset  with  us?  Why  did  he  leave?" 

The  pastor  huddled  with  the  deacons; 
they  agreed  they  had  to  find  Jesus.  No 
other  church  in  all  the  land  could  say  that 
Jesus  attended  their  love  feast.  "Go  find 
him,"  they  shouted  to  the  people,  "and 
bring  him  back.  We're  not  done  with  him 
yet!" 

Each  row  of  persons  was  sent  in  a 
different  direction.  One  up  Ohio  Street, 
one  down  Grove  Avenue.  Another  group 
was  sent  to  Memorial  Hospital;  one  to  Lee 
Hospital.  Some  thought  of  the  Children's 
Home.  One  cried,  "My  mother  is  ill  at 
home;  he  may  have  gone  there."  A  car  was 
dispatched  to  search  the  country  roads, 
remembering  that  Jesus  went  into  the 
highways  and  hedges.  All  were  told  to 
report  back  by  midnight. 

The  church  became  strangely  still.  No 
one  was  there.  Everyone  was  embarked 
upon  the  journey  of  a  lifetime.  "Find  Jesus 
and  bring  him  back.  We're  not  through 
with  him  yet." 

During  the  course  of  the  search,  the 
rumors  began  to  spread.  Jesus  was  spotted 
here  and  there.  Groups  began  to  return  to 
the  church  to  make  their  reports.  The 
pastor  had  to  shout  to  be  heard:  "Choose  a 
representative  of  your  group  to  come 
forward  and  tell  us  if  you  have  seen  Jesus." 

Up  ran  Sister  Smith.  "We  saw  Jesus  in 


Memorial  Hospital.  He  was  up  on  NP  4. 
Seems  a  young  man  was  brought  in  with 
an  overdose  of  drugs.  He  was  there  talking 
with  the  parents.  But  he  wouldn't  come 
back  to  the  church." 

Up  ran  Brother  Robins.  "No,"  he 
shouted,  "that  can't  be.  We  saw  Jesus  on 
the  lower  end  of  Railroad  Street.  Seems 
there  was  a  drunk  down  there  staggering 
around.  Jesus  had  his  arms  around  him 
and  was  trying  to  help  him  find  a  warm 
place  for  the  night.  But  he  wouldn't  come 
along  with  me.  He  seemed  not  to  hear  me." 

"Group  No.  3,  come  here,"  shouted  the 
pastor.  Sister  Mary  Jane  ran  up  to  the 
microphone.  "Seems  like  Jesus  is  all  over 
the  place.  But  we  did  see  him.  He  was 
walking  along  Prospect.  Then  he  sat  down 
with  the  neighborhood  children  and  told 
them  how  much  God  loved  them.  He  held 
them  in  his  arms  and  blessed  them.  He 
refused  to  come  back  with  me." 

Brother  Harry  came  up  from  Group  4; 
"We  spotted  him  out  at  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Home.  He  was  walking  down  the 
halls  and  talking  with  the  people  there.  We 
saw  him  disappear  into  a  room.  He  didn't 
come  out  again." 

"Oh,  but  I  saw  Him  in  a  house  along 
Highland  Avenue,"  said  a  little  girl.  "There 
was  an  old  man  in  there,  crying.  Jesus  was 
breaking  bread  with  him." 

"No,"  shouted  a  little  boy.  "I  saw  him  in 
the  Spot  Bar.  I  saw  him  talking  with  a 
woman  in  there  as  1  walked  by." 

One  by  one  the  people  began  to  sit  down 
and  to  become  very  quiet.  It  hit  many  of 
them  for  the  first  time: 

Jesus  now  lives  in  the  hearts  of  his  peo- 
ple. And  where  his  people  go  in  love  to 
minister  in  his  name,  there  he  shall  be 
found. 

Slowly  the  pastor  walked  to  the  lectern. 
He  opened  the  Bible  to  John  13  and  began 
to  read  again — 

"When  he  had  washed  their  feet,  and 
taken  his  garments,  and  resumed  his  place, 
he  said  to  them.  'Do  you  know  what  I  have 
done  to  you?  You  call  me  Teacher  and 
Lord;  and  you  are  right,  for  so  1  am.  If  I 
then,  your  Lord  and  Teacher,  have  washed 
your  feet,  you  also  ought  to  wash  one 
another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you  an  ex- 
ample, that  you  also  should  do  as  I  have 
done  to  you.  Truly,  truly,  I  say  to  you,  a 
servant  is  not  greater  than  his  master;  nor 
is  he  who  is  sent  greater  than  he  who  sent 
him.  If  you  know  these  things,  blessed  are 
you  if  you  do  them.'"  D 


18  MESSENGER  March  1975 


[/■        o  return  to  China  as  I  did  for  the  first 
f         /     time  in  25  years  was  a  deeply  mov- 
^^       ing  experience.  Eighteen  of  us  from 
the  U.S. -China  People's  Friendship 
Association  traveled  there  for  three  weeks 
in  August  and  September.  We  visited  a 
wide  range  of  social  and  educational  in- 
stitutions in  five  cities  and  three  rural 
people's  communes. 

The  contrasts  between  old  and  new 
China  in  the  standard  of  living  and  basic 
social  securities  for  the  working  people 
have  been  described  by  many  visitors. 
Beyond  that,  one  senses  a  new  spirit,  a 
collective  sense  of  purpose  that  makes 
almost  any  goal  seem  possible.  There  is  a 
new  values  system,  a  communitarian  ethic 
summed  up  in  the  title  of  Chairman  Mao's 
best-known  essay,  "Serve  the  People." 

One  is  overwhelmed  by  the  total 
secularization  of  a  society  and  culture  that 


once  was  permeated  with  religious  signs 
and  symbols.  During  our  visit  we  saw 
almost  no  evidence  of  surviving  religious 
practice.  Among  the  three  major  religious 
groups  of  pre-liberation  China,  the  public 
practice  of  worship  has  dwindled,  it  seemed 
to  us,  to  little  more  than  token  obser- 
vances. 
Christianity  in  China 

No  comprehensive  report  on  the  ac- 
tivities of  Christians  in  China  today  is 
possible.  One  barely  touches  the  surface  of 
Chinese  life  in  a  three-week  visit.  There 
have  been  no  religious  publications,  no 
published  statistics,  and  no  religious 
delegations  traveling  abroad  from  China 
since  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Cultural 
Revolution  in  1966.  But  visitors  to  China 
since  1972  have  talked  with  a  few  religious 
leaders  and  visited  some  religious  places. 
We  were  fortunate  to  talk  with  religious 


leaders  in  three  cities — Peking,  Nanking 
and  Hangchow. 

The  Sunday  service  in  the  former  Bible 
Society  headquarters  on  Rice  Market 
Street  in  Peking  is,  according  to  reports, 
the  only  Protestant  service  in  China  attend- 
ed by  visitors  since  1966.  Sixteen  persons 
were  present  the  Sunday  I  attended,  most 
of  them  members  of  the  foreign  diplomatic 
or  student  community.  Three  were  African 
Christians.  There  were  seats  for  about  50 
persons  in  the  second  floor  meeting  room, 
a  grand  piano,  an  organ,  and  a  chancel 
with  lectern,  altar  table,  and  cross.  The 
service  was  in  Chinese.  Worshipers  fol- 
lowed the  liturgy  and  hymns  from  mimeo- 
graphed pages  in  English  and  Chinese. 
There  was  no  sermon,  but  the  pastor  read 
three  long  scripture  passages  from  Old 
and  New  Testaments.  The  communion 
ritual  was  familiar  to  me,  conducted  by 


IS. 


(^eligous  and 
secular  values  todap 


bp  "Donald  (3^.  oUac^Sknis 


Pastor  K'an  Hsueh-ch'ing.  who  told  me  he 
was  trained  as  a  Methodist.  There  are  no 
denominational  distinctions  now  in  China. 

In  a  brief  but  warm  and  friendly  talk 
with  the  two  Chinese  pastors  after  the 
service.  I  was  told  that  weekly  services 
were  resumed  here  on  Easter,  1972  after  a 
S'/i-year  lapse  during  the  Cultural  Revolu- 
tion. They  have  no  contacts  with  the  Ro- 
man Catholics  of  Peking,  who  also  hold 
services  weekly  in  a  church  in  another  part 
of  the  city,  using  the  pre- Vatican  11  rite  in 
Latin.  Nor  do  they  have  ties  with  Protes- 
tants elsewhere  in  China.  There  are  about 
500  Protestants  in  Peking  now,  they  said. 

One  of  the  pastors  is  on  duty  at  the 
church  each  day  in  the  week  to  meet  with 
Chinese  Christians  who  may  be  working  on 
Sundays,  or  who  for  other  reasons  cannot 
come.  Pastor  K'an  and  Pastor  Yin  Chi- 
tseng  take  turns  leading  the  Sunday  service 
on  alternate  weeks.  Since  the  only  Chinese 
present  during  the  service  had  been  older 
persons,  1  asked  about  the  young  people.  I 
was  told  that  few  of  them  come  to  the 
church.  "They  are  too  busy  on  Sunday, 
and  they  have  other  interests  now." 


c.  h( 


he  building  was  in  excellent  condition, 
with  repairs  in  progress  on  the  tile  roof.  I 
asked  about  the  source  of  funds  for  repairs 
and  maintenance,  and  was  told  that  they 
have  their  own  funds  for  this,  but  that  the 
government  would  help  on  major  expenses 
if  needed.  Before  leaving  1  photographed 
the  two  pastors  and  organist  before  a 
reproduction  of  Sallman's  "Head  of 
Christ." 

In  Nanking  we  spent  an  evening  in  cor- 
dial conversation  in  the  home  of  Bishop 
Ting  Kuang-hsun,  a  former  Chinese 
Anglican,  and  his  wife,  Hsiu-mei.  Both  had 
been  in  the  United  States  for  graduate 
studies  in  the  1940s  and  were  working  for 
the  ecumenical  church  in  Geneva  when 
they  decided  to  return  to  China  in  1951, 
two  years  after  Liberation.  Mrs.  Ting  is  a 
teacher  of  English  at  Nanking  University 
and  an  official  of  the  Provincial  Women's 
Federation.  Bishop  Ting,  now  president  of 
the  Nanking  Theological  College  and  a 
deputy  to  the  National  People's  Congress, 
explained  that  the  Anglican  Church  in 
China  no  longer  exists.  All  denominations 
were  merged  into  a  single  Protestant  Chris- 
tian Church  in  the  early  1950s.  This  union 
made  possible  the  Three-Self  Movement  by 
which  the  church  became  autonomous  and 
self-reliant. 

20  MESSENGER  March  1975 


Bishop  Ting  confirmed  that  none  of  the 
38  church  buildings  in  Nanking  formerly 
used  by  Protestant  congregations  are  now 
used  for  religious  services.  The  Christians 
now  prefer  to  meet  in  their  homes  or  in 
schoolrooms,  he  said,  to  avoid  the  stigma 
of  the  western-style  churches  built  during 
the  period  of  mission  expansion  in  China 
and  linked  to  the  period  of  foreign  im- 
perialist penetration  protected  by  the  "une- 
qual treaties."  Four  groups  meet  regularly 
for  worship  in  Nanking. 

He  said  that  the  self-reliance  of  the 
churches,  which  parallels  the  self-reliant 
development  model  of  the  entire  nation,  is 
one  of  the  two  important  changes  in  the 
Chinese  church.  "We  have  severed  our 
dependence  on  materialism.  We  have  a 
strong  point  of  view  regarding  the 
relationship  between  the  missionary  move- 
ment and  imperialism.  Since  the  early  post- 
liberation  years  our  emphasis  was  to  sever 
all  dependence  and  relationships  with  mis- 
sion organizations." 

The  second  change  for  the  church  has 
been  change  itself:  "Our  society  is  not 
static.  It  is  changing  all  the  time.  Our 
church  cannot  simply  remain  on  the  level 
of  three-self  autonomy.  We  are  changing 
all  the  time  too.  What  we  are  witnessing 
now  is  the  withering  away  of  organized 
religion.  Protestantism  is  becoming  more 
and  more  de-institutionalized  and  de- 
clericalized;  more  and  more  it  is  a  world 
view  held  by  those  who  call  themselves 
Christian,  and  the  fellowship  among 
them." 

One  could  understand  the  reluctance  of 
Chinese  Christians  today  to  identify  with 
that  former  period.  Everywhere  we  went 
we  felt  the  pride  of  the  Chinese  in  their 
own  self-reliance,  neither  exploited  by  nor 
dependent  upon  other  nations.  We  were 
told  how  the  great  Yangtze  River  bridge 
at  Nanking — the  first  of  its  kind — had 
been  designed  and  built  entirely  by 
Chinese. 

Bishop  Ting  confirmed  that  groups  of 
Christians  in  Nanking  continue  to  meet 
together  for  worship,  and  that  the 
theological  college,  which  suspended 
classes  in  1966,  is  now  searching  for  new 
and  relevant  ways  to  train  young  pastors. 
Probably  they  will  not  study  together  in  a 
conventional  five-year  theological  course  as 
before,  he  said,  but  may  remain  in  the 
towns  and  villages  living  and  working 

Right:  The  former  Guiling  Christian  Girls' 
College,  now  Nanking  Teachers'  College. 


Top:  Rice  Market  Street  Church  in  Peking,  li 
Rice  Market  Street's  Pastor  Yin  Chi-tseng  (k\ 
in  China  (Messenger,  December,  1972).  Alsc\ 


|jl!l 


\or  of  I  he  1966  Cultural  Revoluiion.Center: 
\  he  first  elder  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
tor  K'an  Hsueh-ch'ing  (center)  and  organist. 


among  the  people  while  they  study,  to 
avoid  an  elitist  kind  of  education  which 
would  alienate  them  from  the  people.  This 
would  correlate  with  the  "open  door" 
education  now  emphasized  in  the  three 
universities  which  we  visited. 

Occasionally,  driving  through  the  streets 
of  the  cities,  we  saw  church  buildings,  relics 
of  former  days,  some  of  them  broken  and 
abandoned,  some  converted  to  use  as 
schools,  clinics,  kindergartens  or 
storehouses.  In  the  midst  of  the  rich,  green 
rice  fields  of  the  Hsin  Min  People's  Com- 
mune outside  Shanghai  we  saw  a  huge 
stone  building  with  a  basilisk  dome,  ob- 
viously a  church.  Anti-Confucius  slogans 
had  been  painted  in  white  across  the 
crumbling  masonry  walls.  Our  local  guide 
confirmed  that  this  had  been  a  Roman 
Catholic  church,  no  longer  used.  It 
appeared  to  be  an  embarrassment  and 
nuisance  to  the  commune  residents,  oc- 
cupying space  in  the  fields  which  they  felt 
could  be  better  planted  in  food  crops.  They 
said  that  the  only  use  for  the  building  was 
to  store  grain. 


uV^"^ 


I  e  saw  no  functioning  Buddhist 
temples.  Those  we  visited  were  converted 
to  use  as  tea  houses,  hostels,  assembly 
halls,  or  were  maintained  as  museums.  We 
knew  from  reports  by  other  recent  visitors, 
specialists  in  Buddhism,  that  they  had 
visited  a  dozen  or  more  monasteries  and 
temples  with  resident  monks  or  nuns;  yet 
that  is  minimal  for  an  entire  nation 
nominally  Buddhist  just  one  generation 
back. 

At  the  Tsu  Miao  temple  in  the  town  of 
Fo  Shan  near  Canton  we  saw  a  temple  now 
808  years  old  and  maintained  as  a  museum. 
Many  Chinese  visitors  were  viewing  it  with 
curiosity,  as  tourists,  just  as  we  were.  The 
museum  director  told  us  that  the  temple 
had  first  been  built  in  the  Sung  Dynasty  by 
a  local  land-lord-official  who  embezzled 
much  of  the  money  he  raised  from  the  local 
people  for  the  temple.  His  explanation  of 
the  temple's  role  in  society  was  typical  of 
contemporary  views  of  the  old  religions  we 
heard  elsewhere. 

"Before  Liberation,  this  temple  was  a 
place  for  the  people  to  worship  the  gods." 
he  said,  gesturing  at  the  painted  wooden 
idols  grimacing  in  frozen  postures.  "This 
temple  was  also  used  by  the  ruling  class  to 
swindle  the  people  with  superstitious  re- 
ligious beliefs.  After  Liberation,  we  opened 
it  as  a  museum  for  the  people.  We  show 


on  the  one  hand  how  the  ruling  class  used 
the  gods  to  fool  and  cheat  the  people:  on 
the  other  hand  we  display  the  fine 
workmanship  and  hard  labor  of  the  work- 
ing people  of  those  times." 

I  asked  the  museum  director  if  any  peo- 
ple still  maintain  the  old  religious  beliefs. 
He  said  that  a  few  old  people  do.  "But 
that's  unavoidable,"  he  added.  "They  hold 
onto  old  ideas.  But  they  don't  worship  here 
any  more.  The  young  people,  of  course,  see 
it  all  as  superstition." 

In  a  long  conversation  with  the  61  year- 
old  imam  in  charge  of  the  Chinese  Moslem 
mosque  in  Hangchow,  I  asked  about  the 
religious  life  of  his  congregation.  He  said 
that  from  30  to  50  persons  attend  religious 
services  each  Friday,  and  that  larger 
numbers  come  together  for  the  three 
festivals  each  year.  But  most  of  them  are 
older  persons,  he  noted.  He  confirmed  the 
impression  given  to  us  by  others  that 
China's  youth  have  a  new  belief  system, 
one  that  precludes  religion.  "They  are  too 
busy,  and  have  new  values."  we  were  told. 
"They  believe  in  socialism  and  see  no  need 
for  religion." 

If  this  is  true,  and  our  conversations  with 
a  number  of  Chinese  young  people 
reflected  this  view,  then  what  is  the  source 
of  the  communitarian  values  and  ethics 
that  motivate  China's  people  today?  We 
saw  no  evidence  of  new  religious  sects — no 
Hare  Krishna,  no  Sokka  Gakai  or  Children 
of  God.  Yet  the  youth  of  China  seem  as 
disciplined  and  committed  as  adherents  of 
any  of  these  religious  groups.  We  were  told 
by  the  students  and  teachers  in  every 
school  we  visited — kindergartens,  primary 
schools,  middle  schools  and  universities — 
that  training  in  moral  values  is  central  in 
the  entire  educational  task. 


eligion,  defined  in  conventional  terms 
as  an  institution  with  a  priesthood  or 
clergy,  a  doctrinal  creed,  a  liturgy  and 
theology,  and  a  theistic  belief  with  spiritual 
dimensions  transcending  this  world,  finds 
no  parallel  in  the  experience  of  China's 
youth  today,  at  least  among  those  with 
whom  we  talked.  But  the  fruits  of 
religion — the  practice  of  a  moral  life,  par- 
ticularly with  respect  to  concern  for  one's 
neighbor  and  the  whole  society — are  in 
many  ways  more  evident  in  China  than  in 
the  West. 
A  new  values  system 

Everywhere  we  went,  particularly  in  the 
schools,  I  asked  this  question:  "What  are 

March  1975  messenger  21 


.  total  seculan^aiwn  of  a  soaetp  and  culture 
'^ce  permeated  with  religms  signs  and  spmbols 


the  moral  values  which  are  taught  in  China 
today,  and  how  are  they  transmitted  to  the 
young  people?"  The  response  invariably 
began  with  a  recitation  of  Chairman  Mao's 
instruction:  "Our  educational  policy  must 
enable  everyone  who  receives  an  education 
to  develop  morally,  intellectually,  and 
physically  and  become  a  worker  with  both 
socialist  consciousness  and  culture." 

The  chairman  of  the  revolutionary  com- 
mittee of  the  Yangtze  River  Road  Primary 
School  in  Nanking  replied,  in  answer  to 
that  question:  "All  our  school  work  aims  at 
transforming  the  ideology  (i.e.  values)  of 
our  pupils." 

Among  the  answers  given  by  many  per- 
sons, three  themes  recurred: 

1.  The  central  value  is  communitarian,  a 
surrender  of  self  on  behalf  of  the  communi- 
ty: "Serve  the  people;"  "Fight  self, 
repudiate  revisionism;"  "Remember  class 
struggle;"  "Learn  from  the  workers  and 
peasants." 

2.  There  is  an  eschatological  dimension, 
a  commitment  to  goals  beyond  self  in 
today's  society  and  tomorrow's  history,  a 
belief  that  one  day  the  communist  goals  for 
all  the  people  will  be  achieved  at  home, 
and  for  all  the  working  people  of  the  world 
as  well. 

3.  There  is  the  recapture  of  a  vision  of 
the  wholeness  of  the  person,  a  belief 
that  the  individual  can  be  changed,  trans- 
formed, converted,  and  that  society  will 
be  changed  in  the  process. 

It  was  customary  for  the  host  group  at 
each  institution  to  answer  questions  from 
us  18  Americans.  At  the  No.  5  District  of 
the  Shanghai  Dockyards,  for  example,  six 
of  the  eight  young  men  and  women 
workers  present  spontaneously  responded 
to  our  many  questions.  At  the  schools, 
students  answered  as  readily  as  teachers. 

After  many  such  conversations  in 
schools,  communes,  factories, 
neighborhoods,  and  other  institutions,  it 
seemed  clear  to  us  that  moral  values  are 
learned  both  in  group  study  sessions  and  in 
actual  practice.  The  mandatory  physical 
labor  of  students  and  teachers  in  all 
schools  up  to  three  months  out  of  each 
year  implements  in  actual  practice  the  in- 
struction, "Learn  from  the  workers  and 
peasants."  This  in  itself  becomes  a  power- 


ful instrument  for  instilling  communitarian 
(proletarian)  values. 

The  aim  of  the  entire  educational  system 
thus  is  related  to  our  question  about  the 
teaching  of  moral  values.  Being  stressed  is 
a  new  selfless  ethic,  aimed  at  preventing  the 
formation  of  a  class  of  "intellectual  man- 
darins" who  are  isolated  from  the  working 
people  of  China  like  the  former  Confucian- 
scholar  bureaucrats.  This  seemed  to  be  at 
the  heart  of  the  campaign  against  Con- 
fucius and  Lin  Piao. 
The  future  of  religion 

Will  religion  survive  in  China?  We  were 
told  repeatedly  that  the  Constitution  guar- 
antees freedom  of  religious  belief.  We 
knew  that  Chairman  Mao  had  spoken 
against  the  use  of  coercion  on  several  oc- 
casions. His  most  frequently-quoted  guide- 
line is  taken  from  his  landmark  speech 
of  1957,  "On  the  Correct  Handling  of 
Contradictions:"  "We  cannot  abolish  reli- 
gion by  administrative  decree  or  force  peo- 
ple to  give  up  idealism,  any  more  than  we 
can  force  them  to  believe  in  Marxism.  The 
only  way  to  settle  questions  of  an  ideolog- 
ical nature  or  controversial  issues  among 
the  people  is  by  the  democratic  method. 


the  method  of  discussion,  of  criticism,  of 
persuasion  and  education,  and  not  by  the 
method  of  coercion  or  repression." 

Although  the  Chinese  people  have 
freedom  of  religious  belief,  said  one  young 
college  girl,  "the  Chinese  people  also  have 
the  right  not  to  believe,  and  the  right  to 
propagate  atheism."  In  response  to  my 
question  about  young  people  practicing  the 
old  religions,  she  said,  "There's  no  need  to. 
With  the  basis  of  scientific  materialism  of 
the  new  society,  the  old  superstititions  were 
proved  to  be  false,"  Only  old  people,  if 
any,  are  seen  worshiping  in  the  temples, 
she  said.  Asked  whether  young  people 
might  not  want  to  talk  with  older  religious 
believers  "to  learn  from  the  past,"  she 
replied:  "Why  would  anyone  want  to  dis- 
cuss Buddhism?  What  does  that  have  to  do 
with  our  new  society?  It  simply  would  not 
interest  young  people.  It's  irrelevant." 

At  the  National  Minorities  Institute  in 
Peking,  and  in  other  exhibitions,  we  saw 
photographs  and  displays  of  superstitious 
and  oppressive  practices  of  the  old 
religions,  particularly  Tibetan  Buddhism. 
To  the  young  Chinese  nothing  could  be 
farther  from  the  spirit  and  style  of  the  new 
China  than  the  traditional,  indigenous 
religions. 

Christianity  is  castigated  for  its  par- 
ticipation in  the  period  of  imperialist 
penetration  of  China.  We  saw  an  exhibi- 
tion in  the  Shanghai  Workers'  Cultural 


A  former  Roman 
Catholic  church 
stands  stark  and 
deserted  in  rich, 
green  fields  out- 
side Shanghai.  Its 
outer  walls  are 
painted  with  anti- 
Confuscius 
slogans.  Com- 
mune residents 
consider  it  a 
nuisance,  oc- 
cupying space 
which  they  feel 
could  be  better 
used  for  growing 
crops.  The  only 
use  for  the 
building  now  is 
grain  storage. 


22  MESSENGER  March  1975 


I  Moslems  in  the  Hangchow  mosque.  Of  the  30  to  50  persons  who  attend  Friday  serv- 
ices,   and   the    larger    numbers    who   gather  for  festivals,    most   are   older  persons. 


Palace  of  the  history  of  foreign  imperialism 
beginning  with  the  Opium  War  and  the 
"unequal  treaties."  One  panel  contained 
photographs  documenting  alleged  ex- 
amples of  cultural  imperialism  carried  on 
by  former  Christian  mission  institutions. 

Some  Chinese  with  whom  we  talked 
were  curious  about  religion.  They  were 
lama/ed  to  learn  that  educated  persons  in 
the  West  continue  to  believe  and  practice 
religion.  For  them,  they  said,  the  study  of 
scientific  materialism  had  exposed  the 
logical  fallacies  and  absurdities  of  religion. 

Nevertheless,  fundamental  religious 
questions  remain.  How  do  the  Chinese  un- 
derstand the  meaning  of  life  and  death? 
Death  is  seen  in  materialist  terms,  as  the 
termination  of  one's  time  of  service  for  the 
people.  Traditional  funeral  rites  and 
(customs  are  "vestiges  of  the  feudal 
superstructure."  I  asked  the  chief  engineer 
at  the  Hsing  An  Hydroelectric  Project  how 
they  handled  the  question  of  ancestors' 
graves  when  250,000  peasants  from  40 
villages  were  moved  from  the  site  of  the 
new  reservoir.  This  was  a  matter  of 
political  education,  he  said;  people  had 
to  learn  that  bones  and  graves  are 
meaningless  material  remains.  In  most 
cases  the  graves  were  excavated  and  the 
fbones  ground  up  for  fertilizer.  For  those 
uneducable  elderly  people  who  insisted,  he 
said,  the  graves  were  moved  to  new  sites. 
The  entire  reservoir  floor,  an  area  of  580 
square  kilometers,  was  scraped  clean 
before  flooding. 

We  asked  three  doctors  at  the  Hsin  Hua 


Hospital  in  Shanghai  how  they  handled 
cases  of  terminal  illness.  Do  they  practice 
euthanasia  if  such  patients  do  not  wish  to 
maintain  life?  They  replied,  "In  China  the 
situation  is  different.  Few  people  do  not 
wish  to  live,  because  our  social  system  is 
different  from  yours.  We  try  by  every 
means  to  save  the  patient.  We  do 
ideological  work  with  them  to  raise  their 
will  to  live." 

What  about  a  hopeless  case,  in  terminal 
coma?  "Even  for  them,  we  do  all  we  can  to 
save  them.  Medical  science  keeps  advanc- 
ing; sometimes  'incurable'  cases  become 
curable.  We  understand  the  problem  of  the 
suffering  of  patients  and  family.  But  doc- 
tors can't  think  this  way.  We'll  try,  if  there 
is  only  one  percent  of  hope. . . .  We  once 
saved  a  patient  whose  heart  had  stopped 
for  23  minutes.  Before  the  Cultural 
Revolution  we  never  would  have  tried.  But 
we  saved  him  by  the  collective  efforts  of  all 
our  staff,  old  and  young." 

Life  and  death,  love  and  grief,  human  sin 
and  finitude,  ultimate  mysteries — I  asked 
the  Moslem  imam  in  Hangchow  whether 
or  not  religious  needs  will  persist  in  a 
socialist  society. 

With  regard  to  the  understanding  of 
death,  and  coping  with  grief  at  the  loss  of  a 
loved  one,  he  affirmed  that  religious  faith, 
for  him,  was  essential.  He  agreed  that  there 
are  basic  religious  needs  in  any  society,  but 
hastened  to  add  that  he  is  "half  new,  half 
old,"  pointing  out  that  he  was  raised  in  the 
old  society  with  a  firm  religious  training. 
His  faith  provides  strength,  comfort  and 


meaning  in  times  of  personal  loss  or  grief. 
For  others,  who  have  grown  up  under 
socialism,  "there  are  contradictions." 

However,  he  does  not  believe  that  there 
is  an  insoluble  contradiction  between 
religion  and  socialism.  "The  integration  of 
religious  faith  with  social  reality  can  be 
resolved  by  an  understanding  of  social  and 
scientific  progress  and  development.  We 
acknowledge  God  as  omnipotent.  Our 
religious  teachmg  will  confirm,  then,  that 
the  progress  and  development  of  society  is 
also  under  God's  guidance.  The  history  of 
social  development  is  inexorable.  You  can't 
turn  it  around,  but  must  comply  with  what 
God  has  set  in  motion." 

The  secularization  process  for  China 
was,  in  part,  a  rejection  of  primitive 
superstition  and  social  irrelevance  in  the 
traditional  religions,  and  Western  cultural 
imperialism  and  sterile  pietism  as  perceived 
in  the  Christian  churches.  Secularization  is 
a  rejection  of  religious  solutions  for 
China's  human  and  social  problems,  find- 
ing in  man  alone  the  source  of  his  own 
salvation.  This  secularizing  trend  in  China, 
based  in  the  Confucian  tradition,  can  be 
found  in  all  the  reformist  and  revolu- 
tionary movements  that  followed  the 
collapse  of  the  Manchu  Dynasty  in  1911. 

At  the  same  time,  there  were  dynamic 
new  movements  both  in  Chinese  Buddhism 
and  indigenous  Christianity  in  the  three 
decades  prior  to  1949.  A  religious  dynamic 
was  at  the  heart  of  peasant  movements 
throughout  Chinese  history,  based  in 
chiliastic  Buddhism,  Taoism  and 
Christianity  (in  the  case  of  the  Taiping 
Rebellion).  Groups  of  believers  still  prac- 
tice their  faith  in  China,  under  the  con- 
stitutional guarantee  of  freedom  of 
religious  belief,  and  the  presence  of  these 
communities  sustains  a  religious  dimension 
that  can  enrich  and  meliorate  a  culture  in- 
creasingly secularized.  D 

Donald  Maclnnis,  director  of  the  China 
Program  for  the  National  Council  of 
Churches,  traveled  in  China  for  22  days  last 
August  and  September.  He  served  as  a 
Methodist  teacher  at  Fukien  Christian  Uni- 
versity in  south  China  1948-49,  and  this 
was  his  first  return  visit.  He  is  editor  of  the 
quarterly  journal  China  Notes,  and  author 
of  the  book  Religious  Policy  and  Practice  in 
Communist  China:  A  Documentary 
History  (Macmillan,  1972).  This  report  is  an 
edited  version  of  a  longer  article  to  appear 
in  New  China,  the  journal  of  the  U.S. -China 
People's  Friendship  Association. 


March  1975  messenger  23 


When  failure  succeeds     ^y  ^wen  g.  stuitz 


-^ 


By  popular  business  standards  the  Christiansburg 
Housing  Corporation  failed.  But  for  60  families  who 
got     new     or     improved     homes    U     spelled    successy- 


"The  operation  was  a  success  but  the 
patient  died."  This  wasn't  quite  the  way  it 
happened  with  the  Christiansburg  Housing 
Corporation  in  Virginia,  a  project  sup- 
ported by  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the 
US  (FAUS)  and  the  Virhna  District.  While 
it  is  true  the  corporation  went  bankrupt,  its 
spirit  still  is  very  much  alive. 

It  is  alive  in  a  person  like  John  T. 
Hairston,  who  chaired  the  Housing  Cor- 
poration Board  and  who  continues  his 
ministry  of  helping  the  underprivileged 
qualify  for  low  interest  Farmers  Home  Ad- 
ministration loans.  "1  now  have  five 
families  ready  for  low-income  housing,"  he 
recently  told  me.  "All  1  need  to  do  is 
arrange  for  a  contractor  to  build  their 
homes." 

Before  the  Christiansburg  Housing  Cor- 
poration was  formed,  John  Hairston  was 
instrumental  in  organizing  a  community 
center  for  child  day  care.  His  humanitarian 
efforts  were  recognized  in  1971  when  he 
received  a  citation  from  the  National 
Center  for  Voluntary  Action  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

The  spirit  of  the  Housing  Corporation 
also  continues  on  in  the  lives  of  60  families 
who  now  live  in  new  or  improved  homes. 
Twenty  new  homes  were  completed  and  40 
homes  renovated  or  improved.  John 
Hairston  described  the  former  living  con- 
ditions of  many  of  these  families  as  ". . . 
being  cold,  carrying  water  buckets,  no 
toilets,  no  piped  water,  no  place  for  kids  to 
bring  their  friends." 

Recently  Beverly  Smith,  pastor  of  the 
Christiansburg  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
and  I  visited  two  of  these  families,  along 
with  John  Hairston  and  Charles  Dobbins, 
a  CHC  Manpower  trainee.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Alexander's  happiness  over  their  new  hous- 
ing was  very  evident.  "It's  great!"  she 
joyfully  stated.  "It's  our  first  home.  We 
lived  with  my  mother  before.  We  couldn't 

Aside  from  building  houses.  CHC  also  ran  ij 
a  training  program  for  the  handicapped.  A 
group  of  trainees  (left)  assembles  wall  pan- 
els for  a  new  CHC-sponsored  home. 

Right:  The  Charles  Dobbins  family  says. 
"It's  great  to  live  in  your  own  home." 
For  John  T.  Hairston  (second  from  right) 
CHC  chairman,  his  humanitarian  activities 
earned  him  a  citation  from  the  National 
Center  for  Voluntary  Action. 


24  MESSENGER  March  1975 


I 


have  gotten  a  home  of  our  own  without  the 
help  of  CHC."  Mrs.  Glenda  Dobbins' 
response  was  similar:  "It's  great  to  live  in 
your  own  home.  We  rented  before."  The 
Alexanders  have  two  children  and  the 
Dobbinses  have  five. 


A, 


nother  accomplishment  of  the 

I  Christiansburg  Housing  Corporation  was 
its  training  program.  Rehabilitation  of 

I  handicapped  persons  was  a  key  concern. 
Fourteen  persons  are  now  employed  on 
skilled  jobs.  Two  of  these  are  alcoholics 
who  upon  employment  by  CHC  were 
released  from  detention.  Two  others  were 
released  on  parole  from  prison  to  enter  the 
training  program.  They  are  now  employed 
on  other  jobs.  The  spirit  of  CHC  is  found 
in  persons  living  drastically  changed  lives. 
The  Housing  Corporation  for  low  in- 

''  come  people  in  Christiansburg  began  in 
1969  when  five  black  persons  each  put  up 
$200  of  their  own  to  incorporate  the  new 

I  building  company.  Chairman  John  T. 

j  Hairston  was  a  former  postal  clerk  who 
retired  early  with  total  disability  due  to  a 

'  spinal  injury.  His  personal  faith  and  deter- 
mination to  help  people  were  stronger  than 
the  continuing  pain  while  recovering  from 
surgery  and  paralysis  from  the  waist  down. 
The  other  four  were  Walter  Price  Jr.,  a 
telephone  maintenance  employee;  Geneva 
McDaniel,  a  former  secretary  of  the 


NAACP;  Elizabeth  Blake,  best  known  for 
her  advocacy  of  the  poor;  and  Kenneth 
Wright,  then  pastor  of  the  Scheaffer 
Memorial  Baptist  Church  and  director  of 
Manpower  for  the  New  River  Community 
Action  Program.  The  depth  of  commit- 
ment of  the  five  Board  members  later 
became  evident  when  they  borrowed  S8,000 
on  their  personal  signatures  to  try  to  avoid 
CHC  bankruptcy.  Of  this  amount  $6,000 
was  outstanding  at  the  time  of  bankruptcy; 
the  board  members  are  continuing  to  pay 
on  this  without  complaint. 

Through  contacts  in  a  FAUS-inspired 
interracial  dialogue  group,  a  number  of 
leaders  in  the  Virlina  District  learned  of  the 
developing  housing  corporation.  After 
visits  and  discussions  by  district  and 
brotherhood  leaders,  in  early  1971  the 
Christiansburg  Housing  Corporation 
received  a  $7,500  grant  from  FAUS  and  an 
additional  $7,500  loan  from  General  Board 
investment  funds.  The  District  (then  First 
and  Southern  Virginia  Districts)  provided 
an  additional  $2,000  in  gift  funds  and  co- 
signed  for  the  Brotherhood  loan.  It  was 
three  years  later  financial  problems  forced 
the  Christiansburg  Housing  Corporation  to 
file  for  bankruptcy. 

Failure?  By  popular  business  standards, 
yes.  But  many  in  the  Virlina  District  are 
unwilling  to  accept  the  outcome  as  a 
failure.  The  reaction  of  the  District  Board 
and  District  Conference  was  positive. 


although,  needless  to  say,  there  was  deep 
regret  that  CHC  would  not  be  able  to  con- 
tinue building  homes.  Of  the  $5,400  prin- 
cipal and  interest  remaining  unpaid,  the  net 
results  involved  a  loss  of  $3,400  to  the 
Virlina  District  and  $2,000  to  the 
Brotherhood.  As  the  District  Board 
members  discussed  their  responsibility  to 
pay  additional  money  as  co-signer  of  the 
loan  note,  it  was  thrilling  to  hear  their 
responses.  Doris  Egge's  reaction  was,  "The 
fact  that  20  families  are  now  living  in  good 
homes  insXead  of  substandard  housing 
makes  it  an  investment  that  was  worth- 
while." Robert  Williard,  who  had  initially 
voted  against  financial  support  of  CHC, 
said,  "I  believe  this  has  been  one  of  the  best 
of  the  FAUS  projects." 


T. 


.  he  self-sacrificing  nature  of  the 
Christiansburg  Housing  Corporation  in 
helping  people  may  have  been  a  strong  fac- 
tor in  its  failure.  Profit  margins  were  set 
quite  low.  Rapidly  increasing  building 
material  costs  caught  them  with  contracts 
on  homes  that  could  no  longer  be  built  at 
that  price.  Low  funds  had  prevented  ade- 
quate advance  purchase  of  materials.  When 
trainees  gained  skill  and  could  perform 
more  efficiently,  they  were  able  to  get 
better  paying  jobs  elsewhere  and  did  so. 

While  the  financial  assistance  of  the 
church  did  not  result  in  an  ongoing  enter- 
prise, it  may  be  that  the  "failure"  prompted 
better  racial  understanding  and  closer 
person-to-person  relationships  than  if  CHC 
had  "succeeded."  It  was  a  unique  and 
satisfying  experience  for  me  to  "stand 
with"  CHC  Board  members  in  the 
bankruptcy  hearings.  At  the  last  hearing,  it 
was  good  to  see  the  sparkle  return  to  John 
Hairston's  eyes  when  I  told  him,  "The 
Virlina  District  Board  met  last  night  and 
they  don't  see  the  CHC  enterprise  as  a 
failure.  They  feel  it  has  been  a  worthwhile 
investment." 

As  Pastor  Beverly  Smith  states,  "The  ex- 
perience has  contributed  to  better  relations 
between  the  black  people  of  Christiansburg 
and  the  people  of  our  denomination."  A 
number  of  us  have  learned  to  know  per- 
sonally some  great  Christian  people  whose 
vision  of  helping  others  is  an  inspiration. 
Friendships  have  been  built  that  are 
reaching  beyond  the  immediate  persons  in- 
volved. This  cannot  be  valued  in  dollars. 
Experiencing  our  relationship  as  brothers 
and  sisters  in  Christ  makes  differences  of 
skin  color  quite  insignificant.  This  is 
success!  D 

March  1975  messenger  25 


THE 
MINISTRY, 


ORDINATION  AND  FAMILY  LIFE 


A  dual  focus  was  set  for  the  study  of  the 
ministry  projected  by  Standing  Committee 
and  Annual  Conference  in  1972.  One  aim 
was  to  interpret  afresh  the  meaning  of 
the  professional,  "set-apart"  ministry.  The 
second  aim  was  to  look  at  the  counseling 
offered  ministers  who  are  experiencing 
crises  in  personal  and  family  situations.  In 
carrying  out  the  study  both  biblical  and 
procedural  concerns  were  to  be  weighed. 

In  a  study  guide  which  backgrounds  the 
1975  report,  the  committee  points  up  the 
relatedness  of  the  two  major  concerns.  It 
explains  that  the  report  deals  with  "the 
evolving  concept  of  the  ministry  and  or- 
dination in  the  Bible  and  in  church  history. 
The  church  once  ordained  people  to  the 
ministry  as  a  sacramental  thing.  In  this 
paper  we  emphasize  the  functional  because 
it  is  a  basic  New  Testament  approach  to 
the  ministry." 

As  to  the  life-style  aspects  of  the  report, 


the  committee  asserts,  "When  you  expect 
exemplary  conduct  of  the  ministry  it  means 
you  are  raising  the  standard  of  all 
Christians.  You  are  not  putting  the 
minister  above  the  people." 

The  study  panel  comments  that  while  it 
looks  with  favor  on  life  commitment  to  thf 
ministry,  it  recognizes  the  validity  of  short 
term  commitments  to  offices  requiring  or-n 
dination.  ] 

The  closing  sections  of  the  report  deal  l| 
with  disciplinary  procedures  and  with  a  I 
support  system  to  undergird  and  counsel  ll 
ministers.  The  outline  of  disciplinary  steps| 
draws  heavily  on  material  already  in  the 
Manual  of  Brotherhood  Organization  and 
Polity. 

The  study  committee  is  chaired  by  J. 
Earl  Hostetter,  New  Paris,  Ind.  Other 
members  are  Oswald  Goering,  Oregon,  111. 
Arlene  May,  Timberville,  Va.,  Carroll  M. 
Petry,  Marion,  Ind.,  and  Charles  E. 


26  MESSENGER  March  1975 


The  changing  con- 
cept of  ministry 
within  the  church 
calls  for  new 
guidelines  for 
ordaining  those 
persons  who  are 
chosen  to  serve 


Zunkel,  North  Manchester.  Ind. 

The  1975  report  of  the  committee  is 
presented  here  to  famiharize  Messenger 
readers  with  the  issues  and  recommen- 
dations, and  to  facihtate  discussion  in  con- 
gregations and  districts  prior  to  the  Dayton 
Annual  Conference  in  June. 

ORDINATION 
Definition.  Ordination  is  the  act  by 
which  a  person  is  formally  and  publicly  set 
apart  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  and  prayer 
for  the  designated  task  of  leadership  in  the 
church.  Historically  this  has  been  thought 
of  in  terms  of  pastoral  leadership  in  the 
local  church  but  today  includes  other 
related  ministries  in  the  wider  church  and 
conference.  Thus  ordination  is  an  act  of 
God  through  the  church  representing  the 
confirmation  by  the  church  of  the  validity 
of  a  person's  call  to  the  service  of  ministry 
for  Christ  and  his  church. 


The  Church  of  the  Brethren  traditionally 
has  endorsed  the  concepts  of  the  "believers' 
church"  and  the  "priesthood  of  all 
believers."  This  implies  that  all  church 
members  have  a  personal  relationship  with 
God.  It  means  that  each  individual,  upon 
joining  the  church  through  baptism, 
assumes  the  role  of  a  minister.  In  a  very 
real  sense  every  Christian  is  called  to 
minister  to  his/her  neighbors  in  the  world 
through  his  her  life  and  work.  But  the  cor- 
porate body  may  call  individuals  to  special 
tasks  in  behalf  of  their  total  ministry. 

There  is.  however,  a  need  for  order  and 
organization  in  every  institution  if  it  is  go- 
ing to  function  effectively  and  fulfill  its 
purpose.  In  the  church  this  means  that 
some  qualified  men  and  women  need  to  be 
"called  out"  to  assume  positions  requiring 
special  gifts  and  abilities.  This  is  frequently 
referred  to  as  the  "set-apart  ministry."  In- 
dividuals receive  this  call  from  God  for 


some  special  area  of  service,  and  it  is  con- 
firmed by  the  church.  Christ  made  it  clear 
to  his  disciples  that  he  came,  not  to  be 
served,  but  to  serve.  The  disciple  was  to  be 
like  the  teacher  (Matt.  10:25).  The  servant 
role  of  the  disciple  includes  the  sacred  and 
holy  ministries  of  teaching,  preaching, 
healing,  evangelism,  and  caring  for  the 
church  (Matt.  10:1;  28:19-20;  Acts  2). 

The  acceptance  of  this  point  of  view  has 
important  implications  for  how  we  should 
regard  the  leadership  within  the  church. 
Because  all  members  are  ministers  of  God. 
there  is  no  group  or  position  that  is  more 
"reverend"  or  more  righteous  than  any 
other.  All  Christians  are  to  serve  and 
minister  to  the  needs  of  others. 

Origin.  The  concept  of  ordination  is 
firmly  rooted  in  biblical  tradition.  Christ 
set  a  precedent  in  choosing  and  sending  out 
men  to  speak  and  act  on  his  behalf.  The 
New  Testament  church  continued  this  by 


March  1975  messenger  27 


setting  persons  apart  for  special  ministry. 
At  Antioch,  Barnabas  and  Saul  were  called 
for  a  special  mission  (Acts  13:2).  The 
church  at  Jerusalem  chose  Judas  and  Silas 
to  accompany  Paul  and  Barnabas  to  An- 
tioch (Acts  15:22).  In  2  Corinthians  Paul 
tells  the  Christians  he  has  been  given  a 
message  of  reconciliation  (5:18-20). 

In  his  letter  to  the  church  at  Ephesus, 
Paul  included  a  list  of  the  gifts  which  he 
said  Christ  gave.  "His  gifts  were  that  some 
should  be  apostles,  some  prophets,  some 
evangelists,  some  pastors  and  teachers." 
These  special  gifts  were  to  be  used  to  equip 
the  saints  (all  members  of  the  church)  for 
the  work  of  ministry.  They  were  to  be  used 
so  that  the  body  of  Christ  would  become 
mature  men  and  women  in  Christ  (Eph. 
4:1 1-13;  also  2  Cor.  2:17;  1  Tim.  1:12;  2:7;  2 
Tim.  1:6,  11). 

In  the  Christian  tradition  ordination  is 
of  long  standing.  It  emerges  in  church 
history  in  the  second  and  third  centuries. 
In  the  early  second  century  it  seems  to  have 
been  used  because  of  a  desire  to  test  and 
give  order  to  wandering  teachers  and 
prophets.  In  the  fourth  century  the  church 
father,  Augustine,  taught  that  ordination 
impressed  an  indelible  seal  or  stamp  on  the 
ordinand.  This,  like  baptism,  could  only  be 
performed  once  and  was  then  permanent. 


This  teaching  provided  the  theological 
justification  which  remained  authoritative 
for  the  medieval  and  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  In  effect  this  divorced  the  act  of 
ordination  from  the  call  of  the  community 
of  believers  and  allowed  its  significance  to 
be  rooted  in  the  person,  suggesting  a  sub- 
stantial difference  between  the  ordained 
and  the  unordained.  Ordination  became 
the  lifelong  possession  of  the  individual. 

With  the  Reformation  came  the  concept 
of  the  priesthood  of  all  believers  and  the 
development  of  the  idea  and  practice  of  a 
set-apart  leadership  for  the  function  of 
preaching,  teaching,  and  administering  the 
ordinances. 


The  "calling  out"  of  individuals  to  per- 
form a  particular  service  has  always  been 
an  important  aspect  of  congregational  life 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Following 
biblical  patterns,  it  has  used  "the  laying  on 
of  hands"  as  the  act  of  installation. 

Ordination  procedures  developed  so  that 
there  came  to  be  two  degrees  of  ministry: 
the  first  and  second  degree,  now  known  as 
licensed  and  ordained. 

The  question  later  arose  as  to  whether 
the  ordinand  was  responsible  to  the  local 
congregation  or  to  the  Brotherhood.  In 
1833,  Annual  Conference  advised  that  it 
was  "always  considered,  when  a  minister- 
ing brother  moves  out  of  the  church  which 
chose  him,  he  moves  out  of  his  office — that 
is,  before  he  is  fully  ordained;  and  that  it 
was  at  the  option  of  the  church  into  which 
he  moves  to  receive  him  with  his  office  or 
not."  From  this  background  the  church 
developed  the  understanding  that  ordina- 
tion is  located  in  the  district,  in  coopera- 
tion with  the  local  church. 

Within  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  or- 
dination originates  in  the  following  two 
ways: 

— The  ordinand  may  receive  the  call 
to  serve  from  God,  through  the  ministry 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  or  her  life 
(Mark  3:14;  John  15:16;  Acts  10:42;  Gal. 
1:15;  2  Tim.  2:7).  The  ordinand  makes 
known  the  call  to  the  local  church  for 
counsel  and  eventual  recommendation 
to  the  district. 

— The  ordinand  may  be  called  by  the 
church,  through  the  local  congregation,  the 
call  being  confirmed  and  consummated  by 
the  district.  This  procedure  assumes  that 
the  ordinand  feels  the  call  is  from  God 
through  the  church  (Acts  1:21-26;  14:23). 
Such  a  call  may  be  initiated  by  a  pastor,  a 
local  church  or  district  ministry  commis- 
sion, by  the  vote  of  a  church  in  council  (as 
was  usual  in  early  Church  of  the  Brethren 
tradition),  or  by  other  church  bodies  or 
leadership. 

From  the  scriptures  and  church  history  it 
seems  clear  that  all  persons  are  called  to  be 
servants — servants  of  Christ  and  his 
church.  In  setting  some  apart  for  special 
ministry,  "the  laying  on  of  hands"  is  the 
simple  ceremony  used.  It  indicates  that  the 
individual  is  chosen  for  a  particular  service 
and  in  turn  accepts  the  responsibilities  in- 
volved. 

Function.  Through  ordination  a  person 
is  set  apart  for  a  designated  task  of  leader- 
ship in  the  religious  community  as  when 


. . .  The  Lord  instructed  Moses  to  lay  his 
hands  on  Joshua  to  invest  him  with 
authority  to  lead  the  congregation  of  the 
people  of  Israel  (Num.  27:18-23). 

. . .  Jesus  called  twelve  men  and  ap- 
pointed/ordained them  (RSV/KJV)  to 
preach  and  to  heal  (Mark  3:14).  Before  his 
ascension  Jesus  commissioned  his  disciples 
to  teach,  baptize,  and  to  be  his  witnesses 
(Matt.  28:18-20;  Acts  1:8). 

. . .  The  New  Testament  church  set  per- 
sons apart  for  special  ministry.  At  Antioch 
the  church  laid  hands  on  Paul  and  Bar- 
nabas for  the  work  to  which  God  had 
called  them  (Acts  13:1-3).  Paul  and  Bar- 
nabas appointed/ ordained  elders  for  the 
churches  at  Lystra,  Iconium,  and  Antioch 
for  the  purpose  of  serving  as  pastors  of 
those  congregations  (Acts  14:23).  At 
Ephesus  Paul  called  to  him  the  elders  of 
the  church  and  instructed  them  to  "feed  the 
church  of  the  Lord"  (Acts  20:17,  28).  Paul 
viewed  his  own  ordination  as  functional. 
He  says  that  he  was  appointed/ ordained  a 
preacher  and  apostle,  a  teacher  of  the  Gen- 
tiles ...  (2  Tim.  2:7). 

From  these  scriptures  we  observe  that 
the  church  has  called  persons  for  special- 
ized service  but  not  for  the  purpose  of 
granting  them  position  or  status. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has  been 
guided  by  the  New  Testament  in  its  un- 
derstanding of  the  function  of  ordination. 
The  Brethren  have  ordained  persons  for 
the  purpose  of  providing  specific  leadership 
in  the  church.  This  ordained  leadership 
function  originally  was  primarily  that  of 
teaching,  preaching,  administering  the  or- 
dinances of  the  church,  and  shepherding 
the  flock.  Later  ordained  persons  were 
called  upon  to  provide  leadership  for  the 
district  and  Brotherhood. 

The  changing  concept  of  ministry  within 
the  church  calls  for  new  guidelines  for  or- 
dination. Ordination  may  be  conferred 
when  a  person  has  a  call  to  serve  the 


28  MESSENGER  March  1975 


church  in  one  or  more  of  the  following 
ministries  which  require  specialized  train- 
ing and  leadership  skills:  pastor  of  a  con- 
gregation; person  serving  a  congregation  in 
self-supporting  ministry;  administrator  or 
teacher  in  a  theological  seminary;  teacher 
of  religion  in  a  school,  college,  or  universi- 
ty; district  or  Brotherhood  staff  person; 
missionary  assigned  to  pastoral  or  evange- 
listic duties;  and  person  in  specialized 
ministry  approved  in  consultation  with  the 
District  Ministerial  Commission. 

Duration.  Ordination  is  the  com- 
missioning of  a  person  for  service.  This  lay- 
ing on  of  hands  for  ministry  has  been  con- 
sidered by  the  church  a  lifetime  commit- 
ment. However,  if  the  ordinand  ceases  to 
function  in  the  ministry  to  which  he/she 
has  been  called,  the  ordination  should  be 
inactivated  or  terminated. 

In  consultation  with  the  District 
Ministerial  Commission  and  the  congrega- 
tion the  ordinand's  status  shall  be  reviewed 
and  determined.  If  the  call  is  inactivated, 
the  person's  name  shall  be  so  designated  in 
the  list  of  ordained  ministers  until  such 
time  as  it  becomes  appropriate  to  be  reac- 
tivated for  some  special  ministry.  An  inac- 
tive ordination  shall  be  held  by  the  district 
board  and  reactivation  of  ordination  shall 
require  review  and  approval  by  the  board 


in  whose  geographical  area  the  ministry  is 
to  be  assumed.  If  terminated,  the  person's 
name  shall  be  dropped  from  the  list  of  or- 
dained ministers  and  reordination  may 
take  place  by  following  the  established 
procedures.  An  ordained  person  who  has 
retired  because  of  age  or  disability  shall  be 
designated  as  minister  emeritus. 

The  conditions  for  review  of  ordination 
are  varied.  Among  them:  1)  The  ordained 
person  has  completed  his/her  special 
ministry.  2)  The  ordained  person  voluntari- 
ly chooses  to  discontinue  the  ministry  to 
enter  into  anothfer  type  of  calling  for  which 
ordination  is  not  designated.  3)  An  or- 


dained person  may  cut  himself/ herself  off 
from  the  ministry  through  some  indiscre- 
tion so  that  usefulness  for  the  specific  func- 
tion designated  by  ordination  is  no  longer 
tenable  in  the  community  of  faith. 

In  the  event  of  indiscretion,  ordination 
may  be  withdrawn;  but,  affirming  the 
forgiveness  of  God,  no  sinful  act  should 
permanently  disqualify  a  person  from  or- 


dination. We  have  a  precedent  from  Jesus. 
"Neither  do  I  condemn  you,  go  and  sin  no 
more"  (John  8:1 1);  and  from  Paul, 
"Brethren,  if  a  man  is  overtaken  in  any 
trespass,  you  who  are  spiritual  should 
restore  him  in  a  spirit  of  gentleness"  (Gal. 
6:1).  Ministers  who  commit  gross  sins  and 
are  deposed  may  be  restored  to  the 
ministry,  provided  they  exhibit  exemplary 
conduct.  The  event  should  be  examined  in 
total  perspective  of  the  life  of  the  person 
and  of  the  church,  and  should  be  an  exam- 
ple of  God's  redeeming  love  at  work. 

CONDUCT  AND  FAMILY  LIFE 
Expectations  in  conduct.  Since  every 
person  who  has  accepted  Christ  as  Savior 
and  Lord  is  a  "new  creation"  (2  Cor.  5:17- 
18),  the  former  life  becoming  transformed, 
"being  changed  into  his  likeness"  (2  Cor. 
3:18),  this  new  life  is  one  of  constant 
challenge  for  growth,  so  that  one  may 
develop  toward  the  mtiurity  and  stature  of 
Christ  (Eph.  4:13).  Thus,  every  person 
committed  to  Christ  will  seek  to  develop 
the  life-style  of  the  Lord.  It  is  important 
that  the  minister  shall  earnestly  strive  to 
achieve  it,  because  of  his/her  leadership 
role  in  the  body  of  believers  and  the  com- 
munity and  world. 

The  life-style  of  Jesus  which  we  seek  to 
develop  is  discovered  in  dynamic 
relationship  with  him.  As  we  live  in  close 
fellowship  with  Christ,  we  are  forever 
aware  of  our  shortcomings  and  failures, 
and  we  constantly  receive  new  insights  and 
challenges  which  keep  us  aware  of  our  need 
for  further  growth. 

However,  we  believe  that  out  of  our 


heritage  have  come  values  which  have  been 
derived  from  our  best  understandings  of 
the  mind  of  Christ  for  our  personal  and  in- 
terpersonal relationships.  This  frame  of 
reference  has  produced  the  distinguishing 
characteristics  that  have  brought  well-being 
and  wholeness  to  our  day-to-day  living. 
When  we  have  digressed,  we  have  ex- 
perienced brokenness  in  our  personal  and 
interpersonal  living.  We  have  believed  in 
integrity  in  all  aspects  of  our  living — word, 
deed,  and  transactions  that  have  been 
dependable  and  worthy  (Matt.  5:33-37). 
The  sacredness  of  all  human  life  is  at  the 
heart  of  our  existence  (Matt.  5:21-24).  The 
reconciliation  of  our  differences  is  essential 
(Matt.  5:25-26,  43-48;  6:12,  14-15;  18:15-17; 
Rom.  12:14-21).  The  life  of  moral  integrity 
and  marital  fidelity  was  and  is  God's  inten- 
tion for  us  (Matt.  5:27-32).  Life  centered  in 
the  eternal  values  calls  for  devotion  to 
one's  Master  and  has  the  only  true  values 
(Matt.  6:19-24).  Since  we  are  temples  for 
God's  indwelling,  we  find  wholeness  and 
well-being  for  ourselves  and  others  when 
we  discipline  our  lives  to  totally  abstain 
from  those  things  which  destroy  our  bodies 
and  our  mental  powers  and  we  use 
moderation  in  those  which,  rightly  used, 
are  wholesome  and  good  (1  Cor.  6:19-20). 
In  recent  years,  medical  research  has  af- 
firmed much  of  what  we  have  believed. 

These  are  but  a  few  of  the  values  which 
have  come  to  us  from  our  study  of  the 
teachings  of  our  Lord  and  the  practice  of 
his  church  as  men  and  women  have 


earnestly  tried  to  understand  and  fulfill  his 
will.  Certainly  these  are  not  all.  In  the  New 
Testament  church  other  admonitions  were 
given  which  pointed  out  the  changes  from 
the  old  life  to  that  which  was  increasingly 
beautiful  and  new  (see  1  Tim.  3:2-13,  Tit. 
1:5-8;  2:2-8;  Gal.  5:19-24). 
For  a  more  detailed  statement,  see  "Poli- 

March  1975  messenger  29 


ty  and  Procedures  Related  to  the  Licensed 
and  Ordained  Ministry"  and  "Manual  of 
Brotherhood  Organization  and  Polity," 
revised  September  1970. 

Concerning  deviations.  In  view  of  the 
development  of  a  person  as  a  gradual, 
dynamic  process,  deviations  come  into 
focus.  They  should  not  be  viewed  as 
isolated  events  but  in  terms  of  long-range 
perspectives  and  the  directions  in  which 
development  is  generally  moving. 

In  this  process  it  seems  likely  that  those 
who  are  growing  most  could  be  the  most 
vulnerable.  Immediately  after  Jesus'  bap- 
tism came  the  temptations.  Just  when  Peter 
was  sure  who  Jesus  was,  he  denied  him. 
And  David  at  the  height  of  his  leadership 
fell  victim  to  his  own  passions  (2  Sam. 
11:2—12:14;  Ps.  51). 

But  God  never  deserts  those  in  trouble; 
he  confronts  them.  He  raises  questions  and 
clarifies  the  issues  so  that  those  who 
deviate  recognize  themselves  in  their 
digression  and  prescribe  their  own  retribu- 
tion and  reconciliation.  He  sets  the  stage 
for  judgment,  confession,  and  repentance. 
When  the  person  is  thus  enabled  to  re- 
spond, something  creative  and  redemptive 
can  happen. 

Because  we  have  tended  to  view  ordina- 
tion as  changing  the  person — making  the 
person  more  holy  or  reverend,  and 
therefore  immune  to  normal  problems  and 
temptations — we  make  it  difficult  for  the 
minister  to  take  the  initiative  in  admitting 
that  he/she  has  problems.  Jesus  was 
tempted  as  we  are  but  we  often  forget  this 
when  we  deal  with  a  minister  in  a  moral 
crisis.  When  a  minister  expects  or  is  ex- 
pected to  live  according  to  a  stereotyped 
role,  problems  and  frustrations  result. 

Too  often  the  minister  has  immature  or 
unreal  self-understanding  and  as  a  result 
feels  inadequate.  Having  few  helpful 
channels  for  working  through  these 
feelings,  ministers  may  snatch  for  ways  to 
prove  adequacy  or  find  personal  support. 
Often  the  most  meaningful  affirmations  are 
in  deep  interpersonal  relationships.  While 
such  deep  and  shared  relationships  may  be 
helpful  and  healthy,  they  may  sometimes 
move  into  intimacies  or  sexual  expressions 
which  are  unethical  and  immoral  in  their 
violation  of  the  persons  involved.  When 
this  happens,  we  are  all  involved  and 
responsible. 

How,  then,  ought  we  to  proceed? 
Matthew  18:15-17  offers  some  advice. 
First,  it  suggests  one-to-one  confrontation, 

30  MESSENGER  March  1975 


which  in  Christ's  method  would  involve 
pointing  up  the  problem  and  considering 
the  options  available.  This  may  need  to  in- 
volve one  or  two  others  to  confirm  what 
the  difficulty  seems  to  be  and  to  witness  to 
its  meaning  in  the  life  of  the  group.  Only 
when  this  fails  is  the  entire  group  involved. 
Should  these  efforts  fail,  then  the  deviant 
becomes  as  an  outcast.  Remembering  that 
it  was  to  outcasts  that  Jesus  was  frequently 
found  ministering,  we  must  then  minister. 

A  person's  usefulness,  rather  than  end- 
ing, may  have  a  new  beginning.  Brokenness 
not  recognized  hinders  the  development  of 
God-given  potential  without  the  minister 
or  lay  person  knowing  why;  brokenness 
acknowledged  can  open  the  way  for  God's 
grace  to  transform  a  life,  and  with  it  other 
lives. 

Counseling  and  discipline.  Counseling 
and  discipline  are  fundamental  to  the 
Christian  life.  By  their  nature  and  meaning, 
counseling  and  discipline  are  concerned 
with  the  most  essential  aspects  of  Christian 
experience:  namely,  instruction  and 
growth,  and  correction  and  redemption. 
Therefore,  it  is  the  special  responsibility  of 
the  church  to  provide  adequate  oppor- 
tunities for  thorough  preparation  for 
church  membership  and  Christian  growth 


and  for  the  carrying  of  special  respon- 
sibilities of  the  various  church  boards  and 
committees. 

Ministers  should  feel  specially  obligated 
to  put  themselves  under  a  fitting  physical, 
mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  discipline 
throughout  all  the  years  of  their  Christian 
ministry. 

Two  sections  following  shall  deal  par- 
ticularly with  the  corrective  and  redemptive 
aspects  of  counseling  and  discipline. 
Ministers  should  recognize  that,  where 
preventive  and  instructional  aspects  of 
counseling  and  discipline  have  been  cared 
for  adequately,  the  corrective  and  redemp- 
tive aspects  can  be  greatly  minimized. 


The  purpose  of  counseling  and  discipline 
is  threefold:  I)  To  bring  about  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  individual;  2)  to  preserve  the  in- 
tegrity of  the  church;  and  3)  to  maintain 
worthy  standards  of  Christian  life  and  con- 
duct in  loyalty  to  the  church  and  in  devo- 
tion to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

In  keeping  with  Matthew  18  and  1  Co- 
rinthians 13,  counseling  and  discipline  shall 
be  administered  by:  the  pastor,  or  ministers 
of  the  local  church;  a  special  committee; 
the  church  board;  the  district  board;  or  the 
Standing  Committee  of  the  Annual  Con- 
ference. 

Deviation  which  shall  constitute  cause 
for  counseling  and  discipline: 

For  all  members  (all  those  called  to 
minister  by  baptism):  Failure  to  live  up  to 
the  teachings  of  the  New  Testament;  failure 
to  be  loyal  to  the  specific  emphasis  in  the 
New  Testament  as  interpreted  by  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren:  specifically,  im- 
moral conduct;  crime;  use,  manufacture,  or 
sale  of  intoxicating  beverages;  dishonesty; 
fomenting  and  participating  in  strife  in 
family,  church,  community,  or  national 
relationships;  failure  to  adjust  differences 
between  members  of  the  church  according 
to  Matthew  18;  failure  to  maintain  Chris- 
tian standards  in  all  financial  dealings;  un- 
christian family  relations. 

In  addition  to  offenses  that  apply  to  all 
members,  the  following  shall  constitute 
special  causes  for  counseling  and  discipline 
of  ministers  and  officials  of  the  church 
(those  set  apart  for  special  service  by  or- 
dination): Persistent  neglect  of  duties  of  the 
office;  disseminating  doctrines  contrary  to 
the  beliefs  and  practices  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren;  failure  to  maintain  exemplary 
Christian  family  relations  in  harmony  with 
the  teachings  of  I  Timothy  3:1-9  and  Titus 
1:5-9;  insubordination  and  failure  to  com- 
ply with  the  established  doctrines  and  prac- 
tices of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren;  and  the 
use  of  tobacco. 

The  ordained  minister  owes  his/her 
ministry  to  the  district,  is  responsible  to  the 
same,  and  shall  be  disciplined  by  the  dis- 
trict through  the  district  board.  The  follow- 
ing steps  shall  constitute  the  procedure  in 
handling  cases  of  discipline  involving  any 
ordained  minister: 

1 .  The  report  of  any  alleged  offense, 
herein  beforementioned  or  otherwise,  shall 
be  presented  in  writing  to  the  moderator  or 
to  the  executive  committee  of  the  district 
board,  setting  forth  the  charges. 

2.  The  executive  committee  of  the  dis- 


t  board  shall  either  appoint  or  become  a 
diation  committee,  whose  duty  it  shall 
to  gather  carefully  and  impartially  all  of 
facts  relevant  to  the  case,  listening  to 
I  counseling  with  the  person  involved. 
!.  The  mediation  committee  shall  report 
findings  to  the  executive  committee,  if  it 


special  committee,  and  the  executive 
[limittee  shall,  if  in  its  judgment  the  facts 
Dort  the  accusations  presented,  bring 
matter  directly  to  the  district  board. 
The  accused  person  shall  have  the 
t  to  present  any  written  or  oral  state- 
it  in  his/her  own  behalf,  and  to  in- 
agate  the  mediation  committee. 
Upon  a  recognized  indiscretion  (either 
essed  or  proven),  let  the  minister 
ntarily  withdraw  from  all  pastoral 
;tions  until  the  matter  is  fully  dealt  with 
resolved.  When  the  person  refuses  to 
idraw,  disciplinary  measures  will  need 
e  taken  by  the  district  board  through 
appointed  committee. 
The  district  board  shall  have  the 
lority  to  review  and  weigh  the  evidence 
ented,  and  to  make  further  investiga- 
if  this  appears  desirable;  and  shall 
:  jurisdiction  in  determining  the  degree 
le  guilt  of  the  accused  and  to  make  the 
decision  as  to  whether  or  not  the  ac- 
d  shall  be  exonerated  or  have  his/her 
nation  terminated,  or  whether  a  lesser 
ilty  shall  be  fixed. 
The  district  board  shall  have  the 
ority  to  receive  and  consider  an 
ication  or  request  for  reinstatement 
the  ministry.  If  there  is  satisfactory 
ence  that  the  individual  concerned  has 
'  repented  and  has  proved  worthy  of 
jonfidence  of  the  church  and  the  high 
ng  of  the  Christian  ministry,  the  board 
npowered  to  reinstate  the  office. 
Any  minister  has  the  right  to  appeal  to 
Standing  Committee  of  the  Annual 
ference  if  not  satisfied  with  the  deci- 


sion of  the  district  board.  Until  such  time 
as  the  Standing  Committee  reverses  the 
decision  of  the  district  board,  its  decision 
stands. 

Preventative  and  instructional  counsel 
and  discipline.  Support  groups  provide  one 
ongoing  avenue  for  ministers  to  help 
themselves  and  each  other  in  times  of 
crisis.  The  following  are  ways  in  which  sup- 
port groups  may  help  the  pastor: 

To  work  through  self-concepts  and  con- 
cepts of  the  pastor  carried  by  others. 

To  come  to  terms  with  desires  for  ad- 
vancement, status,  recognition,  as  they 
relate  to  God's  will  for  a  person's  life. 

To  deal  with  personal  problems. 

To  deal  with  conflict. 

To  learn  how,  when,  and  where  to  ex- 
press hostilities. 

To  improve  interpersonal,  including 
family,  relationships. 

To  learn  interdependence  in  relating  to 
the  congregation. 

To  encourage  more  growth  and  study. 

To  know  when  referrals  should  be  made 


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10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor 

FOR  SALE— Twelve  devotional  songs  in 
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This  is 

MyFafher^s 

World 

THE  HERALD 

SUMMER  BIBLE  SCHOOL 

THEME  FOR  1975 

Children  and  youth  need 
help  in  studying  the  Bible. 
This  closely  graded  curriculum 
helps  each  student  study  the 
Bible.  He  discovers  ways  of 
sharing  Jesus  with  others  at 
his  level  of  understanding. 

y\lrite  today 
for  a  free  Leader's  Guide. 


HERALD  PRESS 

Scottdale,  PA  15683 
Kitchener,  Ontario  N2G  1A7 


March  1975  messenger  31 


in  the  counseling  process. 

To  provide  opportunities  for  study  and 
reflection. 

To  clarify  role  expectations. 

To  confirm  and/ or  renew  the  pastor's 
sense  of  calling. 

Where  support  groups  are  not  available, 
individuals  may  help  themselves  in  these 
ways: 

. . .  counsel  with  the  qualified  counselors 
or  career  development  center  as  designated 
by  the  district. 

. . .  participate  with  mate  in  marriage 
enrichment  experiences. 

. . .  choose  a  trusted  confidante  within 
the  local  congregation  who  can  give 
judicious,  wise,  spiritual,  and  objective 
counsel. 

. . .  give  individual  support  to  colleagues 
at  times  of  personal  crisis;  e.g.,  separation 
or  divorce. 

. . .  periodically  engage  in  self- 
examination  of  motivation,  priorities,  and 
commitments. 

. . .  consult  with  district  executives  con- 
cerning professional/personal  growth  and 
personal  goal  evaluation. 

. . .  counsel  with  Brotherhood  staff 
members  (especially  those  in  Parish 
Ministries  related  to  ministerial  personnel). 

. . .  attend  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary's  Advanced  Pastoral  Seminars 
(especially  those  relating  to  personal  goals 
and  growth  and  those  for  pastoral 
couples). 

. . .  participate  in  denominational  or 


ecumenical  area  support  groups  for  deep- 
level  sharing. 

. . .  take  advantage  of  the  many  audio 
cassettes  on  ministry. 

The  person's  family  can  help  in  these 
ways: 

...  let  the  pastor  and  mate  spend  time 
alone  together  to  work  at  their 
relationship,  so  that  communication 
between  them  may  be  open  and 
meaningful,  and  the  relationship  may 

32  MESSENGER  March  1975 


deepen  and  grow  at  corresponding  levels. 

. . .  provide  an  atmosphere  of  love, 
acceptance,  and  understanding  of  each 
other's  personhood. 

. . .  consider  role  expectations  and  con- 
ceptions of  each  other  as  they  relate  to 
marriage  and  family  development  and 
enrichment. 

. . .  invite  the  district  approved 
counselors  to  explore  with  the  person  and 
the  family  ways  of  enriching  family 
relationships. 


The  congregation  can  help  in  the  follow- 
ing ways: 

. . .  work  to  establish  the  concept  of  the 
pastor  as  an  enabler  rather  than  a  holy  per- 
son or  a  chore  person. 

. . .  review  and  evaluate  regularly  with 
the  pastor  his/her  job  analysis  and  work 
performance. 

. . .  creatively  face  conflicts  and  dis- 
agreements openly  and  honestly  as  they  oc- 
cur. 

. . .  live  out  attitudes  of  acceptance  and 
forgiveness  for  one  another  and  for  any 
resident  minister  where  there  is  disagree- 
ment over  role  or  where  there  is  any 
previous  record  of  personal  indiscretion. 

. . .  provide  each  pastor  with  a 
professional  growth  allowance  as  a  part  of 
the  pastoral  agreement  with  the  congrega- 
tion. 

. . .  grant  sabbatical  leave  for  the  pastor 
at  regular  intervals. 

. . .  direct  the  pastor  to  take  regular  time 
off  each  week. 

. . .  provide  competent  and  efficient 
secretarial  help  for  the  pastor. 

...  do  not  require  the  pastor's  presence 
at  every  routine  meeting.  The  pastor 
should  serve  as  a  resource  person,  not  as  a 
convenor,  chairperson,  or  secretary. 

. . .  encourage  the  pastor  to  schedule  and 
spend  uninterrupted  hours  with  the  family. 


and  enable  him/  her  to  do  it. 

The  district  can  help  in  these  ways: 

. . .  provide  counseling  service  which  is 
not  related  to  placement  procedures  by 
selecting  a  qualified  counselor  or 
counselors,  and  by  identifying  supportive 
resource  agencies,  such  as  career  develop- 
ment centers. 

. . .  provide  in-service  training  through 
workshops  and  retreats. 

. . .  assign  "support  colleagues"  who  are 
geographically  near  enough  to  be  of 
assistance  to  pastors. 

. . .  assist  pastors  and  mates  financially  in 
attending  Advanced  Pastoral  Seminars  and 
other  marriage  enrichment  experiences. 

. . .  encourage  and  assist  pastors'  mates 
to  participate  in  personal  enrichment  ex- 
periences. 

. . .  activate  the  mediation  committee  as 
provided  for  in  district  constitutions. 

The  Brotherhood  can  help  in  these  ways:' 

. . .  cooperate  in  sponsoring  workshops 
and  retreats  at  the  district  level. 

. . .  provide  a  bibliography  on  the 
ministry  and  its  related  joys  and  problems 
mcluding  books,  pamphlets,  cassettes,  and 
audio  visuals. 

. . .  initiate  a  study  of  divorce  and 
remarriage  through  an  Annual  Conference' 
committee. 

. . .  ask  the  General  Board  to  provide 
staff  leadership  in  the  area  of  family  life 
enrichment. 

. . .  provide  funds  to  assist  districts  and 
persons  to  underwrite  personal/ family 
resources  available  for  counseling  on  a 
confidential  basis  not  related  to  district 
placement  procedures. 

Bethany  Theological  Seminary  can  help 
in  these  ways: 

. . .  continue  to  provide  Advanced 
Pastoral  Seminars  based  on  the  needs  of 
the  participants. 

. . .  continue  to  provide  educational  op- 
portunities dealing  with  interpersonal 
relationships  and  conflict  management. 

. . .  provide  guidance  for  pastors  plan- 
ning a  program  of  professional  growth  ex- 
periences. 

. . .  develop  a  program  of  family  life 
enrichment  for  students,  pastors,  and 
mates. 

. . .  include  curriculum  offerings  in  the 
seminary  degree  program  in  the  area  of 
organizational  development  which  will  help 
the  pastor  with  skills  and  methods  for 
work  at  understanding  and  negotiating  role; 
expectations  with  the  local  church.    [J 


h  WAY  OF  LIVING 

I    Listen  to  four  Brethren  writers.  They  are  talking 
'bout  the  Christian  experience  ...  as  a  way  of  living: 

"The  experience  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  a  seizure,  it 
>  a  way  of  life. " 

"The  New  Testament  calls  us  to  the  simple  life,  a 
ocused,  intentional  life. " 

"Sex  can  be  abused,  but  in  itself  is  not  evil.  Instead, 
'  is  a  means  through  which  God  allows  men  and 
vomen  to  cooperate  in  the  creation  of  human  life. " 

"Christian  living  means  the  outpouring  of  one's  life 
:ke  a  river  . . .  like  an  artesian  well  that 
I  lever  runs  dry. " 

What  being  a  Christian 
leans  in  terms  of  daily  liv- 
^g,    in    life-styles,    in    at- 
tudes,     in     personal    and 
roup      behavior — this      is 
v/hat     the     new     Brethren 
eries  of  Christian  Life  pam- 
hlets  is  all  about.  Four  of 
nem    are    now    ready    for 


Simple  Living: 

A  New 
■Necessity 


Where  the 
Spirit 


distribution — to  be  read  and  then  passed  on  to  a  friend: 

Where  the  Spirit  Is,  by  Carroll  M.  Retry. 

Simple  Living:  A  New  Necessity,  by  T.  Wayne  Rieman. 

Guideposts    in    the   Sexual   Wilderness,    by    Guy   E. 

Wampler  Jr. 
You've  Got  a  Lot  to  Give,  by  Robert  Neff. 

Christian  Life  pamphlets  relate  scriptural  teachings 
to  daily  living.  Though  well-grounded  on  basic  beliefs, 
they  get  down  to  specifics  in  dealing  with  daily  issues. 


CHRISTIAN  LIFE  PAMPHLETS 

Please  send: 

Where  the  Spirit  Is 

Simple  Living:  A  New  Necessity 

Guideposts  in  the  Sexual  Wilderness 

You've  Got  a  Lot  to  Give 

Name 


Address . 


City,  State,  Zip 

IOC  each;  $1.00  per  12 

Add  4C  each  p  &  h,  1-12  copies,  3C  each  1  2-50  copies 

THE  BRETHREN  PRESS 

1 451  Dundee  Ave  ,  Elgin,  IL  601 20 


deposts 
the  Sexual 


YouVe  got 
-t    alot. 


:  Life  Pamphlets 
THE  BRETHREN  PRESS 
1451  Dundee  Ave. 
Elgin,  III.  60120 


March  1975  messenger  33 


M^©[rdl  lF[r(Q)[m]  M^s]©[hD[ri]©ilt(0)[rQ 


by  Steve  Longenecker 

As  intlation  and  unemployment  accelerate 
their  assault  on  American  paychecks, 
growing  public  interest  in  economics  has 
led  to  a  reevaluation  of  the  impact  of 
military  spending  on  the  economy.  Many 
now  feel  that  the  government's  expen- 
ditures for  the  armed  services  are  especially 
inflationary  forms  of  government  spending, 
and  rather  than  being  a  contributor  to  the 
economy,  the  military  budget  is  an 
economic  millstone. 

The  most  obvious  reason  for  military 
spending  being  especially  inflationary  is 
that  such  expenditures  increase  consumer 
demand  by  placing  money  in  circulation 
without  increasing  the  supply  of  goods  and 
services  available  to  consumers.  When  Un- 
cle Sam  buys  100  tanks  from  Detroit,  the 
producers  of  the  tanks  are  paid  for  their 
goods  and  a  large  sum  of  money  is  added 
to  the  nation's  money  stock  and  disposable 
income.  However,  since  tanks  might  rust 
on  Pentagon  parking  lots  or  enhance  the 
landscape  of  Sinai  with  sunbaked 
wreckage,  they  are  not  goods  which  are 
available  to  consumers.  Therefore,  while 
increasing  the  amount  of  dollars 


with  military 
spending  cuts 


Americans  can  spend,  armaments  do  not 
increase  the  supply  of  available  consumer 
goods,  and  in  obedience  to  a  cardinal  rule 
of  economics,  inflation  escalates. 
Resource  drain 

While  the  military  budget  generally  fails 
to  return  goods  and  services  to  the 
economy,  it  also  injures  the  economy  by 
removing  valuable  technological  and 
human  resources  from  the  civilian  sector. 
Because  of  the  extensive  research  and 
technological  efforts  fed  into  the  war 
machine,  the  neglected  civilian  industries 
suffer  from  the  research  opportunities  that 
are  siphoned  off  by  the  military.  With 
declining  resources  devoted  to  civilian 
technology,  productivity  ebbs,  failing  to 
match  rising  labor  costs,  and  American- 
made  products  have  more  difficulty  in 
competition  with  foreign  goods.  Two  US 
industries  which  are  notorious  techno- 
logical Neanderthals  are  the  railroads  and 
the  merchant  marine. 

Because  of  the  evolution  of  specialized 
military  capitalism,  technology  developed 
for  the  Pentagon  often  fails  to  contribute 
to  the  civilian  economy.  In  Pentagon 
economics,  price  is  a  matter  of  secondary 
concern,  and  cost  overrun  has  become 


To  help  the  American  economy  lick  inflation  the 
myth  of  military  spending  as  an  economic 
necessity    must    be    "dishonorably   discharged." 

34  MESSENGER  March  1975 


legendary.  Work  habits  in  some  military 
sector  industries  have  become  so  inefficient  i 
that  management  strictly  segregates 
workers  producing  military  goods  from 
those  producing  civilian  goods  to  prevent 
the  spread  of  bad  habits.  Space  age 
technology  is  so  specialized  that  it  is  almost  i 
useless  to  the  civilian  economy  because  the. 
goals  achieved,  e.g.,  featherweight,  com- 
pact machinery,  are  hardly  worth  the 
millions  of  dollars  spent  on  such  projects. 

Cold  Warriors  frequently  emphasize  the 
backwardness  of  the  Russian  economy 
by  pointing  to  the  scarcity  of  consumer 
goods  in  the  Soviet  Union  due  to  the 
preponderance  of  military  spending.  If 
heavy  Soviet  military  spending  removes 
consumer  goods  from  the  Russian 
economy,  a  similar  effect  should  logically 
occur  in  the  US  since  Vietnam  taught 
America  that  it  can  not  have  both  guns  and 
butter.  Either  rubles  spent  on  rockets  or 
dollars  spent  on  rockets  restrict  production 
of  consumer  goods  in  societies  with  finite 
productivity  capabilities. 
Job  creation 

There  is  nothing  sacred  about  govern- 
ment spending  on  the  military  that  gives  it 
a  special  quality  to  produce  jobs.  Govern- 
ment funds  to  civilian  projects,  such  as  ur- 
ban renewal  and  family  assistance,  or  "sub- 
sidy" checks  to  Penn  Central,  also  create 
employment.  If  cuts  in  defense  are  matched 
by  increases  in  other  sectors  and  if  careful 
planning  is  enacted,  unemployment 
problems  should  be  minimal. 


The  1974  Joint  economic  Report  by  the 
)ngressional  Joint  Economic  Committee 
;putes  Defense  Secretary  James 
hlesinger's  Congressional  testimony  that 
;  miUtary  budget  can  be  an  economic 
mulus.  Stating  that  "the  economy  should 
t  be  propped  up  through  military 
ending,"  the  committee  believes  a  sag- 
ig  economy  should  be  squarely  met  with 
vernment  spending  that  creates  more 
t>s  per  dollar  spent  than  military 
ending  does. 

The  committee  cautions  against  using 
;  military  budget  as  an  economic  prop 
t  we  become  too  dependent  on  a 
asteful,  sterile,  and  dangerous  excess  of 
/estment  in  superfluous  hardware  and 
rsonnel."  While  military  spending  does 
aduce  some  jobs,  the  Department  of 
bor  believes  that  spending  in  some  sec- 
"s,  especially  health  and  education, 
nerates  more  employment  per  dollar,  and 
me  economists  predict  a  boom  if  large 
litary  spending  cuts  are  matched  with 
isonable  planning. 
le  church's  position 

The  1968  Annual  Conference  shrewdly 
iluated  the  effect  of  military  spending  on 
;  economy  in  "A  Statement  to  Leaders 
the  United  States  Government;  From 
:  Church  of  the  Brethren."  The  statement 
d,  "The  military  system  is  economically 
d  inherently  wasteful.  A  dollar  spent  for 
naments  is  in  a  large  measure  lost  to  the 
Dnomy,  while  a  dollar  spent  for  most 
nmilitary  ends  helps  to  create  more 
alth." 

The  statement  also  declared  that 
idespread  waste  is  found  within  the 
litary  system  itself."  The  church  re- 
ested  that  Congress  end  the  "practice  of 
ating  military  budget  requests  as  all  but 
touchable." 

lis-mything"  military  spending 
While  plastic  buttons  and  bullet-biting 
ght  satisfy  politicians'  needs  for  rhetoric, 
ashington  wags  have  produced  jokes 
iQut  the  escalating  price  of  WIN  but- 
ns,  and  critics  point  to  the  need  to  re- 
ace  hot  air  with  substantive  efforts.  As 
Ration  and  recession  march  to  an  ever- 


wApprvaeh 
rlstlan 


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faster  beat,  the  military  budget  becomes 
the  obvious  target  for  a  budgetary  re- 
treat. 

Moral  arguments  for  reducing  military 
spending  are  plentiful.  However,  the  idea 
that  military  spending  is  an  economic 


necessity  often  persists,  and  the  weight  of 
the  military  spending  myth  has  hung  on 
America's  neck  far  too  long.  To  help  the 
American  economy  regain  its  tall  stature 
by  putting  inflation  at  ease,  this  myth  must 
be  dishonorably  discharged.  G 


March  1975  messenger  35 


p)S©pl]@®ip®(ros[h 


H< 


^ow  did  the  Frederick  Churcii  of  the 
Brethren  come  to  involve  itself  in  a 
ministry  to  the  deaf?  Pastor  Merlin  Garber 
had  experienced  such  a  fellowship  while 
pastor  in  Roanoke,  Va.  And  then,  while  at 
Frederick,  a  quite  unusual  event  occurred. 
On  three  consecutive  Sunday  mornings, 
three  different  families  came  to  church: 
John  and  Karia  Ennis,  who  were  on  the 
faculty  at  the  Maryland  School  for  the 
Deaf  in  Frederick;  Galen  and  Janice  Mar- 
tin, whose  son  David  is  totally  deaf;  and 
Emory  and  Jeanne  Marsh  also  of  the 
Maryland  School  for  the  Deaf,  where 
Emory  was  coaching.  The  Lord  seemed  to 
unite  these  couples  in  close  fellowship  and 
to  begin  to  provide  an  opportunity  to  start 
a  deaf  fellowship. 

Describing  this  fellowship  Janice  Martin 
says,  "Each  couple  had  something  unique 
to  contribute  to  this  original  nucleus. 
Jeanne  and  Emory  Marsh  themselves  were 
deaf  and  could  identify  with  the  needs  of 
deaf  people.  Being  new  Christians  they 
brought  a  special  exuberance  to  the  group. 
John  and  KarIa  Ennis  had  the  ability  to 
help  the  deal  and  hearing  relate  to  each 
other.  Although  John  was  hearing,  he  grew 
up  with  an  older  and  a  younger  brother 
who  were  deaf  and  was  used  to  the  position 
of  'interpreter.'  Perhaps  what  we  Martins 
added  was  the  stability  of  a  family  who 
considered  Frederick  our  home  and  were 
ready  to  support  a  fellowship  which  could 
meet  the  spiritual  needs  of  our  deaf  son 
and  hearing  daughter.  These  varying 
abilities  and  the  common  goal  of  providing 
a  Christian  fellowship  for  the  deaf  gave 
birth  to  an  uncommonly  close  fellowship." 

Others  became  interested  and  soon  the 
morning  worship  service  was  being  signed 
for  the  deaf. 

The  fellowship  continued  to  grow.  As 
time  passed,  John  and  KarIa  Ennis  and 
Emory  and  Jeanne  Marsh  left  for  careers 
elsewhere.  Galen  and  Janice  Martin 
remamed,  continuing  to  work  with  the 
fellowship.  However,  there  was  felt  a  need 
to  have  a  minister  with  whom  the  members 
could  speak  and  confide  in  directly, 
without  an  interpreter  being  present. 


"Signing"  the  sermon 


Ray  Roush  was  called  to  fill  this  need. 
He  had  served  on  the  mission  field  for 
twelve  years,  six  of  them  in  Kingston, 
Jamaica,  as  manager  of  the  Christian  Deaf 
Fellowship  Center  and  as  pastor  of  the 
Deaf  Missionary  Church.  In  Bogota, 
Colombia,  he  established  the  first  church 
for  the  deaf  in  South  America.  During  two 
years  in  Honolulu,  Hi.,  he  established  the 
Aloha  Deaf  Chapel.  Presently  he  is  a 
member  of  the  staff  at  the  Maryland 
School  for  the  Deaf. 

Under  the  leadership  of  Roush,  who 
himself  is  deaf,  the  group  now  meets  for 
a  separate  worship  service  which  is  both 


signed  and  spoken.  The  Sunday  morning 
experience  provides  for  both  spiritual 
and  fellowship  needs.  It  also  is  providing 
for  the  needs  of  deaf  children  and  is  inte- 
grating them  with  hearing  children. 

The  Deaf  Fellowship  is  officially  a  con- 
gregation within  the  Frederick  church  hav- 
ing its  own  minister,  its  own  officers,  its 
own  financial  arrangement,  and  its  own 
teachers.  The  Deaf  Fellowship  is  supported 
by  giving  from  its  own  members  and  also 
by  regular  contributions  from  the 
Frederick  congregation.  The  fellowship  is 
ecumenical;  its  members  are  of  Mennonite, 
Nazarene,  Baptist,  and  Church  of  the 


;■    g'^^^g^ 


36  MHssENGER  March  1975 


and  songs  at  Frederick 


Brethren  background.  The  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  more  a  designation  of  meeting 
place  than  of  membership. 

Beyond  Sunday  morning,  the  members 
desire  to  maintain  a  close  fellowship  for 
caring  and  sharing  with  each  other.  One 
long-range  goal  the  fellowship  has  is  to 
provide  a  center  for  deaf  teen-agers  to 
come  for  recreation,  fellowship,  and 
counsel.  They  would  also  like  to  continue 
working  to  break  down  the  communication 
barriers  between  the  deaf  and  hearing. 

What  impact  has  the  Deaf  Fellowship 
had  upon  the  Frederick  Church  of  the 
Brethren?  It  has  given  the  church  a  new  vi- 

Top  right:  Pastor  Roush  "signs"  his  ser- 
mon. Below:  The  Deaf  Fellowship  sings  the 
Doxology.  Top  left:  Micky  Shomber, 
Sherrie  Jones,  and  Alice  Roush  discuss  the 
church  school  lesson.  Bottom  left:  David 
Martin  keeps  Bridgetta  Bourne's  attention 
as  he  reads  the  Bible. 


sion  of  church  extension.  It  has  been  able 
to  provide  an  entirely  new  ministry;  one 
that  is  unique  in  Frederick  County.  It  has 
caused  persons  to  be  willing  to  support  the 
Deaf  Fellowship  in  addition  to  supporting 
their  own  fellowship.  It  has  interested  hear- 
ing members  in  learning  to  sign,  in  master- 
ing a  new  language  to  communicate  with 
our  deaf  members. 

There  are  mi.xed  emotions  at  Frederick 
about  the  new  fellowship.  The  Deaf 
Fellowship  is  now  missed  as  a  part  of  their 
worshiping  together  on  Sunday  morning.  It 
had  been  a  rewarding  experience  to 
worship  together  as  a  deaf  and  hearing 
congregation,  to  observe  the  deaf  par- 
ticipating in  the  singing  of  hymns  and 
other  acts  of  worship  through  their  signs. 
John  D.  Bowman,  former  associate  pastor, 
commented  about  the  services  together,  "I 
was  able  to  perceive  in  myself  and  in  the 
congregation  profound  affection  and  in- 
terest in  the  fellowship.  The  beauty  of  their 
'singing  in  the  air"  (signing  of  songs)  was 
both  esthetically  pleasing  and  spiritually 
uplifting.  When  they  stopped  worshiping 
with  us  and  became  more  autonomous,  I 
felt  a  deep  loss." 

The  Deaf  Fellowship  has  been  inspired 
by  having  been  a  part  of  a  larger  congrega- 
tion. Janice  and  Galen  Martin  concur  by 
saying,  "Our  fellowship  has  experienced 
normal  growing  pains,  but  at  all  times  the 
congregation  has  given  us  the  freedom  to 
make  the  decisions  which  meet  our  special 
needs.  Without  the  support  and  loving  con- 
cern of  the  brothers  and  sisters  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  we  would  not  exist 
today.  When  needs  have  arisen,  there  were 
always  those  in  the  congregation  who  were 
ready  to  help  us  work  out  a  solution.  We 
thank  God  for  a  people  with  the  love  and 
insight  to  encourage  this  kind  of  in- 
terdenominational fellowship  to  grow  and 
develop  within  its  congregation." 

The  opportunity  of  giving  birth  to  and 
helping  to  support  this  fellowship  is  a 
special  joy  and  inspiration  to  all  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  at  Frederick.   Q 

by  Darl  W.  Hinkle 

March  1975  messenger  37 


[rs©(Q)(LQ[r©©^ 


STUDY  SERIES 
FOR  75-76 


To  enable  members  of  the  congregation  to 
understand  and  follow  the  way  of  Jesus  is 
the  reason  why  every  one  of  our 
educational  ministries  is  in  existence. 

Yet  congregations,  like  individuals,  are 
unique.  Each  is  different  in  some  way  from 
the  others.  The  educational  ministries  may 
vary  in  terms  of  basic  aims.  The  role  of 
education  for  some  is  primarily  evan- 
gelistic; for  others  the  cultivation  of 
biblical  knowledge  and  personal  faith;  for 
still  others  the  equipping  of  persons  to  deal 
with  personal  and  societal  issues. 

Approaches  to  education  can  be  through 
biblical  studies;  through  historical  studies; 
through  response  to  needs  and  interests  of 
the  group  participants;  through  addressing 
problems  and  issues  facing  persons  and 
society.  Some  congregations  want  minimal 
study.  Others  want  in-depth  study.  Some 
congregations  want  materials  that  have 
plans  developed  by  others  while  others 
want  to  take  full  responsibility  for  develop- 
ing their  own  plans. 

Because  of  these  differences,  three  kinds 
of  curriculum  series  currently  are  offered 
by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Because  of 
the  similarities,  the  three  series  are  all 
rooted  in  the  Bible  and  all  have  as  their  in- 
tent enabling  persons  to  understand  and 
follow  the  way  of  Jesus.  Still,  the  series  are 
designed  to  fit  different  kinds  of  con- 
gregations. 

Each  series  is  listed  on  the  church  school 
order  blank.  Sample  copies  of  the  materials 
can  be  obtained  from  Brethren  Press,  1451 
Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120, 

Encounter  Series 

Every  person  faces  persistent  life  issues. 
The  gospel  and  the  Christian  faith  speak  to 
those  issues.  Each  of  the  courses  of  the  En- 
counter Series  is  developed  around  those 
life  issues  and  the  biblical  faith  that  deals 
with  them. 

38  ME,SSENGER  March  1975 


For  1975-76,  the  focus  is  "Knowing  the 
Living  God"  (Perspective  I).  Semester  One 
is  concerned  with  our  understanding  of 
God's  revelation.  Semester  Two  deals  with 
the  response  of  the  person  to  that  revela- 
tion. Since  this  is  the  beginning  of  the  cy- 
cle, some  congregations  will  have  on  their 
shelves  material  for  children  and  youth 
that  can  be  used  again.  If  so,  be  sure  to 
order  the  Booster  and  Update  packets  as 
well  as  to  replace  materials  as  needed.  New 
study  materials  are  provided  for  adults. 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 


W 


-^1^ 


ENCOUNTER  SERIES 


Ventures  . . .  Series 

Based  on  the  same  outlines  as  the  En- 
counter Series,  "Ventures  in  Christian  Liv- 
ing" is  provided  in  quarterly  materials.  A 


lesson  plan  is  included  for  each  lesson.  For 
kindergarten  and  grades  1-2,  activity 
materials  are  provided  along  with  the 
learner's  take  home  leaflets,  the  teacher's 
guide,  and  a  teaching  kit.  For  grades  3-12, 
a  teacher's  guide,  a  student's  book,  and  a 
teaching  kit  is  provided  for  each  two-grade 
grouping. 

Materials  for  Bible  study 

New  this  fall  will  be  "Exploring  the  Bible 
With  Children"  and  "Cooperative  Uniform 
Series  for  Youth."  Users  of  "A  Guide  for 
Biblical  Studies"  may  want  to  use  these.  In- 
formation will  be  sent  through  Agend.a. 

"Exploring  the  Bible  With  Children"  in- 
cludes preschool  materials  for  ages  2-5  with 
teacher's  guide,  a  set  of  leaflets  for  the 
children,  and  an  annual  set  of  teaching  pic- 
tures. The  series  also  offers  materials  for 


^^ 


Early  Heroes 

Of  The 

Ruth 


t  > 


/ 


'^-r- 
K' 


grades  1-3  and  4-6  with  teacher's  guides, 
learner's  books  as  well  as  annual  sets  of 
teaching  pictures. 

"The  Cooperative  Uniform  Series  for 
Youth"  includes  a  leader's  manual,  pupil's 
book,  teaching  packet,  and  a  worship 
leaflet  based  on  the  scripture  for  the  week. 
That  scripture  will  be  the  same  as  that  in 
the  Guide. 

"A  Guide  for  Biblical  Studies"  is  based 
also  on  the  Cooperative  Uniform  Series.  It 
is  written  by  Brethren  specifically  for 
Brethren.  Besides  the  printed  quarterly, 
there  is  an  audio-cassette  with  lesson-by- 
lesson  background  commentary  for 
leaders.  — Shirley  J.  Heckman 


£[LQ[r[n]D[n]gj  podddI^^ 


.icensing/Ordination 

Alice  Ebey  Archer,  licensed  Nov.  10, 
974,  Wawaka,  Northern  Indiana 

Thomas  E.  Auker,  ordained  1974, 
kllantic  Northeast 

Tim  Barber,  licensed,  1974, 
outh.  Central  Indiana 

David  Bibbee,  licensed  June  2,  1974, 
larion.  Northern  Ohio 

Paul  W.  Brubaker,  ordained  July  28, 
974.  Atlantic  Northeast 

Kirby  Dubble,  ordained  1974.  Atlan- 
c  Northeast 

Glenn  M.  Eshleman,  ordained  July 
8,  1974,  Atlantic  Northeast 

Charles  Grissell.  licensed,  1974, 
outh/ Central  Indiana 

Kay  Grissell,  licensed,  1974,  South, 
'entral  Indiana 

Delmas  Keeney,  ordained  1974, 
.tlantic  Northeast 

J.  Mervin  Keller,  ordained  Aug.  4, 
974,  Atlantic  Northeast 

Philip  E.  Margush,  licensed  Nov.  10. 
974,  Atlantic  Northeast 

Alan  Miller,  licensed  July  7,  1974, 
ristolville.  Northern  Ohio 

Jerry  W,  Ruff,  ordained  Nov.  17, 
974,  Summit,  Shenandoah 

Randv  Schmucker,  licensed  Aug.  4, 
974,  Zion  Hill,  Northern  Ohio 

10th  BVS  training  unit 

Monna  Lee  Alwine,  of  Johnstown, 
a.,  to  Caldwell  Migrant  Ministry, 
aldwell,  Idaho 

Janet  Laura  Baernstein.  of 
urlington.  Wis.,  to  Child  Day  Care 
'enter,  Plymouth.  Ind. 

Linda  Kay  Beckner,  of  Brodbecks, 
a.,  to  Inter-Mountain  School,  Protes- 
int  Student  Center.  Brigham  City, 
itah 

Nancy  Loren  Bortner.  of 
loUansburg.  Ohio,  to  Crosslines,  Inc.. 
pringfield.  Mo. 

Thomas  Friedrich  Brett,  of  West 
lermany.  to  Dayton  Project.  Dayton. 
Ihio 

Debby  Sue  Casey,  of  Fort  Wayne, 
id..  to  Fahrney-Keedy  Home, 
oonsboro.  Md. 

Juan  G.  and  Rosario  T.  Cruz,  of 
cuador.  to  Chicago.  111. 

Yvonne  Kay  Dilling,  of  Fort  Wayne, 
id.,  to  Bella  Vista  Church  of  the 
irethren.  Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

Mary  Michele  Graybill,  of  Stevens, 
a,,  to  Mother  Goose  Child  Develop- 
lent  Center.  Elgin.  111. 

Kenda  Elaine  Gressley.  of  Columbia 
'ity.  Ind.,  to  Peter  Becker  Memorial 
lome,  Harleysville,  Pa. 

John  Daniel  Hostetter,  of  Winfield, 
'a,,  to  Good  Shepherd  Home  and 
lorthern  Indiana  CBYF.  Fostoria. 
Ihio 

Cheryl  Ann  Hurst,  of  Akron.  Pa.,  to 
lorborne  Day  Care  Center.  Mar- 
nsburg.  W.V. 

Myra  Anne  Ingmanson,  of  Mancos. 
olo..  to  Teal  House,  Concord,  Calif. 

Connie  Sue  Kintner,  of  Delphi,  ind.. 
>  Lynnhaven  Creative  Child  Care 
enter.  Phoenix.  Ariz. 

Helen  Marie  Kline,  of  Manassas, 
a.,  to  Dayton  Project.  Dayton,  Ohio 

Rebecca  Sue  Leaming,  of  Canon 
ity,  Colo.,  to  Ecole  San  Vincente's  for 


Handicapped  Children,  Port-au-Prince, 
Haiti 

Sheryl  Ann  Lofton,  of  Sebring,  Fla., 
to  Bloomington  Christian  Center, 
Bloomington,  Ind. 

Timothy  Alan  McElwee,  of 
Warrensburg.  Mo.,  to  Fahrney-Keedy 
Home,  Boonsboro,  Md. 

Randall  Bruce  Miller,  of  Wenatchee, 
Wash.,  to  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Karen  Elizabeth  MiUison,  of  Poland, 
Ohio,  to  Cross  Keys  Brethren  Home, 
New  O.xford,  Pa. 

Nicolas  A.  Payne,  of  Seattle,  Wash., 
to  European  Program,  Belfast, 
Northern  Ireland 

Kathryn  Sue  Riehl,  of  New  Holland, 
Pa,,  to  Church  of  the  Brethren  Home, 
Windber,  Pa. 

Pamela  Paul  Rohitas,  of  India  to 
Manchester  College,  North  Man- 
chester, Ind. 

Martin  L.  Schwartz,  of  Hudson, 
Ind.,  to  European  Program,  Thes- 
saloniki,  Greece 

Cynthia  L.  Sholly,  of  AnnviUe,  Pa., 
to  Good  Shepherd  Home  and  Northern 
Indiana  CBYF,  Fostoria,  Ohio 

Sara  Kristin  Snyder,  of  Whittier, 
Calif.,  to  Dayton  Project,  Dayton, 
Ohio 

Cynthia  Lynn  Stovall,  of  Bassett, 
Va..  to  Norborne  Day  Care  Center, 
Martinsburg,  West  Va. 

Susan  E.  Sweigard,  of  Seaford,  Del., 
to  Bloomington  Christian  Center, 
Bloomington,  Ind. 

Lisa  Ann  Unruh,  of  Quintet,  Kans., 
to  Teal  House,  Concord,  Calif. 

Anitra  C.  Walters,  of  Columbiana, 
Ohio,  to  Church  of  the  Brethren  Home, 
Windber.  Pa. 

Thomas  O.  Watts,  of  Nampa,  Idaho, 
to  Bloomington  Christian  Center, 
Bloomington,  Ind. 

Deaths 

Josie  Adkins,  Mountain  Grove,  Mo., 
May  26,  1974 

R'ichard  Allison.  61.  York,  Pa.,  Nov. 
12,  1974 

Etna  Anderson,  Muskegon,  Mich., 
Sept.  16,  1974 

Bert  Baker,  Yakima,  Wash.,  Oct.  15, 
1974 

Murl  Baker,  73.  Pasco.  Wash..  Oct. 
25.  1974 

John  R.  Beane.  59,  Arcanum.  Ohio. 
Oct.  12.  1974 

Eva  Mae  Berrv.  60.  Liberty.  Ind., 
Dec.  2,  1974 

Melvin  Bible,  Cumberland,  Md.,  Oct. 
1974 

Lilla  Blair.  87,  Cloverdale,  Va.,  Oct. 
31,  1974 

Lena  Bosserman,  91,  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  Oct.  8,  1974 

Zelda  Bowman,  76,  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
Oct.  5,  1974 

Arlene  Brown,  49,  North  Wales,  Pa., 
Nov.  5,  1974 

Frank  J.  Brown,  52,  North  Wales, 
Pa.,  Oct.  6,  1974 

William  Brunnemeyer,  65,  Rock 
Lake,  N.D.,  Nov.  25,  1974 

Marsha  Clark,  22,  Richmond,  Ind., 
Oct.  26,  1974 

Lula  Huffer  Cook,  89,  Mount  Solon, 
Va.,  Aug.  31,  1974 


Roy  C.  Cook  Jr.,  50,  Cloverdale, 
Va.,  Nov.  1,  1974 

Walter  Cookman,  59,  Portland, 
Oreg.,  Sept,  24,  1974 

John  F.  Danner,  Washington.  D.C.. 
Oct.  17.  1974 

Doris  Davis  Dean.  70.  Eden.  NC. 
Oct.  23,  1974 

Bernice  Detwiler,  80,  Martinsburg, 
Pa.,  Sept.  2,  1974 

James  De  Vault.  Pontiac.  Mich.. 
Sept.  30.  1974 

Daniel  Diehl.  97.  Sebring.  Fla..  Oct. 

15.  1974 

Graybill  G.  Hosier.  90.  Litilz.  Pa.. 
Oct.  6.  1974 

Earl  E.  Jarboe.  83.  Norton.  Kans,. 
Nov.  21.  1974 

Robert  Johnson.  78,  Mount  Carroll, 
111.,  Nov.  18,  1974 

Elizabeth  Keener,  72,  Myerstown, 
Pa.,  Nov.  9,  1974 

Ida  Goings  Kelly,  85.  Eden.  N.C.. 
Nov.  15.  1974 

Galen  C.  Kilhefner.  67,  Elizabeth- 
town,  Pa.,  May  15,  1974 

Beulah  Knicelv,  54,  Mount  Craw- 
ford, Va..  Sept.  13,  1974 

John  L.  Leffler,  82,  Mverstown,  Pa., 
Nov.  17,  1974 

Delia  Lehman,  81,  La  Verne.  Calif.. 
Nov.  13,  1974 

Earl  J.  Lichty,  85,  Harmony.  Minn.. 
Oct.  28,  1974 

Joe  Lowber,  76,  Boise,   Idaho,  Oct. 

16.  1974 

Paul  C.  Lucabaugh.  71.  Hanover. 
Pa..  Oct.  22.  1974 

Thomas  Ludwick  Sr..  68.  Grottoes. 
Va..  Aug.  28,  1974 

Walter  Martin,  69,  Covington,  Va., 
Oct.  30,  1974 

Morris  Mastin,  62,  Monticello.  Ind., 
Oct.  5.  1974 

Perry  Miller,  85,  Glendora,  Calif, 
Sept.  2,  1974 

Paul  W.  Morris,  82,  Ambler,  Pa.. 
July  14.  1974 

Daniel  H.  Moyers.  83,  Broadway, 
Va.,  Oct,  21,  1974 

Walter  Mullins,  81,  Marcum,  Ky., 
Oct.  26,  1974 

Cathy  Mumma,  23.  Fort  Wayne. 
Ind,.  Nov.  23.  1974 

Mary  Nester.  84.  Laurel  Fork.  Va.. 
Sept.  8.  1974 

Elsie  Noffsinger.  88.  Eureka.  111.. 
Nov.  11,  1974 

David  L.  Oakes,  75.  Ludlow  Falls, 
Ohio,  Oct.  17,  1974 

Margaret  Mazer  Overholser,  72, 
Meyersdale,  Pa.,  Oct.  9,  1974 

Florence  Peel,  50.  McPherson. 
Kans..  Oct.  30.  1974 

Abram  Plaugher.  86.  Mount  Solon. 
Va..  Oct.  30.  1974 

OUie  Susan  Reid.  75.  Broadway.  Va.. 
Oct.  3.  1974 

Rav  E.  Rhoe.  72.  Cumberland.  Md.. 
Oct.  16.  1974 

Harb  Richards.  66.  South  Whitley. 
Ind..  Sept.  27.  1974 

Herbert  F.  Richards,  91,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  Oct,  15,  1974 

Herman  O.  Rock,  78,  Troutville,  Va., 
Nov.  16,  1974 

Mrs.  Albert  Rothrock,  89,  Daven- 
port, Nebr.,  Oct.  31,  1974 

Verna  Rummel,  74,  Johnston,  Pa., 
Oct.  28,  1974 

Eunice   Sanders,  85,  Tucson,   Ariz., 


Sept.  7,  1974 

Martin  Scholten,  Pottstown,  Pa., 
Aug.  21,  1974 

Cora  Peck  Schrock,  91,  Pomona, 
Calif..  Sept.  24.  1974 

llo  Schubert.  76.  North  Manchester. 
Ind..  Sept.  2.  1974 

Rose  Alma  Scott,  Woodstock,  Va., 
Oct.  16,  1974 

Francis  Seese,  73,  Alto,  Mich.,  Oct. 
23.  1974 

Elmer  W.  Shawns.  81.  New  Market. 
Va.,  Nov.  15.  1974 

Marie  Wirt  Sherman.  75.  Garrett. 
Ind..  Nov.  10.  1974 

Galor  Shipman.  63,  Polo,  HI.,  Nov. 
9.  1974 

Sherman  Shoemaker.  90.  Mount 
Vernon,  111.,  Jan.  27,  1974 

Dillon  P.  Simmons,  52,  Harrison- 
burg, Va.,  Oct.  24,  1974 

Herman  W.  Spangler,  82,  Roanoke, 
Va.,  Sept.  3.  1974 

Felix  Sizemore,  64,  Marcum,  Ky., 
Aug.  3,  1974 

Rubv  Smallwood,  76,  Nappanee, 
Ind,  Oct.  30,  1974 

Clara  Smith.  Paradise,  Calif.,  Aug.  4, 
1974 

Jim  Smith,  82,  Marcum,  Kv.,  Nov. 
16,  1974 

Mane  Smilh,  94,  Marcum,  Ky.,  Nov. 
4.  1974 

Olin  E.  Snvder.  85.  Boonsboro.  Md.. 
Nov.  18.  1974 

Willard  Spitler.  71.  Greenville.  Ohio. 
Nov.  2.  1974 

Kenneth  Steinberger.  72.  Santee. 
Calif..  Sept.  5.  1974 

Nelson  W.  Stouffer.  55.  Cham- 
bersburg.  Pa..  Nov.  8.  1974 

Farrell  Stouder.  74.  Nappanee.  Ind.. 
Nov.  19,  1974 

Arlene  Strickler,  44,  Lititz,  Pa.,  Oct. 
23.  1974 

Gladys  Studebaker,  79,  Azusa,  CaliL, 
Aug.  13.  1974 

Emma  Swinger.  81.  Pitsburg.  Ohio, 
Oct.  28,  1974 

Walter  Swinger,  84,  Pitsburg,  Ohio, 
Nov.  19,  1974 

Elma  E.  Thelmich,  82,  Cumberland, 
Md..  Nov.  26.  1974 

Minnie  Thompson.  84,  Wabash,  Ind., 
June  19,  1974 

Linnie  Tonev.  82,  Orlando.  Fla.. 
Nov.  1.  1974 

Evelyn  Seymour  Wallace.  Council 
Bluffs.'lowa.  Oct.  16,  1974 

Everett  S.  Walters.  65.  Bent  Moun- 
tain. Va..  Oct.  28.  1974 

J.  T.  Warlitner.  73,  Newport  News, 
Va.,  Oct.  24,  1974 

I.  E.  Weaver,  90,  North  Manchester, 
Ind..  Aug.  27.  1974 

Grace  Weigle.  75.  Hellam,  Pa.,  Nov. 
11.  1974 

Orville  S.  West.  80.  Polo.  111..  Nov. 
II.  1974 

Wayman  Western.  77.  Fort  Defiance. 
Va..  Aug.  27.  1974 

William  R.  Wisner.  60.  Dixon,  111.. 
Oct.  14.  1974 

Charles  Yingling.  Hanover,  Pa.,  Nov. 
22,  1974 

Frances  Zerfoss,  62,  Hanover,  Pa., 
Oct.  30,  1974 

Annie  E.  Zimmerman,  93,  Hopewell, 
Pa.,  Oct.  24,  1974 

Lillie  Zirkle,  90,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind., 
Oct.  27,  1974 

March  1975  messenger  39 


©dlSteroaiD 


Harried  but  not  hemmed  in 


The  situation  was  one  many  Christians  encounter 
these  days.  A  group  of  district  and  brotherhood 
leaders  was  discussing  the  burgeoning  population 
growth  and  the  world's  dwindling  resources.  And 
though  the  participants  talked  of  avoiding 
"complexification" — the  laying  out  of  so  much  in- 
formation as  to  be  rendered  immobile  by  it  — 
paralysis  was  threatening. 

Of  the  half  dozen  core  concerns  the  group 
isolated  for  congregational  study  and  action,  one 
was  distinctly  upbeat — delineating  models  of 
hope.  What  from  biblical  heritage  and  faith  com- 
mitment today  suggests  alternatives  to  crippling 
cynicism? 

A  cluster  who  chose  to  center  in  on  this  con- 
cern cited  the  degree  to  which  the  early  Christians 
witnessed  with  dynamism  and  joy.  The  buoyancy 
of  the  apostles  was  felt  not  in  the  absence  of  strife 
but  in  the  midst  of  it.  God's  power  as  seen  in  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  reshaped  their  lives. 
Paul  explained  to  the  church  at  Corinth: 

"We  are  afflicted  in  every  way,  but  not 
crushed;  perplexed,  but  not  driven  to  despair; 
persecuted,  but  not  forsaken;  struck  down,  but 
not  destroyed;  always  carrying  in  the  body  the 
death  of  Jesus,  so  that  the  life  of  Jesus  may  also 
be  manifested  in  our  bodies.  For  while  we  live  we 
are  always  being  given  up  to  death  for  Jesus'  sake, 
so  that  the  life  of  Jesus  may  be  manifested  in  our 
mortal  flesh.  So  death  is  at  work  in  us,  but  life  in 
you"  (2  Cor.  4:8-12). 

The  group  weighed  the  words  of  one  who  with 
boldness  laid  down  his  body  and  subjected  himself 
that  the  life  he  had  in  Christ  would  be  revealed. 
Alone  and  in  twos  and  threes  and  as  a  total 
cluster  persons  reflected  on  the  power  of  God  to 
transform  weakness,  to  transcend  suffering.  They 
took  the  feelings  of  Paul,  which  Moffatt  translates 
as  being  "harried  but  not  hemmed  in,"  and  cast 


them  in  their  own  words  and  time. 

In  essence  the  group  of  Brethren  engaged  in 
an  experience  the  World  Council  of  Churches 
Central  Committee  three  years  ago  commended 
to  Christians  everywhere:  "to  learn  to  speak 
more  openly  to  one  another  of  the  center  of  our 
commitment."  Simply  but  poignantly  Paul's  situa- 
tion and  conviction  became  identified  with  their 
own.  In  encounter  with  one  or  two  others,  in- 
dividuals were  giving  account  of  the  faith  and 
hope  within. 

Through  this  encounter  with  the  scripture  and 
with  brothers  and  sisters  of  the  faith,  hope  was 
discerned.  It  came  as  no  panacea  but  as  a  perspec- 
tive and  a  process  that  put  defeat  and  despair  in 
their  place. 

Through  a  special  edition  labeled  "An  Inven- 
tory of  Hope,"  Saturday  Review  sought  to  cut 
into  the  gloom  that  has  settled  over  the  nation. 
"The  main  trouble  with  despair  is  that  it  is  self- 
fulfilling.  People  who  fear  the  worst  tend  to  invite 
it,"  editorialized  Norman  Cousins.  "Bursts  of 
energy  do  not  spring  from  a  spirit  of  defeat.  Ul- 
timately, hopelessness  leads  to  helplessness." 

The  proclamation  of  hope  should  be  a  primary 
pursuit  in  the  church  today,  but  for  all  too  many 
of  us  it  is  not.  We  need  yet  to  come  to  terms  with 
the  optimism  of  the  New  Testament  that  centers 
in  the  resurrection. 


We 


'e  in  the  Community  of  the  Resurrection  are 
heirs  to  a  power  that  is  regenerating,  renewing, 
radiating.  A  power  that  invites  us  to  engage  in 
joyful  worship,  to  risk  daring  acts,  to  live  for 
others,  to  herald  a  new  age,  to  speak  the  liberating 
Word. 

In  sum,  to  discern  and  disclose  the  Hope  that 
is  within  us.  —  h.e.r. 


40  MESSENGER  March  1975 


Can  You  Answer 
These  Questions 
About  Writing 
Your  Will?* 


irRuii 


or 


Mark  each  of  the  following  statements  T  for  True,  or  F  for 
False,  in  the  box  at  its  right.  For  correct  answers,  see  panel 
below. 

1  — If  you  do  not  have  a  Will  and  therefore  die  "intes-  [~~j 
tate,"  state  law  will  give  your  wife  all  of  your  Estate.      I_J 


2— If  you  die  "intestate"  while  your  children  are 
minors,  state  law  will  divide  a  third  of  your  Estate 
among  them. 


D 


3— When  you  leave  no  Will,  the  state  automatically  ap-  [~~| 
points  a  social  worker  and  a  bank  as  guardians  of  your  l_J 
minor  children. 

4— Whoever  is  appointed  guardian  for  your  minor|~~| 
children  has  complete  say-so  in  taking  care  of  themLJ 
>and  their  affairs. 


5  — Lacking  a  Will,  your  property  will  be  disposed  of  j      l 
more  or  less  as  your  Will  would  have  directed.  I__l 


6— Children  not  mentioned  in  your  Will  are  excluded  |~~| 
from  an  inheritance.  I_J 


7— A  husband  has  the  same  rights  to  his  wife's  Estate  r~~| 
as  she  has  to  his.  |_J 


8— A  handwritten  Will,  unwitnessed,  cannot  be  valid,     l      l 
9— Wills  never  require  more  than  two  witnesses.  I      I 

10  — It  is  expensive  to  have  a  lawyer  draw  up  your  Will.  j~~| 


ANSWERS 


1— False.  Usually  not.  In  some  states,  your  wife  gets  one-third 
if  you  die  without  a  Will. 

2  — False.  Many  states  give  two-thirds  of  your  Estate  to  your 
children  equally  divided  among  them. 

3— False.  It  is  more  likely  to  appoint  your  spouse  as  guardian, 
or  some  other  person.  But  they  will  have  to  furnish  a  bond 
and  pay  the  fee  for  it. 

4— False.  Even  if  your  wife  is  guardian,  she  usually  must  have 
specific  permission  from  the  court  to  spend  your  children's 
share  of  your  Estate  on  their  support  or  education.  She  may 
be  required  to  render  detailed  accounts  of  these  expen- 
ditures. 

5  — False.  Your  property  would  be  disposed  of  according  to 
the  law  of  your  state  and  not  necessarily  as  you  would  have 
directed. 

'In  most  states 


Mf rite  Today  For  Information 

Mow  while  you  are  thinking  about  your  Will,  plan  to 
>ee  your  lawyer  as  soon  as  possible.  Before  you  go, 
rau  may  find  two  of  our  booklets  useful.  They  suggest 
nformation  you  may  want  to  have  at  hand  for  con- 
sideration. Write  for  them  now:  Making  Your  Will  and 
4  Record  of  Personal  Affairs. 


6  — False.  A  child  born  after  the  date  of  your  Will  might  be  en- 
titled to  receive  whatever  would  have  been  provided  by  the 
state  if  you  had  died  "intestate." 

7  — False.  This  is  not  always  the  case. 

8— False.  In  some  states,  when  the  handwriting  is  generally 
known,  handwritten  Wills  can  be  held  valid,  but  questions 
about  the  circumstances  under  which  they  were  written  make 
them  a  very  risky  proposition. 

9  — False.  Some  states  may  require  three.  Any  Will  disposing 
of  property  located  in  a  three-witness  state  should  have  three, 
even  if  you  write  it  while  resident  in  a  state  requiring  only  two. 

10  — False.  Actually,  it  is  usually  a  very  modest  amount. 
Whatever  his  charge,  the  expert  knowledge  involved  makes  it 
a  bargain. 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 

General  Board 

Office  of  Stewardship  Enlistment 

1451  Dundee  Avenue 

Elgin,  Illinois  60120 

Sirs: 

Please  send  me  without  obligation  the  following  booklets: 

D  Making  Your  Will 

n  A  Record  of  Personal  Affairs 

Name 


Address. 
City 


State . 


Zip 


r\     \ 


Miracles. . . .  They  are  all  around  us.  In  the  bread  we 
eat — from  seed,  to  grain,  to  flour.  From  loaf  to 
life.  Miracles  all  along  the  way.  Seedtime 
and    harvest:   Miracles  of  the   soil.  The 
grateful    use  and  generous  sharing  of 
God's  good  gifts:  A  miracle  of  the  spirit. 
A  present  witness  to  the  Lord's  concern 
for  the  hungry.  In  that  miracle  the  One  G 
Hour  of  Sharing  plays  a  large  part.  And  so  do  we. 


MY  GIFT  FOR  ONE  GREAT  HOUR  OF  SHARING 

Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board 
1451  Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois  601 20 


Amount  $ 


Name 


St./RFD. 
City 


-State- 


-Zip. 


Congregation. 


-District 


one  great  hour  Of  sharhigi 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN        APRIL  1975 


SAIL\H  MAJOR 

the  gift  unquenched 


©©DIll^SDT]!^^ 


Dsl^l^S[r^ 


Easter  Is  Not  an  Island.  Howard  Hageman  lifts  up  the  tragic 
fact  that  many  Christians  visit  Easter  only  once  a  year  and  then  in  a 
way  which  is  detached  from  their  daily  lives. 

No  Escape  by  the  Cross.  The  cross,  rather  than  an  escape  from 
life,  is  the  ultimate  reminder  of  God  being  with  us  in  all  of  life.  An 
Easter  Bible  study  by  Larry  K.  Ulrich. 


Donald  F.  Durnbaugh  lifts  up  the 
Sarah  Major,  the  Brethren's  first 


She  Kept  On  Preaching. 

story  of  a  "remarkable  woman,' 
woman  preacher. 

Witness  in  Washington.  Ralph  E.  Smeltzer  takes  us  behind  the 
scenes  of  our  ongoing  witness  in  Washington. 

Learning  to  Be  a  Parent.  Landrum  R.  Boiling  calls  parenthood 
a  part-time  occupation  most  of  us  enter  unprepared,  never  really 
master,  and  often  get  worse  at  as  the  years  pass. 

3  7     I^Ske  Me  No  Promises.  Kenneth  E.  McDowell  uses  the  response 
of  Zacchaeus  to  Jesus  as  a  part  of  our  theological  base  for  aiding  the 
poor  and  unfortunate.  Like  Jesus  we  exact  from  them  no  promises 
before  we  act. 

33    Communication  Amid  Contrasts.  Reporting  on  the  post- 

Christmas  travel  seminar  in  Haiti,  Alice  Martin  stresses  communica- 
tion in  making  mission  relationships  vital  and  viable. 


In  Touch  introduces  Pamela  Rohitas,  Philip  M.  Kulp,  and  David  Hernandez 
(2)  . . .  Outlook  focus  is  on  Wasinda  Mshelia,  McPherson  College  trust.  Inter- 
national Women's  Year,  Peace  film,  Coptic  bishop  visit.  Uniform  Lessons. 
New  Pastors  Retreat.  White  House  briefing.  Peace  Assembly,  Pax  World  Fund 
(start  on  4)  . . .  Underlines  (7)  . . .  General  Board  Update  (8) . . .  Special  Report, 
"Students  and  Offenders"  by  Cheryl  Bullock  Gemmer  (10)  . . .  Resources  for 
living  as  families  by  Mary  and  Ralph  Detrick  (26)  . . .  Here  1  Stand  statements 
by  Ernest  Jehnsen,  Geraldine  Crill  Filer,  Evelyn  Frantz,  and  Albert  Sauls  (start 
on  28)  . . .  People  &  Parish  stories  by  Lois  Teach  Paul  (34)  . . .  Turning  Points 
(36)  . . .  Editorial  (40) 


EDITOR 

Howaid  E    Royer 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Kermon  Thomason 

ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 

Kenneth  I    Morse 

DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 

Clyde  E   Weaver 

PUBLISHER 

Galen  B   Ogden 

VOL    124.  NO  4 


CREDITS:  2,  6  Edward  J.  Buzinski.  4  Kermon 
Thomason.  5,  9  RNS.  10-12  Manchester  College 
Publications.  13-15  Art  by  Ken  Stanley.  17 
Courtesy  of  The  Art  institute  of  Chicago.  22-23 
Ken  Smeltzer.  24  Waiiowitch.  38-39  Shirley  J. 
Heckman. 


Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug.  20.  1918,  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17, 
1917.  Fihng  date.  Oct.  1,  1974.  Messenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version. 

Subscription  rates:  $5.00  per  year  for  indi- 
vidual subscriptions;  $4.00  per  year  for  Church 
Group  Plan;  $4.00  per  year  for  gift  subscriptions; 
$2.75  for  school  rale  (9  months);  life  subscription, 
$75.00.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from 
Messenger  and  send  with  new  address. 
Allow  at  least  five  weeks  for  address 
change.  Messenger  is  owned  and 
published  monthly  by  the  General 
s  Commission,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee 
Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120.  Second-class 
postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.,  April  1975.  Copyright 
1975,    Church   of  the    Brethren   General   Board. 


i/:>.uu.     11 

■ 


TOWARDS  NEWNESS  OF  LIFE 

I  am  deeply  gratified  with  the  contents  of  the 
January  Messenger.  Every  page  has  something 
vital  for  the  needs  of  our  present-day  vv'orld. 

"Entering  into  Newness,"  to  me.  means  chang- 
ing some  of  our  established  patterns.  In  the  face 
of  the  dire  needs  of  the  world  I'd  like  to 
challenge  the  church  to  forego  the  coffee  and 
doughnut  indulgence  —  by  so  doing  one  can  free 
the  spirit  to  be  more  understanding  of  the  needs 
of  our  starving  brethren  and  in  turn  benefit  our 
health.  Fasting  should  be  used  for  such  a  time  as 
this.  We,  our  bodies,  I  mean,  are  in  need  of 
cleansing  in  this  polluted  world;  in  turn,  our 
minds  will  be  more  comprehensive  to  our  sisters' 
and  brothers'  needs. 

The  simplicity  of  the  life  of  "Homesteading"  is 
beautiful.  The  good  earth  is  kind  to  us,  if  we  are 
kind  to  it.  1  was  delighted  with  this  article! 

The  giving  and  sharing  with  the  needy  in 
Bangladesh  is  heart-satisfying.  Our  world  is 
sick  — let  us  help  to  bring  healing!  God  bless  all 
who  give  to  the  needy  world. 

Mae  Brightbill 
Aurora,  111. 

A  NICE  WEDDING  GIFT 

Thanks  to  the  General  Board  for  the  gift  sub- 
scription to  Messenger. 

We  both  enjoy  reading  the  Messenger  andi 
really  appreciate  your  thoughtfulness.  It  is  a  very; 
nice  wedding  gift  to  begin  our  lives  together. 

Ray  and  Caroline  Weaver 
New  Holland,  Pa. 

(Readers  are  reminded  a  3-month  gift  sub-' 
scriplion  to  newlyweds  is  provided  compliments 
of  Messenger.  Congregational  representatives  es- 
pecially are  invited  regularly  to  supply  names 
and  addresses.  —  Ed.) 

BE  IT  RESOLVED 

In  adopting  some  new  personal  resolutions,  I 
thought  others  might  like  to  consider  them  for 
their  own. 

1  hope  to  be  more  thankful  for  all  my 
blessings  and  show  more  appreciation  for  things; 
done  for  me. 

I  will  try  to  be  less  wasteful  and  make  the  besi 
use  of  materials  in  my  possession. 

1  hope  to  be  able  to  complain  less  and  accepli 
unpleasant  things  such  as  higher  prices  by 
thanking  God  that  1  am  working  and  able  to  buy 
necessities. 

1  hope  to  be  able  to  share  with  anyone  lesSi 
fortunate  than  myself  and  help  them  help) 
themselves  if  possible.  I 

I  will  try  to  be  less  critical  of  others  and  ask; 
myself  what  1  would  do  if  I  were  in  their  shoesil 
instead  of  mine.  i 

Finally,  I  will  try  to  be  more  loving  and  morei 
grateful  for  the  love  I  receive. 

1  would  add  only  that  I  really  appreciate  ths 
Messenger,  especially  the  Letters  section. 

Rosella  Miller 
New  Lebanon,  Ohio 


p®gjs  (Q)DT]S 


MORE  OF  BILL  STAFFORD 

Thank  you  for  lovely  poems  by  William  Staf- 
Ford  in  the  January  Messenger. 

We  have  heard  him  read  his  own  poems  both 
It  Annual  Conference  in  California  and  also 
here  in  Iowa  City.  Are  there  recordings  of  him 
reading  his  own  poems? 

Let's  have  more  by  William  Stafford. 

The  Herbert  Michaels 
Iowa  City,  Iowa 

(A  tape  cassette.  33  minutes  of  readings  and 
comments  by  William  Stafford,  is  available  from 
Everett  I  Edwards,  Inc.,  P.O.  Box  1060,  Deland, 
Florida  32720.  Other  possible  sources  are  the 
National  Council  of  Teachers  of  English,  1111 
Kenyan  Road.  Urbana.  Illinois  61801.  and  the 
Library  of  Congress.  Poetry  Room,  Wash- 
■ngton,  D.  C  20002.^  Ed.) 

JPDATING  the  TONGUES 

The  January  Messenger  (Outlook)  reported 
;hat  scriptures  in  "1526  languages  and  dialects'" 
fiad  been  published.  Seems  to  me  Hymn  114  in 
3ur  Hymnal,  "O  for  a  Thousand  Tongues." 
should  not  be  dropped  but  sung  "O  for  Two 
Thousand  Tongues." 

I  suggested  this  to  our  chorister  and  she  did  it 
k'ery  well.  Was  I  wrong  in  changing  the  words'? 
MiNTA  Miles 
Leonard,  Mo. 

FACE  TO  FACE  WITH  GOD 

Carroll  M.  Petry's  article,  "Are  you  prepared 
;o  meet  GodT'  (February  Messenger)  inspired 
me  to  write  these  lines: 

The  Lord  who  comes  in  the  dark  of  night 
Is  also  present  in  the  broad  day  light. 

The  voice  who  called  to  men  of  old 
Is  the  same  clear  voice  we  still  behold. 

The  Lord  is  calling  to  you  and  me 

In  the  common  experiences  we  all  can  see. 

We  will  not  meet  him  in  a  distant  place. 
For  we  see  him  every  day  face  to  face. 


Ron  Beachley 


tlartinsville,  Va. 


:L0SED  CIRCUIT  PROGRAMMING 

I  am  writing  you  in  response  to  your  article 
Examples  to  Imitate:  TV  as  a  Moral  Teacher" 
Jan.,  page  8).  I  enjoyed  the  article  and  felt  it 
^as  timely  and  challenging.  As  a  result  I  am 
randering  if  you  can  put  me  in  touch  with 
omeone  who  could  help  me  deal  with  ways  of 
pgrading  the  use  of  closed  circuit  tv  broadcast 
n  a  400-bed  community  hospital. 

This  resource  is  virtually  unused  in  our 
lOspital.  We  do  have  a  very  supportive  ad- 
linistration  that  is  willing  to  entertain  new 
rogram  ideas  . . .  but  so  far  nothing  has  been 
esigned  and  submitted.  If  you  have  on  your 
taff  someone  with  whom  I  could  correspond 


who  might  put  me  in  touch  with  resources  — 
ideas  and  people — I  would  deeply  appreciate  it. 
Thank  you. 

Dick  Tolson,  Director 
Pastoral  Care  Department 
Bethesda  Hospital 
2951  Maple  Avenue 
Zanesville,  Ohio 

(Hospital  personnel,  ministers,  others  engaged 
in  creative  program  via  closed  circuit  television 
may  wish  to  respond  to  reader  Tolson.  We  also 
suggest  contact  with  the  Broadcasting  and  Film 
Commission,  National  Council  of  Churches,  475 
Riverside  Drive,  New  York,  New  York  10027.— 
Ed) 

BACK  TO  THE  SOIL 

Having  been  raised  on  a  farm  near  Lafayette. 
Ind.,  1  certainly  enjoyed  the  story,  "Loving  the 
Lord  and  the  Soil"  by  Sara  Wilson  (September). 

I  do  gardening  and  everything  goes  back  into 
the  soil.  1  do  not  buy  all  organically  grown  foods 
but  believe  we  should. 

Thank  you  for  this  inspiring  magazine  from 
our  church  offices. 

Doris  Schettig 
Union,  Mich. 

TWO  PUBLISHING  ENTERPRISES 

May  I  present  what  appears  to  me  to  be  a 
challenge  to  us  Brethren?  1  am  thinking  especial- 
ly about  our  publishing  house  at  Elgin  and  how 
many  people  are  reached  through  it  as  compared 
to  the  publishing  house  of  the  fast  growing 
professed  Christians,  the  Jehovah's  Witnesses. 

Our  official  paper.  Messenger,  is  published  in 
one  language  and  circulates  28,000  copies  per 
issue.  Their  official  paper,  "The  Watchtower," 
printed  in  75  languages,  reaches  around  8,000,- 
000  copies  per  issue.  They  publish  a  wholesome 
scholarly  magazine.  "Awake,"  in  30  languages. 
Both  of  these  are  mailed  for  seven  and  one-half 
cents  a  copy. 

They  are  publishing  several  192-page  hard- 
bound books  that  sell  postpaid  for  only  twenty- 
five  cents!  One  of  them  has  been  printed  in  91 
languages  with  a  total  in  six  years  of  74  million 
copies.  These  staggering  figures  should  awaken 
us  to  ask,  "Who  pays  for  this?  Here  is  a  partial 
answer: 

Their  publishing  house  in  Brooklyn  has  a  "big 
family"  of  over  2,000  workers,  mostly  young 
people,  who  are  paid  about  like  our  BVSers. 
About  one  third  support  the  entire  group  largely 
by  working  on  a  church-owned  farm. 

The  printing  establishment  is  huge.  They  have 
40  presses;  one  press  alone  may  print  50,000 
books  in  a  day. 

Is  this  work  that  reaches  many  millions  a 
heresy?  If  so,  according  to  Gamaliel  it  should  die 
out.  What  are  its  fruits  in  the  lives  of  the  people 
it  reaches?  How  will  Christ  judge  them?  And 
how  will  he  judge  us? 

O.  E.  Gibson 
Westmont,  111. 


History  has  a  way  of  repeating  itself — 
albeit  not  always  verbatim.  Take  the  case 
of  Sarah  Major,  the  subject  of  this 
month's  cover  story.  The  October  7,  1884 
Gospel  Messenger  (Yes,  Virginia,  there 
was  a  Messenger  way  back  then!)  carried 
a  four-column  obituary  of  the  well- 
known  "woman  preacher,"  along  "with  a 
short  sketch  of  her  life." 

James  Quinter.  then  Messenger  editor, 
was  acquainted  with  the  Major  family 
from  an  earlier  sojourn  in  Ohio,  and  it 
was  he  who 
wrote  the  obit- 
uary. Receiving 
a  dispatch  from 
Sarah's  son 

Samuel,  Quinter 
boarded  on  the 
same  day  the 
"  H  unt  ingdon 
and  Broad  Top 
R.    R."    in    Mt. 

James  Quinter  Morris,     111.    and 

attended  the  funeral  in  Greenfield,  Ohio 
on  September  21. 

Now,  just  over  90  years  later,  (in  a  time 
when  Sarah  would,  as  a  "woman 
preacher,"  have  had  some  company) 
Brethren  historian  Don  Durnbaugh 
gleans  from  Quinter  and  other  sources 
another  "short  sketch"  of  the  life  of  the 
remarkable  pioneer.  And  from  her  own 
pen  Sarah  shares  a  message  pertinent  to 
her  sisters'  cause  today. 

Contributors  to  this  issue  include 
Howard  G.  Hageman,  president  of  the 
New  Brunswick  Theological  Seminary  in 
New  Jersey;  Larry  K.  Ulrich,  director  of 
pastoral  administration  at  Rush- 
Presbyterian-St.  Luke's  Medical  Center, 
Chicago,  111.;  Ralph  Smeltzer  and  Ken 
McDowell  of  World  Ministries;  Mary 
and  Ralph  Detrick  of  Parish  Ministries; 
Landrum  R.  Boiling  of  the  Lilly  Founda- 
tion, Indianapolis,  Ind.;  Cheryl  Bullock 
Gemmer,  free-lance  writer,  Bloomington, 
Ind.;  and  Alice  Martin,  Washington, 
D.C. 

Also,  Olive  Peters,  East  Petersburg, 
Pa.;  Randy  Miller,  Communications 
Team  Intern;  Nancy  Curtis,  free-lance 
writer,  Nappanee,  Ind.;  and  Lois  Teach 
Paul,  Communications  Team.  "Here  I 
Stand"  contributors  are  Ernest  Jehnsen, 
Wakarusa,  Ind.;  Geraldine  Crill  Eller, 
East  Wenatchee,  Wash.;  Evelyn  Frantz, 
Harrisburg,  Pa.;  and  Albert  Sauls, 
Wenatchee,  Wash.— The  Editors 

April  1975  messenger  1 


Pamela  Rohitas:  Gift  from  India 


India  has  often  been  on  the  receiving 
end  when  it  comes  to  services  and 
material  aid.  But  for  the  next  two 
years  the  United  States  will  be  in  that 
position  as  it  accepts  the  gift  of  serv- 
ice from  four  young  people  from  In- 
dia. 

Pamela  Rohitas,  the  first  of  the 
four,  came  into  Brethren  Volunteer 
Service  last  fall  to  begin  her  18- 
month  term.  On  September  8, 
Pamela,  only  four  days  away  from 
India,  began  her  BVS  training  in  the 
"discipleship  unit,"  led  by  Mid- 
Atlantic  peace  evangelist  Dale 
Aukerman.  In  addition  to  the  sparkle 
of  her  smiles,  Pamela  brightened  the 
training  sessions  at  Camp  Wood- 
brook,  Maryland,  by  wearing  color- 
ful saris  nearly  every  day. 

Being  with  that  unit,  she  declares, 
was  a  good  learning  experience  for 
her.  Some  critics  of  the  BVS 
program,  thinking  it  less  "religious" 
than  in  the  past,  would  be  surprised 
to  hear  Pamela  tell  of  her  experiences 
in  the  unit.  "I  used  to  read  the  Bible 
only  occasionally,  not  nearly  as  often 
as  I  should.  Since  my  unit  training  I 
read  the  Bible  every  day.  Even  if  it's 
midnight  or  past  and  I  want  to  sleep, 
I  first  read  my  Bible  and  say  my 
prayers.  It  has  become  a  must  for  me 
and  I  have  really  gained  from  it." 


Ilffe 


After  spending  her  first  eleven 
school  years  in  a  convent,  where, 
among  other  things,  she  acquired 
communication  skills  in  three 
languages,  Pamela  went  to  college, 
majoring  in  biology  and  chemistry. 

Earning  three  degrees  (B.S.,  B.Ed.. 
M.Ed.),  she  taught  psychology 
methods,  biology  methods,  and 
methods  of  instruction  in  India 
before  entering  BVS. 

Following  her  BVS  training 
Pamela  spent  two  and  a  half  months 
at  Manchester  College,  working  in 
the  library  and  learning  about  the  US 
education  program.  The  time  spent  at 
Manchester  proved  helpful  to  her  in 
adjusting  to  American  culture. 

After  Christmas  she  was  reassigned 
to  Dayton,  Ohio,  where  she  will  be 
working  in  one  of  the  six  science 
centers  there.  She  will  teach  biology 
to  fifth  through  eighth  graders. 

Teaching  in  a  foreign  school  will 
be  a  new  experience  for  Pamela. 
However,  with  science  her  field,  love 
her  strength,  and  generosity  her 
weakness,  she  will  no  doubt  fare  well 
in  her  new  setting.  —  Randy  Miller 


m 


Philip  M.  Kulp:   Stake 

"Unless  you  elect  the  kind  of  people 
you  want,  you  deserve  the  people  in 
office  that  you  get." 

The  setting  was  an  Insight  session 
at  the  Roanoke  Conference  devoted 
to  Brethren  in  politics.  The  speaker 
was  Philip  M.  Kulp,  who,  as  borough 
council  president  of  Waynesboro, 
Pa.,  knows  his  subject  well.  For  him 
to  be  elected  to  the  office  was  an  up- 
hill battle  all  the  way. 

"You  have  to  be  behind  your 
candidate  —  or  forget  it,"  he  told  his 
Conference  audience,  giving  credit  to 
the  many  persons  who  had  helped  to 
publicize  his  campaign.  He  insists 
that  good  government  comes  from 
citizens  having  a  knowledge  of  issues 
and  applying  their  moral  principles 
to  specific  questions.  He  believes  that 
personal  contact,  face-to-face  discus- 
sion with  representatives  or  can- 
didates, carries  the  most  weight,  but 
personal  letters  are  also  effective. 

Philip  Kulp  is  45  years  of  age  and 
a  graduate  of  Juniata  College.  He 
attended  Bethany  Seminary  and 
graduated  from  Gettysburg 
Theological  Seminary  with  a  Master 
of  Divinity  degree  and  from 
Shippensburg  State  College  with  a 
Master  of  Education.  He  now  teaches 
anthropology  at  Shippensburg.  Next 
month  he  receives  his  Ph.D.  degree 
from  American  University  in 
Washington,  where  he  studied  inter- 
national relations  in  Africa  and  did 
his  dissertation  on  Nigeria's  foreign 
policy.  Philip  is  the  son  of  H.  Stover 
Kulp,  a  pioneer  missionary  to 
Nigeria.  Born  there,  Philip  returned 


2  MESSENGER  April  1975 


KJ  government 

I 

to  Nigeria  in  1958  to  teach.  He 
fielped  to  begin  Waka  Secondary 
School  and  served  as  its  first  prin- 
pipal. 

Philip  credits  his  family 
background  and  his  Brethren 
leritage  with  prompting  his  interest 
n  serving  people  and  his  desire  to 
jecome  involved  in  politics. 

"One  must  keep  asking  where  per- 
lonal  talents  lead,  keep  searching  for 
ivailable  opportunities,  and  keep  ac- 
ive  in  the  church,"  says  Philip. 
He  has  helped  to  nurture  young 
inds  by  working  for  the  Southern 
istrict  of  Pennsylvania  as  a  draft 
ounselor.  He  has  been  able  to  give 
ome  of  his  time  to  establish  a  "hot- 
ine"  program.  Philip  is  on  the 
i;abinet  of  the  Pennsylvania  Council 
)f  Churches,  representing  Southern 
Pennsylvania  District. 

For  Philip  the  future  is  wide  open. 
^e  has  strong  convictions  about  the 
cind  of  service  he  should  give.  To  the 
)erson  wanting  to  know  how  he 
night  best  serve  in  his  community,  he 
would  say,  "Just  open  your  eyes  and 
jay  Yes!"  He  adds  that  we  are  all 
tailed  to  be  faithful  and  responsible 
3ut  not  necessarily  successful!  — 
Dlive  Peters 


David  Hernandez:  Shepherd-psalmist  with  sling 


"I  can  prove  biblically  to  anyone  that 
Cesar  Chavez  is  okay:  the  Bible  tells 
us  we  should  render  unto  Caesar  the 
things  that  are  Cesar's  and  unto  ..." 
The  quote  fades,  the  expressive  dark 
eyes  twinkle,  the  master  of  that  "put- 
on"  dissolves  into  a  heap  of  hearty 
laughter. 

Select  from  the  wit  of  Bob  Hope, 
the  philosophy  of  Socrates,  the 
wisdom  of  Solomon,  the  vocabulary 
of  Truman  Capote.  Add  a  passionate 
nature,  an  exuberance  for  causes, 
beliefs  rooted  in  Christ's  teachings, 
the  compulsion  for  an  active  gospel. 
Sprinkle  with  warmth,  drive, 
aggressiveness,  sacrifice,  direction. 
Slightly  heat  and  agitate  in  the 
National  Farm  Workers'  test  tube. 
The  formula  explodes  into  the 
chemical  makeup  of  a  lusty,  lovable 
liberal — David  Hernandez! 

David  sees  the  United  Farm  Work- 
ers as  having  two  commitments:  to 
win  their  struggle  non-violently  and 
to  remain  people — to  sing,  to  laugh, 
to  cry.  He  cites  Cesar  Chavez'  ability 
to  recognize  when  the  people  have 
been  pushed  far  enough,  his  sensitivi- 
ty to  their  need  for  relaxation.  David 
is  not  relaxed.  He  is  as  taut  and  tense 
as  an  athlete  poised  to  make  a  point 
for  his  team,  never  missing  a  chance 
to  intercept  the  ball. 

Physically,  David  appears  to  have 
quenched  his  thirst  for  living  at  some 
mythical  fountain  of  youth.  "If  I  were 
a  migrant  farm  worker,  I  would  have 
about  fifteen  more  years  to  live.  My 
life  expectancy  would  be  forty-nine! 
The  Brethren  are  concerned  about 


what  to  do  with  their  money:  the 
migrant  is  concerned  with  matters  of 
life  and  death." 

David's  concern  with  life  began 
thirty-five  years  ago  in  Falfurrias, 
Texas,  where  he  was  born  and  raised 
with  eight  brothers  and  sisters. 
"Mother  is  the  militant  in  the  family. 
It's  all  right  to  say  that.  She  knows  it; 
we  all  know  it."  He  describes  his 
Presbyterian  father  as  "the  best 
evangelistic  minister  in  South  Texas." 
From  him,  David  learned  that  a  per- 
sonal and  social  gospel  are  in- 
separable. Presently  in  Dayton,  Ohio, 
as  associate  executive  director  of  the 
National  Farm  Workers  Ministry, 
David  was  graduated  from  Ohio 
Northern,  Ada,  Ohio,  in  1964  with  a 
degree  in  history  and  government. 

Those  who  attended  Annual  Con- 
ference at  Roanoke  will  remember 
David — his  disarming  grin:  his  black 
wavy  hair  glistening  in  the  afternoon 
sun:  his  determined  body  silhouetted 
against  the  white  concrete  of  the 
Civic  Center  patio — a  sharp  rough 
reminder  of  his  mission  in  that  place. 
He  had  already  been  verbal  from  the 
conference  floor  on  the  personality  of 
Cesar  Chavez.  Shortly,  he  would  act 
as  a  resource  person  during  an  in- 
sight session  on  migrant  workers. 

A  most  moving  memory  of 
Roanoke  is  vital  verbal  David. 
Shepherd  to  the  migrant,  singing  the 
Lord's  song  with  sling  in  hand,  he 
aims  at  Goliaths  with  smooth  stones 
of  truth. — Nancy  Curtis 


April  1975  messenger  3 


For  Lardin  Gabas:  a  full- 
time  general  secretary 

Since  July  1,  1974,  Wasinda  Mshelia  has 
been  serving  the  Eastern  District  (or  "Lar- 
din Gabas")  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the 
Sudan  as  its  first  full-time  general 
secretary.  The  church  gained  its  in- 
dependence in  March,  1972,  after  49  years 
of  Church  of  the  Brethren  work  in 
northeastern  Nigeria. 

Mallam  (Mr.)  Wasinda  comes  to  his  post 
from  a  career  as  a  primary  and  secondary 
school  teacher  and  a  pastor.  A  graduate  of 
Waka  Teachers"  College  and  the 
Theological  College  of  Northern  Nigeria 
(TCNN),  he  served  for  a  number  of  years 
as  pastor  of  the  Waka  congregation. 

With  arrangements  for  a  permanent 
church  headquarters  incomplete,  Mallam 
Wasinda  presently  has  his  office  at  Shafa, 
his  home  town.  The  38-year-old  churchman 
and  his  wife  Saratu  have  five  children. 

From  Shafa  he  travels — mostly  on  his 
Honda  175,  supplied  by  the  church  — 
among  the  widely  scattered  51  congrega- 
tions of  Lardin  Gabas.  Business  often  takes 
him  75  miles  east  to  Kulp  Bible  School, 
where  facilities  are  maintained  for  confer- 
ences and  committee  and  board  meetings. 

Mallam  Wasinda  describes  himself  as  a 
"Nigerian  Loren  Bowman,"  referring  to  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  general  secretary  in 
the  US.  Appointed  by  Lardin  Gabas" 
General  Council,  he  serves  as  the  executive 
officer  for  that  group,  administers  the  Lar- 
din Gabas  program,  supervises  its 
employees,  and  appoints  its  personnel.  In 
addition  he  represents  Lardin  Gabas  in  the 


IVhen  Wasinda  Mshelia 
began  his  work  last  July 
as  general  secretary  of 
the  Lardin  Gabas 
church,  it  marked  the 
first  lime  that  the  recent- 
ly independent  district 
had  been  under  full-time 
Nigerian  leadership. 


Fellowship  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  the 
Sudan  (known  by  the  Hausa  acronym, 
TEKAS)  and  other  Nigerian  and  world 
Christian  bodies. 

The  genial  Bura  tribesman  finds  himself 
at  home  in  all  parts  of  Lardin  Gabas 
through  his  long  association  with  school 
teachers  and  church  workers.  One  of  his 
outstanding  traits  is  an  ability  to  identify 
with  people;  his  education  and  sophistica- 
tion do  not  get  in  his  way  as  he  makes 
himself  at  home  in  the  humblest  local  con- 
gregation. 

The  general  secretary  points  out  with 


Lardin  Gabas  is  still 
an  area  where 
churches  may  be 
located  in  isolated 
villages,  far  from  the 
highways.  In  his 
work  as  general 
secretary,  Wasinda 
Mshelia  depends  on 
his  Honda  175  to 
reach  his  scattered 
constituents.  In  one 
month  he  may  travel 
several  hundred 
miles,  many  of  them 
over  rocky  foot  paths 
or  dry  season  traces. 


satisfaction  the  growing  number  of  new 
converts  and  congregations  in  his  newly 
dependent  denomination.  Much  of  the 
growth  is  taking  place  in  the  eastern  area 
of  the  district,  which  has  not  felt  as  mucj 
impact  from  Islam.  A  recent  aid  to  the 
Gospel's  spread  there  is  the  translation  o 
the  New  Testament  into  Higi,  the  major  ( 
language  of  that  area. 

Another  growing  area  is  in  the 
northwestern  corner  of  Lardin  Gabas, 
centered  on  Buni  and  Gabai,  where  the 
Borno  Railway  has  opened  areas  to  settli 
ment.  At  Biu,  where  the  pioneer  mis- 
sionaries Albert  Helser  and  Stover  Kulp 
originally  had  hoped  to  settle  in  1923, 
a  new  congregation  was  recently  estab- 
lished. 

Evangelism,  once  the  sphere  of  the 
missionary  churchmen,  is  now  complete- 
ly in  the  hands  of  Nigerians.  Under  the 
indigenous  supervision  a  new  approach 
to  evangelism — called  "team  evangelism"i| 
—  is  proving  very  successful.  Three  teams j 
are  presently  fielded,  working  in  the 
Ngoshi,  Fali-Gude,  and  Wandali  areas 
Each  team  consists  of  three  people:  a  leaii 
er  (who  must  be  a  TCNN  graduate), 
an  assistant  (who  must  be  a  Kulp  Bible 
School  graduate),  and  a  health  worker. 
The  three  present  a  program  of  preach- 
ing, healing,  and  teaching.  The  present 
team  leaders  are  Anduwi  Marya,  Zira 
Dia  Kwaha,  and  Filibus  Gwama 


4  MESSENGER  April  1975 


Messenger,  Nov.  1974,  page  2). 
inting  to  other  progress  in  Lardin 
is,  Mallam  Wasinda  notes  that  Kulp 
School  is  being  upgraded  toward  the 
lof  the  Theological  College  of 
nern  Nigeria  and  will  offer  a  certificate 
(6  in  1976  in  addition  to  its  regular 
idvanced  courses.  To  encourage  train- 
r  pastors,  Lardin  Gabas  offers 
rships  to  send  persons  to  TCNN  and 
Ip  Bible  School's  advanced  class. 
ntly  Kulp  Bible  School  principal 
du  K.  Mshelbila  (see  Messenger, 
973,  pages  25-26)  is  studying  at 
ethtown  College  in  Pennsylvania,  be- 
lonsored  by  the  Basel  Mission,  which 
in  eastern  Lardin  Gabas. 
tinuing  his  enumeration  of  progress 
the  general  secretary  sees  the  several 
anslations  of  the  New  Testament  as 
nee  of  future  spreading  of  Christiani- 
^Lardin  Gabas.  Aside  from  the 
nentioned  Higi  New  Testament,  the 
)New  Testament  is  currently  undergo- 
new  translation  by  a  Bura  scholar, 
l.sionally  trained  as  a  translator.  A 

I  New  Testament  committee  held  its 
leeting  last  November,  and  a  Kilba 

\ Testament  is  being  produced  by  a 
poring  Danish  Lutheran  mission, 
ilh  literacy  in  Lardin  Gabas  growing 
he  Gospel  soon  to  be  available  to  all 
i^lish,  Hausa,  Bura,  Margi,  Higi,  and 
:   Mallam  Wasinda  looks  to  the  future 
is  work  as  Lardin  Gabas  general 
lary  with  confidence  and  hope. 

iPherson  gets  trust 

I  vocational  arts 
f  the  largest  gifts  bestowed  on  a 
ten  institution  was  a  trust  of  nearly 
ilion  and  a  collection  of  antique  cars 
earlier  this  year  to  McPherson 

direct  benefactor  will  be  McPher- 
iepartment  of  industrial  education, 
ily  one  existing  in  the  six  Church  of 
ethren  related  colleges.  The  Kansas 

II  originally  was  known  as  McPherson 
l;e  and  Industrial  Institute. 

donor  is  Gaines  H.  "Smokey" 
a  McPherson  businessman  whose 
1  was  derived  largely  from  a  system 
'eloped  for  storing  petroleum  prod- 
1  natural  underground  reservoirs. 
aunching  a  program  of  restoration 
)Iogy,  McPherson  plans  to  engage 
Its  not  only  in  restoring  antique  cars 


but  in  learning  mechanics,  sheet  metal 
work,  wood  finishing,  upholstery,  and 
welding. 

Among  84  cars  included  in  the  gift  are  a 
1916  Maxwell,  a  1928  Ford  Phaeton,  a 
1905  Reliable  Dayton  Touring  Car,  an 
1897  Veh  Sport  Buggy,  five  Rolls  Royces, 


a  1929  Hupmobile,  a  1928  Graham-Paige, 
and  a  1926  Essex.  An  antique  car  museum 
is  proposed  for  displaying  the  vehicles. 

Concurrently  the  college  has  underway  a 
separate  $2  million  development  program 
to  strengthen  its  liberal  arts  program,  ac- 
cording to  Galen  R.  Snell,  president. 


Major  world  parley 
to  focus  on  women 

Equality,  development,  and  peace  are  the 
three  themes  of  International  Women's 
Year  1975.  They  are  also  the  topics  of  a 
major  Conference  on  Women  to  be  con- 
vened by  the  United  Nations  June  23  — 
July  4  in  Mexico  City.  Activists  in 
women's  liberation  term  the  parley  as  "only 
a  beginning." 

To  be  attended  by  women  and  men  from 
all  countries,  the  conference  will  try  to 
arouse  international  consciousness  on  the 
vital  role  women  should  play  in  issues  of 
universal  concern.  The  deliberations  will  be 
an  effort  to  draw  lessons  and  consequences 
from  the  fact  that  in  most  parts  of  the 
world  it  is  a  decided  disadvantage  to  be 
born  female. 

For  example,  throughout  the  world  the 
percentage  of  women  illiterate  is  higher 
than  that  of  men.  In  some  developing 
countries,  economic  factors  force  up  to  80 
percent  of  primary  school  girls  to  drop  out. 

Although  previously  exclusive  male 


privilege  is  legally  eroding  in  a  number  of 
countries,  in  Kuwait.  Nigeria.  Saudi 
Arabia  and  Yemen  women  cannot  vote. 
The  Soviet  Union  leads  in  the  category  of 
women  named  to  national  parliament  —  35 
percent,  followed  by  Finland,  Denmark, 
and  Poland. 

To  stimulate  new  programs  to  advance 
the  status  of  women  everywhere,  to  in- 
crease women's  participation  in  the 
political  arena,  particularly  for  the  cause  of 
peace,  and  to  enable  both  women  and  men 
to  reevaluate  traditional  sex  roles  and  at- 
titudes which  have  hindered  the  potential 
of  women  are  the  goals  for  the  Mexico 
City  conference. 

The  implications  of  International 
Women's    Year   for   the  church  were  de- 
scribed  by  World   Ministries  Commission 
member  Geraldine  Zigler  Glick.  Broadway. 
Va..  in  Agenda  earlier  this  year: 

"This  will  be  an  opportunity  for  our 
churches  to  study  seriously  and  objectively 
our  customs  and  practices,  our  liturgical 
language  and  administrative  rosters,  and  to 
find  ways  to  free  women  and  men  to  be 
themselves — children  of  God." 


¥/ 


An  unveiled  young 
woman  walking 
among  old,  veiled 
women  in  Kabul, 
Afghanistan,  suggests 
the  changing  roles 
and  status  of  women 
in  today's  world.  In- 
ternational Women's 
Year  J  975  celebrates 
this  change  as  it 
strives  for  "equality, 
development,  and 
peace. " 


April  1975  messenger  5 


People  for  whom  peace 
is  more  than  an  idea 

Peace  is  not  just  the  absence  of  armed  con- 
flict. It  is  a  way  of  life. 

That  is  the  message  of  "If  There  Be 
Peace,"  a  42-minute  color  film  produced  by 
Mennonites  in  the  US  and  Canada  and  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

To  be  released  in  April,  the  film  docu- 
ments how  people  in  four  communities 
live  peace.  In  Manigotogan.  Manitoba, 
nontreaty  Indians  and  church  workers 
have  established  a  cooperative  to  provide 
economic  stability  and  a  community 
council  to  provide  political  responsibility. 

In  Denver,  Col.,  Hispanic  Americans 
and  several  churches  work  together  on 
housing  rehabilitation.  Head  Start 
programs,  an  alternative  school,  and  a 
community  newspaper. 

In  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Afro-Americans  have 
started  a  project  termed  Jeff-Vander-Lou, 
which  is  creating  community  in  the  midst 
of  an  inner-city  neighborhood  everyone 
else  thought  was  dead. 

Near  Goessel,  Kans.,  rural,  ethnic  Men- 
nonites struggle  with  how  peacemaking  can 
be  active  rather  than  passive. 

"Whatever  the  color  of  the  skin  or 
character  of  the  culture,  the  film  subjects 
are  all  persons  living  and  working  in  ways 
that  make  peace  a  reality  rather  than  just  a 
good  idea,"  explained  Shirley  J.  Heckman, 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  production 
representative.  "It  offers  a  statement  of 
faith  in  which  the  fullness  of  life 
demonstrated  by  Christ  is  possible  for  all." 

The  member  of  the  Parish  Ministries 
staff  has  written  an  accompanying  leader's 
guide. A  short  play,  "Peace  is  no  option," 
written  by  Frank  Ward  of  the  General 
Conference  Mennonite  Church,  is  also 
available  for  use  with  the  film. 

Primary  use  of  the  film  will  be  by  con- 
gregations of  the  sponsoring  groups,  for 
peace  education.  Use  in  other  churches  and 
in  cable  television  is  proposed. 

Sponsors  of  the  film,  which  has  been  in 
process  for  the  last  two  years,  are  the  Men- 
nonite Church,  General  Conference  Men- 
nonite Church,  Mennonite  Brethren 
Church  in  Canada,  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  and  Mennonite  Central  Com- 
mittee's Peace  Section. 

After  premieres  in  the  communities 
where  it  was  filmed,  the  film  is  to  be 
available  for  rental  from  headquarter  of- 
fices of  the  sponsoring  denominations. 


Bishop  Athanasios  introduces  his  Egyptian 
Coptic  Orthodox  Church  to  the  Brethren 

Coptic  Orthodox  bishop 
appeals  for  recognition 

"The  churches  of  the  West  need  to 
rediscover  and  learn  more  about  the  older 
Christian  churches  of  the  Middle  East," 
urged  the  bearded  man  in  priests'  robes.  He 
was  Bishop  Athanasios  of  the  Egyptian 
Coptic  Orthodox  Church  visiting  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices 
and  other  denominational  and  ecumenical 
agencies. 

His  six  weeks  in  the  United  States  were 
spent  introducing  the  four  million  member 
Egyptian  church  body  to  other  Christians 
and  reaffirming  its  desire  for  recognition 
on  the  world  scene.  The  church  has  its 
roots  in  antiquity,  attributed  to  St.  Mark 
himself  as  the  launcher  of  a  Christian  com- 
munity in  Alexandria  in  62  a.d.  Some  1400 
years  of  persecution  made  the  Christians  in 
Egypt  introverts,  but  through  ecumenical 
contacts,  they  are  finding  new  strength  to 
meet  the  limitations  and  challenges  im- 
posed upon  them  by  the  Islam  majority. 

Still  Islamic  law  in  Egypt  forbids 
evangelism  by  other  religions,  so  pastors 
and  leaders  in  the  Orthodox  community 
are  coming  from  among  its  own  youth 
parish  volunteers,  physicians,  and 
engineers.  Interestingly,  pastors  must  be 
married;  bishops  must  be  celibate.  Because 
of  stress  on  education,  the  Coptics  have  a 
literacy  rate  well  above  the  average  in 
Egypt — 18  percent. 

Bishop  Athanasios  taught  English 
language  and  literature  in  the  church's 
schools  before  he  became  a  monk.  He  has 
developed  programs  of  social  action  in  his 
area  that  have  engaged  the  energies  of  a 
community  of  nuns  and  deaconesses 
unique  to  his  diocese. 


"Christianity  is  not  a  western  invention. 
It  is  a  universal  church,"  the  bishop 
declared.  "As  the  original  Christian  church 
in  Africa  and  as  natives  and  Arabs  we  are 
the  logical  evangelizers  of  our  home  conti- 
nent. 

"Why  not  support  us  in  carrying  on  such 
an  effort  in  Africa?  There  is  much  to  be 
done  in  Ethiopia,  Sudan,  East  Africa, 
Cyprus,  and  in  Arab-speaking  countries. 
The  time  is  past  when  Christians  call  each' 
other  heretic:  now  we  must  build  on  a 
mutual  regard  in  cooperation  for  what  we 
both  want:  to  spread  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

Usage  continues  high 
for  Uniform  Lessons 

In  the  April  1,  1972  Messenger  the  100th 
anniversary  of  the  Uniform  Lesson  Series 
was  lifted  up.  The  article  noted  that  the 
series,  while  criticized  and  revamped  many 
times  throughout  the  century,  claimed  a 
unique  staying  power  especially  among 
adults. 

That  same  observation  still  pertains 
three  years  later,  according  to  Rick  Gard- 
ner, editor  of  biblical  resources  for  the 
General  Board.  He  based  his  comments  on 
a  recent  interdenominational  consultation  ■ 
in  Nashville  on  the  future  status  of  the 
Uniform  Lesson  Series. 

"In  spite  of  all  the  newer  and  more 
creative  curriculum  developments, 
materials  based  on  the  Uniform  Lesson 
Outlines  are  just  as  popular  as  ever  at  the 
adult  and  youth  level.  This  is  true  for  both 
those  materials  produced  denominational!) 
and  those  produced  independently,"  Gard 
ner  said.  "It  is  clear  that  a  sizable  portion* 
of  the  constituency  in  all  our  churches  wil 
continue  to  request  the  traditional  bite-size 
Bible  study  lesson  units." 

A  Guide  for  Biblical  Studies,  a  quarterlj 
which  Gardner  produces  for  the  Church  Oj 
the  Brethren,  currently  circulates  23,000 
copies.  A  cassette  tape  supplementing  the 
weekly  lessons,  comprised  presently  of  a 
dialogue  between  Gardner  and  Bethany 
Seminary  teacher  Graydon  F.  Snyder,  goei 
to  150  subscribers  a  quarter. 

Come  fall,  a  new  Uniform  Lessons 
curriculum  for  young  people,  Bible 
Studies:  Youth,  being  produced 
cooperatively,  will  be  available  from 
Brethren  Press. 

"At  the  children's  level,  the  story  is  veryl 
different,"  Gardner  says.  "Like  our  own 


6  MESSENGER  April  1975 


PDlldlSD^DDDllS^ 


(lurch,  most  other  churches  have  either 
hased  out  or  soon  will  phase  out 
tiildren's  materials  based  on  the  Uniform 
•utlines." 

To  replace  materials  for  children  based 
n  the  Uniform  Outlines,  a  new  series  for 
tiildren.  Exploring  the  Bible  With  Chil- 
ren,  has  been  developed.  Providing  mate- 
als  for  children  ages  2-12,  this  series  will 
Iso  be  available  beginning  September 
975. 

All  of  the  materials  designed  for  study  of 
le  Bible  by  children,  youth  and  adults  will 
e  listed  on  the  curriculum  order  blank 
;nt  to  congregations  by  Brethren  Press. 

New  Pastors  Retreat' 
dea  success  in  East 

or  the  second  successive  year,  the  eastern 
istricts  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  have 
eld  a  "new  pastors  retreat"  at  New  Wind- 
)r,  Md.  Coming  together  as  a  group  with 
n  outside  facilitator  helps  pastors  taking 
n  new  assignments  to  develop  a  process 
trough  which  mutual  expectations  can  be 
tared  with  their  congregations. 
The  pastors  also  explore  ways  through 
hich  greater  openness  can  be  achieved  in 
astor/ church  relationships.  Another  ob- 
ctive  of  the  retreat  idea  is  for  pastors  to 
e  enabled  to  understand  how  the  church 
motions  as  a  system  and  how  the  pastor 
in  function  in  it  most  effectively  as  a 
liritual  leader. 

The  retreat  idea  grew  out  of  a  desire  of 
le  districts  to  function  more  cooperative- 
,  and  from  the  realization  that  the  first 
ar  of  a  pastorate  is  the  crucial  period  for 
le  new  pastor. 

Evaluating  the  second  retreat  (held 
inuary  27-28),  the  pastors  and  district  ex- 
:utives  explored  ideas  for  improving  the 
irmat  for  future  retreats.  Possibly  the  en- 
re  family  of  the  new  pastor  can  be 
eaningfully  involved.  At  any  length  the 
strict  executives  are  convinced  the 
treats  need  to  be  continued  and  that  the 
ea  is  a  viable  one  for  the  whole 
rotherhood. 

Districts  participating  in  the  retreats  are 
'estern  Pennsylvania,  Middle  Penn- 
Ivania,  Atlantic  Northeast,  Southern 
snnsylvania,  Mid-Atlantic,  West  Marva, 
lenandoah,  Virlina,  and  Southeastern, 
srnard  Zirkel,  associate  conference 
inister  for  the  United  Church  of  Christ's 
entral  Atlantic  Conference  has  been  the 
cilitator  for  both  the  1974  and  1975 
treats. 


"TO  BE  ALIVE"    ...  is  the  theme  of  the  Southeastern  Youth 
Roundtable,  April  26-27,  at  Bridgewater  College.  Gerald   Go- 
ethe,  National  Youth  Conference  leader,  is  a  key  presenter. 

A  tour  to  the  General  Offices  and  Bethany  Seminary  in 
Illinois  is  planned  as  one  of  three  "Brethren  identity" 
events  by  the  Virlina  District.   Organizing  the  April  17-20 
travel  are  Glenn   £.  Kinsel   and  Ken  Bomberger . 

The  third  Believers'  Church  Conference  V7ill  be  held 
June  5-8  at  Pepperdine  University  in  California,  centering 
on  "Restitution,  Dissent,  and  Renewal." 


PEOPLE   YOU   KNOW 


New  district  executive  for  Oregon 


and  Washington  is  Burton  R_.    Brown   of  the  United  Ministries 
staff  in  Spokane.  .  .  .  Former  Nigeria  missionary  Dr.  Lloyd 
Studebaker   is  medical  director,  Hillcrest  Homes,  La  Verne, 
Calif.  .  .  .  Phyllis  Metzger,    Harrisburg,  Pa.,  is  Church 
World  Service  clothing  representative  for  the  East  Coast 
area.  .    .    .    H_.    Lamar  Gibble   of  the  World  Ministries  staff 
was  a  consultant  in  the  Middle  East  and  Indochina  to  plan 
the  future  of  the  churches '  cooperative  work  in  those  areas . 
.  .  .  Bernie  Pyle,    former  church  board  chairman,  Hutchinson, 
Kans.,  was  named  Outstanding  Young  Layman  by  the  Hutchinson 
Jaycees.  .  .  .  Charles   and  Cleda    Zunkel ' s   new  address  is  Tim- 
bercrest  Home,  North  Manchester,  Ind.  46962.  ...  A  listing 
of  missionaries  from  India  in  the  December  Messenger  inade- 
quately identified  A_.S_.B_.    Miller    (Arthur)  ,  of  Sebring,  Fla. 

JW  MEMORIAM    .     .     .    Dwight   Blough,    40,  member  of  the  Soci- 
ety of  Brothers  who  was  instrumental  in  its  union  with  the 
Hutterians  last  year,  was  killed  in  a  plane  accident  Dec.  30. 
The  widow,  Norann  Royer  Blough,    and  12  children  survive. 
.  .  .  Henry  S cover ,    79,  former  pastor  and  Northeast  Kansas 
district  executive,  died  Jan.  7.  .  .  .  Ralph  W.    Hoffman ,    70, 
Roann,  Ind.,  retired  pastor  and  teacher,  died  Jan.  5.  .  .  . 
Ralph  G.    Rarick,    81,  Elkhart,  Ind.,  a  minister  for  61  years, 
pastor  of  13  congregations,  and  once  known  as  the  "singing 
evangelist,"  died  Jan.  17.  .  .  .  Henry   H.    Torrence ,    72,  To- 
ledo, Ohio,  lay  church  worker  who  installed  the  intercom 
system  at  the  General  Offices,  died  Dec.  19.  .  .  -J-  Bun- 
yan  Peters,    92,  Roanoke,  Va.,  father  of  former  Annual  Con- 
ference moderator  Ra ymond  R_.    Peters ,   died  Feb.  4.  .  .  . 
Frances   Smith,    79,  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  who  with  her 
husband  Harlan   was  a  missionary  in  China,  died  Feb.  21  at 
North  Manchester,  Ind. 


A   FRATERNAL   CALL 


Brethren  going  to  Florida  and 


Puerto  Rico  are  invited  to  become  involved  in  the  churches 
there  during  their  stay.   A  listing  appears  on  page  33  of 
this  issue.  .  .  .  James  E_.    Weaver ,    librarian  at  Whitworth 
College,  invites  Brethren  in  the  Spokane,  Wash.,  area  to 
contact  him  regarding  the  formation  of  a  fellowship  group. 
His  home  address  is  N  10203,  Andrew,  Spokane  99218;  phone 
489-8387. 

Bethel  Church,  Carleton,  Neb.,  will  celebrate  its  100th 
year  the  week  following  Easter  with  David  B_.    Eller,   Dayton, 
Ohio,  as  resource  leader.   Heritage  seminars,  an  "Old  Order" 
se2rvice  and  a  "New  Order"  celebration  are  planned. 


April  1975  messenger  7 


i^pdmt(B 


EXPANDED  GENERAL  BOARD  MINISTRIES    . . .    The  opening  of  Dis- 
aster Service  in  McComb,  Miss.,  by  16  Brethren  workers  in 
February  was  one  of  several  new  thrusts  reported  at  the 
Feb.  19-22  sessions  of  the  General  Board. 

Also  noted  were  the  involvement  of  25  workers  in 
Honduras  and  three  in  Niger,  and  increased  disaster  funds 
for  outreach  to  Honduras,  Chile,  Bangladesh,  and  Haiti. 

With  year-end  General  Board  income  totaling  $232,000 
beyond  program  expenses  and  the  ceiling  set  on  reserves, 
the  board  designated  $169,000  for  special  projects  in 
media  education,  Messenger  distribution,  a  counseling  net- 
work for  ministers,  and  one  program  yet  to  be  specified. 
A  special  gift  of  $25,000  was  given  to  Bethany  Seminary 
from  1974  funds.   From  Partners  in  Mission  reports  for 
1975,  an  increase  of  6.6%  was  noted  for  the  Brotherhood 
Fund  and  Bethany  Seminary. 


TRANSFER   OF   HOSPITALS 


As  a  result  of  a  federal  ac- 


tion in  Nigeria  this  January,  a  100%  increase  in  wages  is 
due  federal  employees  retroactive  to  April  1,  1974.   Im- 
plicit in  the  action  is  similar  adjustment  for  workers  in 
the  private  sector.   For  the  200  Nigerians  employed  in  the 
medical  work  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  Mission,  $148,000 
is  needed  to  meet  salary  adjustments  now  due. 

Concerned  with  the  long-term  effect  of  such  an  increase 
the  General  Board  authorized  field  representative  Roger  In- 
gold  to  negotiate  the  transfer  of  proprietorship  of  the 
Garkida  and  Lassa  hospitals  and  the  Adamawa  Provincial 
Leprosarium  from  the  mission  to  Northeastern  State.   The 
direction  is  in  line  with  overall  Lafiya  and  mission  goals. 

MAJOR   STATEMENTS    ...  on  "Peace  in  the  Middle  East"  and 
"Energy"  were  issued  by  the  Board.   The  text  of  the  state- 
ments has  been  supplied  to  pastors  and  local  Witness  Com- 
mission chairpersons. 

A  third  statement,  dealing  with  criminal  justice  re- 
form, will  be  offered  to  Annual  Conference  delegates  in 
June  as  a  response  to  a  1974  query. 

ACTIONS  IN  BRIEF    . . .  Also  enacted  were  a  report  on 
pastoral  salaries  and  benefits,  to  be  submitted  to  Annual 
Conference;  a  new  mission  12-type  plan  of  leadership  de- 
velopment to  undergo  field  testing;  capital  funds  to  the 
Oakland,  Ohio,  and  Oakland  Mills  Uniting,  Md.,  congre- 
gations; a  five-year  proposal  for  the  development  of  edu- 
cational resources;  selections  for  the  next  supplement  to 
the  Brethren  Songbook;  the  naming  of  committees  related 
to  materials  on  worship,  nonviolence,  and  the  100th  anni- 
versary next  year  of  Brethren  missions;  and  a  review  of 
plans  for  the  series  of  "On  Earth  Peace"  Conferences 
planned  by  M.  R.  Zigler  at  New  Windsor,  Md. 


NEXT  BIENNIUM 


Looking  to  1976-77,  the  Board  is 


proposing  to  Annual  Conference  that  theological  education 
through  Bethany  Seminary  become  a  new  priority  goal. 

The  board  voted  to  include  in  its  own  future  program- 
ming criminal  justice  and  environmental  camping  concerns. 

8  MESSENGER  April  1975 


Dialogue,  prayer  mark 
White  House  briefing 

Breaking  a  ten-year  lapse  in  direct  contact 
between  the  White  House  and 
denominational  leaders  related  to  the 
National  Council  of  Churches,  35  Protes- 
tant and  Orthodox  officials  conferred  with 
President  Gerald  R.  Ford  in  the  Cabinet 
Room  on  Jan.  30.  "It  was  the  politics  of 
dialogue,  not  of  confrontation,"  observed 
H.  Lamar  Gibble,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
member  of  the  delegation. 

The  invitation  for  a  briefing  was  issued 
by  President  Ford  as  a  response  to  over- 
tures from  NCC  General  Secretary  Claire 
Randall.  Officials  of  the  National  Council 
said  afterwards  the  chief  significance  of  the 
visit  was  that  it  initiated  a  new  policy  of 
"open  doors"  between  the  White  House 
and  ecumenical  leaders. 

The  president  was  expected  to  meet  with 
three  other  groups  of  religious  leaders  in 
subsequent  weeks. 

Gibble.  representing  General  Secretary 
Loren  Bowman  at  the  briefing,  revealed 
that  the  delegation  agreed  to  center  its 
questions  on  farm  workers  and  other 
minorities,  food  stamps,  and  human  rights  ■ 
in  countries  receiving  US  aid.  By  group 
decision  concerns  were  not  raised  on 
amnesty.  Watergate,  or  the  use  of  military 
force  in  the  event  of  "strangulation"  over 
the  oil  issue. 

The  President  stretched  his  scheduled  30 
minutes  with  the  church  leaders  to  over  an 
hour.  Looking  over  the  list  of  NCC  con- 
stituent churches,  he  observed  that  the 
council  must  have  as  hard  a  time  reaching 
a  decision  as  he  has  in  the  political  arena. 

Following  the  president's  appearance 
briefings  were  offered  on  human  rights  by 
Ambassador  Robert  IngersoU,  deputy 
assistant  secretary  of  state;  on  the  problems 
of  the  economy  and  energy  by  Sidney 
Jones,  advisor  to  the  secretary  of  the 
treasury:  and  on  hunger  by  Mike  Duval, 
director  of  national  resources  for  the 
Domestic  Council. 

The  president  has  designated  Ted  Marrs, 
who  works  in  the  office  of  William 
Baroody,  special  assistant  to  the  president, 
as  his  personal  liaison  for  ongoing  con- 
cerns with  the  National  Council  of 
Churches. 

NCC  president  Sterling  Cary  closed  with 
a  prayer  for  guidance  for  the  president, 
"who  does  not  have  the  luxury  of  simplistic 
solutions,"  and  for  "a  day  of  healing,  not 
only  for  our  land  but  for  the  world." 


Dr.   Claire  Randall,  general  secretary  of  the  NCC,  sits  at  the   White  House  briefing 
with   William  Baroody,  special  assistant  to  the  President,  and  President  Gerald  Ford. 


3,500  assemble  'to  Save 
the  Peace  Agreement' 

An  estimated  3,500  persons,  including 
many  Brethren,  climaxed  a  weekend  anti- 
war rally  in  Washington,  D.  C,  January 
26,  with  an  hour-long  candlelight  sidewalk 
march  to  the  White  House.  It  was  the  first 
major  national  Vietnam  peace  gathering 
since  the  signing  of  the  agreement  in 
Paris — "ending  the  war  and  restoring  the 
peace  in  Vietnam." 

The  three-day  "Assembly  to  Save  the 
Peace  Agreement,"  attracting  delegates 
from  38  states,  was  sponsored  by  an  ad  hoc 
coalition  of  peace,  religious,  and  civil  rights 
groups,  including  Clergy  and  Laity  Con- 
cerned and  the  Coalition  to  Stop  Funding 
the  War,  agencies  with  which  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  is  associated. 

According  to  coordinator  John 
McAuliff,  the  purpose  of  the  Assembly  was 
"...  to  strengthen  the  work  of  people  who 
have  been  active  in  peace  activities  the  last 
icouple  of  years  and  bring  a  lot  more  people 
into  that  work,  and  to  pressure  Congress  to 
defeat  President  Ford's  requests  for  $300 
million  in  supplemental  military  aid  for 
Vietnam  and  $200  million  for  Cambodia." 

After  two  days  of  speeches,  small  group 
discussions,  and  strategy  sessions  at 
Georgetown  University,  and  a  Sunday 
night  convocation  at  the  New  York  Avenue 
Presbyterian  Church,  the  Assembly  broke 
up  into  state  delegations  on  Monday, 


January  27,  to  lobby  on  Capitol  Hill 
among  senators  and  representatives. 

The  Assembly  featured  such  peace  ac- 
tivist leaders  as  Don  Luce,  director  of 
Clergy  and  Laity  Concerned,  Tom  Hayden 
of  the  Indo-China  Peace  Campaign,  and 
Larry    Levin    of   the    Coalition    to    Stop 
Funding  the  War. 

Rep.  Bella  Abzug  (D-N.Y.)  also  spoke, 

,4  young  woman  sits  in  a  "tiger  cage"  such 
as  those  reportedly  used  in  South  Vietnam 
prisons,    during    "Save    the    Peace"   rally. 


urging  the  delegates  to  become  more  active 
in  lobbying  Congress.  At  the  Sunday  eve- 
ning convocation  Sen.  George  McGovern 
(D-S.D.),  a  United  Methodist  layman  and 
one  of  the  most  outspoken  critics  of  US  in- 
volvement in  Indo-China,  told  the 
Assembly  audience  that  the  issue  "...  is  the 
same  now  as  it  was  from  the  beginning:  the 
Vietnamese  people  should  not  need  our 
permission  to  decide  their  own  destiny.  We 
have  neither  the  right  to  decide  for  them, 
nor  the  power  to  write  an  American  for- 
mula for  the  future  of  Southeast  Asia." 

The  Assembly  echoed  the  position 
adopted  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  at 
Annual  Conference  1974:  to  urge  the 
government  to  honor  the  Paris  Peace 
Agreement,  to  move  beyond  it  toward  full 
military  disengagement  and  to  implement 
nonviolent  direct  action  toward  the  release 
of  all  political  prisoners  in  Vietnam. 

Pax  World  portfolio 
a  top-ranking  fund 

Pa.x  World  Fund,  a  mutual  fund  aimed  at 
contributing  to  world  peace,  was  among 
the  top-ranking  funds  for  performance  last 
year.  Much  of  the  credit  was  given  the 
fund's  "social  audit,"  criteria  by  which  in- 
vestments are  avoided  in  companies  heavily 
oriented  toward  a  war  economy. 

Three  years  old.  Pax  World  Fund  was 
highest  in  performance  among  the  "social 
responsibility  funds"  rated  by  the  Lipper 
Mutual  Fund  Performance  Analysis.  Per- 
formance related  primarily  to  the  year's 
closing  price  as  against  the  year's  opening, 
in  which  Pax  World  showed  a  decline  of ' 
16.19  percent.  Comparatively,  Standard  & 
Poor's  average  of  500  stocks  for  1974 
showed  a  drop  of  29.72  percent.  While  the 
price  drop  was  less  severe  for  Pax  World, 
the  value  of  the  shares  at  present  is  con- 
siderably below  that  paid  by  some  in- 
vestors. 

The  same  chart  showed  Pax  World  Fund 
137th  among  550  mutual  funds.  Its  yield 
for  the  year  was  8.7  percent.  It  began  this 
year  by  paying  an  18-cent  dividend. 

Pax  World  currently  has  some  300  in- 
stitutional and  personal  investors  who  hold 
some  90,000  shares.  Among  them  is  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board 
which  has  invested  $5,000. 

Methodist  ministers  Luther  M.  Tyson 
and  J.  Elliott  Corbett  serve  respectively  as 
president  and  vice  president  of  Pax  World, 
which  is  headquartered  at  224  State  St., 
Portsmouth,  N.H.  03801. 


April  1975  messenger  9 


)P®(SDaiD  [rsporlt 


Students  and  Offenders 

An  innovative  program  at 
Manchester  College  breathes 
new  life  into  the 
criminal  justice  system 

by  Cheryl  Bullock  Gemmer 


At  a  playground  in  a  low  income 
neighborhood  in  Elkhart,  Ind.,  Cindy 
Rogers  supervised  children  in  the  Youth 
Service  Bureau's  summer  program.  The 
program  was  such  a  success  that  even 
children  who  were  not  invited  flocked  to 
the  playground.  Word  spread  that  Rogers 
was  there  to  listen  to  problems,  to  help 
kids  find  jobs,  to  help  the  neighborhood 
youngsters  have  a  good  summer.  Rogers 
was  the  Youth  Service  Bureau's  gift  to  the 
area's  underprivileged  youth. 

At  Chain  O'  Lakes  Youth  Camp,  Rich 
Keeney  helped  an  inmate  write  a  letter  to  a 
judge.  He  called  a  county  prosecutor  on 
behalf  of  another  inmate.  He  escorted  a 
man  to  church,  and  took  another  to  a  doc- 
tor. His  ability  to  become  a  trusted 
counselor  in  two  months'  time  was  praised 
by  his  superior. 

In  probation  offices  in  several  Indiana 
counties,  for  four  years  interns  assumed 
responsibility  for  caseloads  of  juvenile 
offenders  and  some  adults.  They  were 
Manchester  College  students,  like  Rogers 
and  Keeney,  who  through  a  program 
designed  by  the  college  gained  exposure  to 
Indiana's  probation  offices  and  correc- 
tional institutions. 

For  $150,  an  agency  hired  a  Manchester 
student  for  the  summer.  Although  the 
agencies  varied  widely  in  the  type  of  ex- 
perience they  provided,  there  is  wide  agree- 
ment that  both  agencies  and  students 
benefited  from  the  venture. 

The  effort,  known  as  the  Howard  Coun- 
ty/Manchester College  Criminal  Justice 
Exposure  Program,  grew  from  an 
awareness  of  rising  juvenile  arrest  rates  and 
the  mounting  interest  of  students  in 
criminal  justice.  The  agency  which  brought 

10  MESSENGER  April  1975 


these  needs  and  problems  to  the  attention 
of  Manchester  College,  the  Indiana 
Criminal  Justice  Planning  Agency,  cited 
data  indicating  that  the  arrest  of  persons 
under  18  is  increasing  about  25  percent 
faster  than  the  youth  population.  A  cause 
for  more  concern,  however,  is  a  report 
cited  by  Criminal  Justice  which  estimates 
that  9  out  of  every  10  children  are,  at  one 
time  or  another,  involved  in  delinquent 
acts  for  which  they  would  be  taken  to  court 
if  apprehended.  A  "delinquent  act"  can 


range  from  refusal  to  carry  out  the  garbage 
(resulting  in  an  "incorrigible"  offense)  to- 
grand  larceny  or  murder.  The  findings  also, 
reveal  that  juveniles  commit  63  percent  of, 
all  serious  crimes. 

The  proposal  requesting  a  federal  grant 
to  fund  the  Exposure  Program,  using 
Manchester  students,  came  four  years  after 
the  President's  Commission  of  Law  En- 
forcement and  Administration  of  Justice 
issued  a  report  divulging  less  than  desirable 
conditions  in  the  criminal  justice  system. 

With  these  conditions  in  mind,  John 
Miner,  then  administrator  of  Region  III  of 
Criminal  Justice,  met  deans  at  Manchester 
College  with  the  idea  that  "there  is  a 
tremendous  need  in  probation — nobody  is 
doing  anything  with  it."  Miner,  a 
Manchester  alumnus,  said  Manchester  was 
singled  out  because  "it  has  a  tremendous 
background  in  social  services." 

Robert  Mock,  assistant  professor  of 
sociology  at  the  college,  wrote  and  sub- 
mitted the  proposal  which  Region  III  of 
the  Planning  Agency  funded.  Mock,  who 
was  made  coordinator  of  the  program,  out- 
lined several  purposes  in  the  proposal. 
First,  students  considering  careers  in  cor- 
rections would  be  given  a  chance  to  learn 


Program  coordinator  Robert  Mock  (center)  points  out  agencies  using  students  to  proj- 
ect director  Robert   Kinsey  (left)  and  Manchester  College  president  Helman  (nt;ht) 


firsthand  what  the  field  is  like.  Second,  the 
interns  were  to  implement  new  programs 
for  offenders,  in  recreation  and  education, 
for  example.  Third,  probationers  would  be 
brought  into  contact  with  peers  who  are 
"functioning  effectively  in  the  community," 
thus  establishing  a  constructive  model. 
Students  also  were  expected  to  provide  to 
the  college  and  Criminal  Justice  informa- 
tion about  the  types  of  offenses  which 
bring  juveniles  into  court,  and  the  types  of 
offenses  considered  serious  by  prosecutors 
and  judges. 

The  program  was  received  so  well  by 
judges,  probation  officers,  and  students 
that  it  was  funded  each  successive  year. 
Seventy-five  students  served  in  the 
program.  After  the  first  year,  the  thrust 
was  extended  to  include  a  police  depart- 
ment, a  drug  rehabilitation  center.  Youth 
Service  Bureaus  group  homes,  and  both 
maximum  and  minimum  security  prisons. 
County  courts  began  to  request  funds  from 
j  Criminal  Justice  for  students.  Similar 
programs  have  since  been  initiated 
elsewhere  in  Indiana. 

Judge  Robert  Kinsey  of  Howard  Coun- 
ty, who  directed  Manchester's  program, 
said  that  students  "get  work  done  that  we 
otherwise  cannot  do  with  our  limited  staff. 
The  main  benefit  of  the  program,  however, 
is  that  it  keeps  us  fresh  with  ideas  from  the 
academic  world  that  we  don't  get  in  the 
day-to-day  routine  of  running  the  system." 

Howard  County's  first  student  was 
directed  to  investigate  cases  of  all  Howard 
County  youth  who  were  in  institutions, 
supervise  a  small  caseload,  and  conduct 
prehearing  investigations.  The  judge  was  so 
impressed  with  her  ability  to  step  into  the 
responsibility  that  he  hired  her.  She  was  a 
juvenile  officer  for  three  years  and  was 
promoted  to  chief  probation  officer  last 
fall. 

Another  student  assigned  to  a  smaller 
county  found  her  summer  less  challenging. 
"The  probation  officer  contacted  several 
people  to  try  to  find  out  the  worth  of  34 
tomato  plants.  We  had  one  lady  complain 
about  the  type  of  language  her  neighbor 

Upper:  James  Shively  (left),  field  super- 
visor of  the  program,  and  Robert  Mock 
(right),  program  coordinator.  Lower: 
Kenneth  Watson,  chief  juvenile  officer. 
Allen  Count}  probation,  conducts  an 
orientation  session  for  Manchester  students 
preparing  for  the  field. 


uses.  That  was  about  the  extent  of  our  ac- 
tivity this  week,"  she  reported. 

Though  students  usually  were  well- 
received  in  their  assigned  communities, 
they  occasionally  met  people  who  dislike 
the  idea  of  college  youth  having  respon- 
sibility in  probation  offices.  "The  parents 
seem  to  be  to  blame  for  the  trouble  I've 
seen  to  date,"  observed  one  student.  "It's 
hard  for  them  to  see  that  while  they  fight 
among  themselves,  their  kids  are  running 
wild.  Of  course  when  I  tell  them  this  they 
don't  believe  me  because  I'm  a  young  smart 
aleck  with  all  the  answers  and  no  kids." 
Another  student  reported  that  he  was 


called  a  "hippie"  and  a  "rich  slob"  all  in  the 
course  of  a  day's  work. 

Some  agencies  were  uncertain  about  the 
role  students  should  have,  since  they  work 
full-time  for  only  three  months.  The  super- 
visor at  Chain  O'  Lakes  Youth  Camp, 
Craig  Hanks,  explained  that  it  takes  time 
to  work  out  the  most  helpful  pattern.  He 
was  particularly  enthused,  however,  about 
Rich  Keeney.  "Rich  was  a  tremendous 
asset.  He's  been  able  to  step  into  the 
counselor's  role  and  more  or  less  take  it 
over."  Chain  O'  Lakes,  like  many  in- 
stitutions, is  understaffed.  "Anytime  we  get 
someone  in  here  who  can  assume  a  little 


April  1975  messenger  11 


Howard  County  judge  Robert  Kinsey  leads  a  Manchester  College  class  in  criminal  law 
and  court  proceedings.    The  program  gives  him  fresh  ideas  from  the  academic  world. 


responsibility  it  helps  us.  A  student  can  do 
a  lot  of  the  programs — recreation,  supervi- 
sion, counseling." 

Keeney's  role  as  counselor  put  him  in  a 
unique  position.  Because  he  gained  the 
confidence  of  the  inmates,  he  became  a 
sounding  board.  Inmates  took  their  com- 
plaints to  him  without  fear  of  punishment, 
and  he  took  the  complaints  to  the  ad- 
ministration. Keeney  also  helped  unburden 
the  Camp's  staff  by  doing  paperwork  and 
by  initiating  the  process  of  work-release. 

White's  Institute,  a  private  juvenile  facili- 
ty, used  students  for  three  years.  "Unless 
students  have  gone  through  the  system  on 
a  basic  level,  they  can't  understand  it," 
asserted  Richard  Davis,  assistant 
superintendent.  "They  can't  understand  the 
problems.  Our  students  for  the  past  two 
years  were  assistant  houseparents.  In  this 
role,  within  a  short  period  they  assumed 
responsibility."  White's  1974  student  was 
responsible  for  supervising  15  to  20  delin- 
quent teen-age  boys  on  a  24-hour  basis. 

Pat  Reeves,  a  retired  probation  officer  in 
Lafayette,  Ind.,  supervised  Manchester 
students  for  three  years.  Reeves'  approach 
was  to  give  the  students  an  office  and 
responsibility — "let  them  use  their  judg- 
ment." He  regards  the  plan  as  "one  of  the 
better  federal  programs." 


Like  the  first  student  to  serve  in  Howard 
County,  others  too  have  been  hired  for  per- 
manent positions  in  probation  offices 
following  participation  in  the  exposure 
program.  One  of  Reeves'  students  is  now  a 
full-time  probation  officer  in  Lafayette, 
supervising  a  caseload  of  75  juveniles  and 
60  adults.  Another  student  in  the  program 
for  two  summers  in  Carroll  County  was 
hired  this  year  to  replace  the  chief  proba- 
tion officer,  who  retired.  Other  graduates 
have  accepted  jobs  in  welfare  offices, 
children's  homes,  and  juvenile  courts. 

Although  some  students  choose  not  to 
enter  corrections  after  their  exposure  to  the 
system.  Criminal  Justice  does  not  consider 
its  money  ill-spent.  "We  have  educated 
another  segment  of  society,"  explained 
Rodney  Lich,  assistant  corrections  coor- 
dinator. "Even  those  people  who  go  into 
private  business  or  some  other  field  that 
pays  better  than  we  pay  in  the  public  sector 
have  gained  something."  Thus  he  sees 
public  education  as  well  as  recruitment  a 
worthy  outcome. 

One  county  whose  probation  offices 
decided  after  two  years  that  they  could  not 
use  students  to  advantage  is  Allen  County, 
Fort  Wayne.  "With  a  specialized  staff  it's 
very  difficult  for  a  student  to  come  in,"  an 
official  explained.  "Even  a  new  officer 


who's  very  idealistic  finds  it  difficult.  In  an 
urban  social  agency  there's  going  to  be 
more  of  a  hierarchy,  more  of  a 
bureaucracy.  When  you  talk  about  sending 
a  student  into  a  large  department,  which 
Fort  Wayne  is,  you  run  into  the  problem  of 
fitting  him  into  the  way  the  services  are 
divided." 

Training  interns  in  the  Manchester 
program  was  a  four-day,  dawn-to-dark  ef- 
fort immediately  preceding  placement. 
Judges,  probation  officers,  narcotics 
agents,  and  communications  experts 
sought  to  prepare  students  for  the  field- 
work  experience.  Miner,  who  organized 
the  first  year  training,  reflected,  "We  ran 
kids  unmercifully.  We  gave  them  more 
work  than  they  could  possibly  do.  There's 
a  lot  of  college  students  who've  never  come 
face  to  face  with  reality:  they  had  to  get 
down  to  reality  and  know  what  they  were 
doing.  We  brought  in  a  heroin  pusher  from 
Harlem  and  a  person  who  had  worked  the 
streets  of  Chicago  to  talk  about  casework." 

In  succeeding  training  sessions,  students 
were  exposed  to  interpersonal  communica- 
tion skills,  designed  to  help  students  be 
more  effective  with  their  cases.  "Poor  com- 
munications and  an  inability  to  establish 
effective  treatment  programs  have  been 
cited  as  a  major  problem  area  in  correc- 
tions," Coordinator  Mock  said.  "To  a  great 
extent,  this  is  due  to  a  lack  of  well-skilled 
personnel." 

Training  sessions  each  summer  were 
strikingly  different,  as  were  the  assortment' 
of  students,  their  placements,  and  the 
speakers  who  imparted  their  wisdom  to 
beginners  in  their  field.  The  one  constant 
over  the  four  years  was  the  coordinator, 
Robert  Mock,  who  renewed  the  original 
proposal  to  Criminal  Justice  each  year.  Fif- 
teen students  were  placed  in  1971.  20  in 
1972.  25  in  1973,  and  15  in  1974. 

Mock  would  like  to  continue  specialized 
programs  through  which  Manchester 
students  relate  to  juvenile  offenders.  Dur- 
ing the  January  term  he  and  a  group  of 
students  studied  firsthand  the  approaches 
used  in  Florida,  where  work  with  offenders' 
has  taken  various  forms.  Alternate  sources 
of  funding  are  being  considered. 

Whatever  refinements  or  new  directions  - 
follow,  the  counties,  the  state  institutions, 
the  students,  and  the  college  in  Indiana's 
program  of  the  past  four  years  have  in- 
troduced a  breath  of  new  life  into  the 
criminal  justice  system.  Q 


12  MESSENGER  April  1975 


Easter 

is  not 
an  island 

by  Howard  Hageman 


|ln  the  South  Pacific  about  2,000  miles  west  of  Chile  is 
an  island  called  Easter.  It  received  its  name  because  it 
was  on  Easter  Day,  1722,  that  it  was  discovered  by  the 
Dutch  explorer,  Roggeveen.  What  makes  Easter  Island 
remarkable  are  the  unusual  stone  monuments  found  on 
it,  huge  statues  going  back  many  centuries,  the  full  story 
of  which  is  still  a  puzzle  to  anthropologists. 

That  island  has  always  struck  me  as  a  parable  of 
what  Easter  is  in  the  lives  of  all  too  many  Christians,  a 
Istrange  place  worthy  of  an  occasional  visit  but  having 
no  relationship  with  the  real  world  around  it.  I  am 


referring  not  to  the  commonly  noted  fact  that  so  many 
people  visit  the  church  only  on  Easter.  I  am  referring  to 
the  less  noted  but  much  more  tragic  fact  that  so  many 
Christians  visit  Easter  only  once  a  year  and  then  in  a 
way  which  is  detached  from  their  daily  lives  in  the 
world. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  about  it.  Ask  Christians  for 
the  word  they  most  easily  associate  with  Easter  and 
their  frequent  reply  will  be  "immortality."  Press  them 
further  and  they  will  explain  that  what  they  mean  is 
that  Easter  assures  them  that  their  loved  ones  and  they 

April   1975  MESSENGER  13 


Easter  is  not  an  island,  but  the  mainlam 


will  live  on  in  a  better  and  happier  world 
after  their  death.  Because  Jesus  lives,  we 
shall  live.  In  a  subtle  but  real  way,  the 
festival  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ 
has  become  the  festival  of  our  immortality. 
Easter  is  an  island. 

No  one  certainly  wants  to  deny  the 
Christian  doctrine  of  the  "resurrection  of 
the  dead  and  the  life  of  the  world  to  come." 
But  serious  question  has  to  be  raised  as  to 
whether  that  really  is  the  central  thrust  of 
the  Easter  gospel,  or  whether  that 
represents  a  selfishly  individualized  distor- 
tion which  has  robbed  us  of  some  of  our 
strongest  motivations  for  the  way  in  which 
we  must  live  and  act  in  this  world. 


Oeen  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
gospel,  Easter  is  the  first  day  of  a  new  crea- 
tion, the  beginning  of  a  new  age.  As  G.  K. 
Chesterton  once  observed,  it  was  the  world 
that  died  in  the  night  in  which  our  Lord  lay 
in  the  tomb.  Ever  since  Easter,  there  has 
been  a  new  world  with  new  powers,  new  in- 
sights, new  goals,  new  purposes,  new 
relationships,  new  motivations,  and  the 
possibility  of  living  in  that  world  is  there 
for  every  one  who  believes. 

"And  because  He  lives,  I  too  shall  live"  is 
the  triumphant  Easter  strain.  And  we  take 
that  to  mean  that  because  Christ  is  alive, 
we  shall  someday  live  with  him  in  the  life 
of  the  world  to  come.  Fine,  that's  a  great 
faith,  but  a  very  partial  and  incomplete 
one!  Why  not  go  on  to  the  more  im- 
mediately challenging  possibility?  Because 
Christ  is  alive,  I  can  live  with  him  tomor- 
row in  all  of  the  powers  and  possibilities 
which  the  new  creation  of  the  world  of 
Easter  has  opened  up  for  me.  Because  He 
lives,  1  can  begin  really  to  live  no  longer  as 
a  slave  but  as  a  son  or  daughter  of  God. 

But  because  we  insist  on  treating  Easter 
as  an  island  instead  of  the  mainland  of 
Christian  living,  for  all  too  many  Chris- 
tians it  has  all  the  lasting  quality  of  a  birth- 
day party.  When  the  presents  have  been 
opened,  the  cake  has  been  eaten  and  the 


guests  have  gone  home,  with  what  are  we 
left?  Our  same  old  selves,  only  now  a  year 
older.  So  here,  when  the  flowers  have 
wilted,  the  hymns  died  away,  the  new 
clothes  rumpled  and  the  shine  off  the  new 
shoes,  with  what  are  we  left?  Our  same  old 
selves,  with  one  more  Easter  behind  us. 

Are  our  Easters  really  anything  more 
than  that?  A  glorious  festival  of  immortali- 
ty with  about  as  much  significance  for  our 
lives  as  the  name  of  the  most  recent  Presi- 
dent of  Portugal!  By  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  Thursday  after  Easter 
there  will  be  precious  few  of  us  who  will 
even  remember  that  Jesus  Christ  is  risen 
from  the  dead,  much  less  be  in  the  slightest 
influenced  by  it.  Think  of  it!  The  Easter 
gospel  contains  enough  explosive  to  change 
the  shape  of  all  of  our  living.  It  celebrates 
the  most  startling  fact  in  all  human  history 
with  the  most  comprehensive  implica- 
tions— yet  it  is  capable  of  producing  less 
enthusiasm  in  many  people  than  the  fate  of 
the  Mets  at  their  next  game  in  Shea 
Stadium. 

Easter  is  not  an  island!  If  it  is  true,  if 
Jesus  Christ  rose  from  the  dead  and  is 
alive,  then  the  ugliness,  evil,  pain,  and  sin 
of  Good  Friday  are  no  longer  the  last  word 
in  this  new  world.  Then  righteousness  and 
love  have  been  eternally  validated  as  the 
living  way,  the  eternally  living  way.  What 
endless  vistas  for  ourselves,  for  our  society, 
for  our  world  this  opens  up!  Nobody  can 
hear  it,  believe  it,  and  be  the  same  again. 
Easter  is  the  mainland  of  a  new  life  now. 


X  or  Easter  is  telling  us  that  a  great  many 
things  are  now  dead — dead  forever.  All  of 
those  things,  in  fact,  which  sought  to 
destroy  Jesus  on  his  cross  are  now  forever 
dead.  The  pride  and  self-seeking,  the 
hatred  and  prejudice,  the  defensiveness  and 
self-protectiveness  which  sought  at  Calvary 
to  do  away  with  this  threat  to  their  safety, 
they  are  now  dead.  The  whole  way  in 
which  humans  organize  their  lives  in  stub- 
born rejection  of  the  will  and  purpose  of 


14  MESSENGER  April  1975 


God,  that  is  now  dead.  Easter  killed  these 
things.  When  Jesus  Christ  came  forth  from 
the  grave,  they  were  finished.  He  is  the 
death  of  death  and  hell's  destruction. 

But  of  course  we  still  fall  for  them.  Ap- 
parently they  still  can  have  great  power 
over  us,  power  to  ensnare  and  ruin  us. 
They  look  so  very  attractive.  They  seem  so 
very  logical.  They  offer  so  much  so  quickly 
that  it  would  be  silly  not  to  heed  them 
since  we  think  this  is  the  way  the  world 
works.  They  are  dead,  but  they  won't  lie 
down.  Talk  about  living  in  the  past!  When 
we  think  that  might  makes  right,  or  that 
expediency  matters  more  than  justice,  that 
hate  is  stronger  than  love,  or  that  affluence 
means  significance,  we  are  living  in  a  past 
that  has  no  future,  a  past  that  was 
destroyed  when  Jesus  Christ  rose  again 
from  the  dead.  We  are  living  in  a  graveyard 
of  broken  realities. 


Xt  is  precisely  this  graveyard  of  broken 
values,  illusory  ideas,  false  images,  destruc- 
tive patterns  that  the  living  Christ  is  calling 
us  to  leave.  Easter  summons  us  to  cross 
over  to  another  shore  where  in  a  brighter 
light  He  is  waiting  to  make  us  new 
creatures,  new  men  and  new  women.  This 
is  the  Easter  mainland,  a  lifetime  of  new 
experiences,  new  hopes,  new  friends,  new 
ideas,  new  powers.  And  they  will  never  run 
out  because  it  is  God  who  is  giving  them  in 
generous,  never-failing  abundance.  Yes, 
Easter  is  the  gospel  of  eternal  life.  But  why 
think  that  that  means  that  we  must  walk  to 
the  end  of  this  road  before  we  can  begin 
that  one?  Life  that  is  white  with  the 
radiance  of  eternity  is  the  Easter  possibility 
now! 

Students  of  the  New  Testament  know 
that  one  of  Paul's  greatest  words  is  the  sim- 
ple word  therefore.  Whenever  he  uses  that 
word,  we  need  to  watch.  The  apostle  is 
about  to  connect  one  great  area  of  reality 
with  another.  With  that  in  mind,  I  invite 
you  to  look  at  the  therefore  in  1  Cor- 
inthians 15:58.  "Therefore,  my  beloved 


fa  new  life  now! 


brothers,  stand  firm  and  immovable,  and 
work  for  the  Lord  always,  work  without 
limit,  since  you  know  that  in  the  Lord  your 
labor  cannot  be  lost."  (NEB) 

That  verse  comes  at  the  end  of  what  is 
certainly  the  most  detailed  discussion  of 
the  resurrection  and  its  implications  to  be 
found  anywhere  in  the  pages  of  the  New 
Testament.  For  fifty-seven  verses  Paul  has 
explained  his  theology  of  Easter,  and  the 
life  of  the  world  to  come  has  certainly  been 
an  important  part  of  it.  Now  the  time  has 
come  to  sum  it  all  up.  Does  he  say, 

'Therefore,  do  not  worry  about  the  fate  of 
your  loved  ones  who  have  believed?"  Or 

Therefore,  accept  the  hope  that  someday 
you  too  will  live  in  another  world?" 

No  such  thing?  "Therefore,  stand  firm 
and  immovable  and  work."  in  a  word,  the 
theology  of  Easter  has  to  involve  us  in  the 
ethics  of  Easter.  The  great  new  world  of 
Easter  has  to  be  connected  with  the  world 
of  human  existence  in  which  we  presently 
live  and  move  and  have  our  being.  1  doubt 
that  Paul  would  have  had  much  use  for  an 
Easter  that  did  not  have  something  deeply 
significant  to  say  to  the  everyday  world  of 
human  existence. 


B. 


ut  what  are  the  ethics  of  Easter?  Let's 
consider  a  few  models  that  grow  directly 
out  of  the  Easter  theology  which  I  have 
tried  to  outline.  There  is  a  negative  side 
which  is  summarized  in  the  phrase  "stand 
firm  and  immovable."  The  fact  that, 
though  citizens  of  God's  new  world,  we  still 
are  part  of  the  old  world  is  one  which  is 
fraught  with  all  kinds  of  moral  dangers. 
The  most  obvious  is  the  temptation  to  say 
that  since  we  do  live  in  that  old  world,  we 
have  to  come  to  terms  with  it. 

Most  commonly  that  takes  the  form  of 
saying,  "The  Christian  thing  is  certainly  a 
noble  piece  of  idealism,  but  we  have  to  be 
practical,  realistic."  The  compromise  which 
we  work  out,  therefore,  consists  in  paying 
real  tribute  to  the  noble  idealism  while 
acting  out  the  necessities  of  practical  ex- 


istence. It  happens  so  often  that  many  of  us 
do  not  realize  it:  it  becomes  an  easily 
accepted  way  of  life. 

"Stand  firm  and  immovable!"  And  the 
only  reason  that  can  justify  that  ad\  ice  is 
the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ  is  risen  from  the 
dead.  We  are  already  in  God's  new  world. 
The  very  things  which  we  consider  "prac- 
tical" are  in  fact  wildly  impractical.  They 
are  the  things  which  time  and  again  in 
history  have  brought  human  existence  to 
the  brink  of  ruin  and  destruction.  And  the 
very  things  which  we  consider  "ideal"  are 
in  fact  bed-rock  reality.  They  are  the  things 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  Jesus  Christ  is  God's 
declaration  of  how  his  world  works. 

And  it  is  exactly  Easter  that  tells  us  that! 
If  Jesus  Christ  had  been  crucified,  dead, 
buried  —  period,  then  we  could  have  said, 
"See  what  happens  to  the  noble  idealist! 
Better  be  careful  to  make  peace  with  the 
world,  for  this  is  how  the  world  works." 
But  now  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead,  and 
his  resurrection  assures  us  that  what  the 
world  dismisses  as  the  daydreaming  of  the 
idealist  is  in  fact  the  fundamental  reality  of 
the  universe.  To  use  the  language  of  the 
day,  now  we  know  what  the  real  values  are 
and  because  we  know  what  they  are,  we 
can  stand  firm  and  immovable. 

So  we  come  to  the  positive  side — work 
without  limit!  Don't  be  cautious  and 
prudential  in  your  Christian  activity:  be 
lavish,  and  be  lavish  because  you  know 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead. 
Doesn't  the  connection  by  now  begin  to  be 
obvious?  Because  of  this  central  event  in 
human  history,  we  now  know  what  values 
are  eternal.  Back  in  the  old  world,  and 
rightly  so,  we  always  had  to  ask,  "But  if  I 
do  this,  what  will  I  get  in  return?"  in  that 
world  it  made  some  sense  to  ask  about  the 
profit  in  doing  good,  the  return  in  the  in- 
vestment of  righteousness. 

But  in  the  new  world  of  Easter,  that  kind 
of  question  is  completely  irrelevant. 
Whatever  we  do  that  arises  from  our  com- 
mitment to  the  living  Christ,  to  his  will  and 
way,  is  never  lost,  never  in  vain.  It  is  activi- 


ty in  the  kingdom  which  finally  must  con- 
quer and  control  the  world.  We  are  no 
longer  interested  in  the  profit  or  return  to 
us.  The  question  now  becomes  the 
significance  of  our  action  for  the  coming 
kingdom,  a  kingdom  which  because  of 
Easter  we  know  is  no  lovely  will-o'-the- 
wisp  glimmering  on  the  distant  landscape, 
but  the  certain  pattern  and  shape  of  the 
future. 

When  L.  P.  Jacks,  who  had  been  a 
leader  in  English  Unitarianism,  turned 
eighty,  he  set  himself  to  read  through  the 
New  Testament  as  one  would  read  through 
any  book.  When  he  had  finished  with 
Revelation  and  closed  the  book,  he  asked 
himself  if  there  was  a  single  word  that  sum- 
marized what  he  had  read.  The  answer,  he 
reported,  came  to  him  quickly  and  easily. 
It  was  the  single  word  resurrection. 


X  think  Dr.  Jacks  was  right  and  what  is 
more,  1  think  that  it  is  indicative  of  the 
weakness  of  American  Christianity  that 
resurrection  is  not  the  word  that  many  of 
us  would  come  up  with  if  asked  a  similar 
question.  And  that  is  because  for  so  many 
of  us  Easter  is  still  an  island  and  not  the 
great  exciting  mainland  of  new  life  in 
Christ.  The  ethics  of  the  New  Testament, 
the  optimism  of  the  New  Testament,  the 
philosophy  of  history  in  the  New 
Testament — all  of  these  and  many  other 
features  of  the  New  Testament  faith  as  well 
literally  make  no  sense  without  Easter.  It  is 
only  because  Jesus  Christ  is  risen  from  the 
dead  that  we  can  stand  firm  and  im- 
movable, work  for  the  Lord  without  limit, 
look  forward  confidently  to  the  future, 
wait,  work,  expectantly  for  the  coming  of 
the  kingdom  for  which  we  pray  daily. 
This  Easter  morning,  don't  visit  an 
island  the  way  we  visit  the  cemetery  after 
church.  Remember  that  this  is  the  first  day 
of  a  new  creation,  of  a  whole  new  pattern 
of  life!  Begin  to  explore  the  exciting 
possibilities  there  are  for  you  in  the  new 
world  of  Easter!    □ 


April  1975  MESSENGER  15 


Ev^n  JG5U5  could  not  use  the  cross  to  escape 


Read  Mark  15:34:  Mall.  27:46 

Our  world  is  filled  with  countless  cross 
symbols — signs  at  highway  and  railroad  in- 
tersections, bejeweled  and  gilded  crosses 
hanging  from  necklaces,  test  patterns 
blankly  staring  back  from  tv  screens, 
bumperstickers  to  stamp  out  smoking, 
Maltese  crosses  on  leather  jackets,  even  the 
X-marks  in  tic-tac-toe  games.  This  myriad 
of  symbolic  reproductions  blurs,  rather 
than  heightens,  our  sensitivity  to  the 
cross. 

One  cross  which  holds  great  memory 
value  for  me  is  located  on  the  altar  of  the 
chapel  at  the  Audy  Home  in  Chicago. 
"Home"  is  a  misnomer  for  this  over- 
crowded prison  for  juvenile  delinquents 
and  dependents,  who  are  held  until  a  judge 
decides  and  directs  their  future.  One  after- 
noon, while  most  of  the  population  was  in- 
volved in  either  school  or  sports,  two  nine- 
year-old  boys  began  to  implement  a  plan  of 
escape.  Their  strategy  was  simple:  take  the 
hinge  pins  out  of  the  locked  doors  of  the 
chapel,  lower  the  doors  and  gain  entrance 
to  the  chapel,  pull  the  doors  back  up  again 
to  give  the  appearance  of  being  locked  and 
secure,  open  one  of  the  stained  glass  win- 
dows, and  jump  to  freedom,  hopefully 
before  anyone  noticed  their  absence. 

They  accomplished  most  of  their  plan, 
but  they  were  startled  to  discover,  upon 
opening  the  stained  glass  windows,  steel 
bars  blocking  them  from  a  freedom  they 
could  now  see  but  not  touch.  They  checked 
all  the  windows,  and  all  were  barred. 
Someone  had  noticed  the  boys  were  miss- 
ing, and  the  security  alarm  sounded.  Noises 
came  from  the  halls  with  people  running 
and  calling  loudly  to  one  another.  Oc- 
casionally a  guard  or  staff  member  would 
rattle  the  knob  of  the  chapel  doors.  The 
boys  became  desperate. 

If  only  the  opening  were  just  a  little 
larger  they  could  squeeze  through,  the  boys 
reasoned.  Looking  around,  they  readily 
found  what  should  be  the  answer  to  their 
need,  a  metal  office  chair.  They  thrust  the 
legs  of  the  chair  between  the  bars,  pried, 
but  only  the  chair  bent.  Disappointed,  they 


looked  again.  This  time  they  chose  a  steel 
projection  screen,  for  it  was  longer  and 
they  hoped  they  could  have  more  leverage 
against  the  bars;  but  the  screen  case  bent 
too.  Then  they  sighted  the  bronze  cross  on 
the  chapel's  altar.  Surely  that  would  be 
heavy  enough  to  bend  the  window  bars. 
They  thrust  the  cross  into  the  bars,  but  the 
cross  bent  too. 


T. 


-he  boys  were  discovered  a  short  time 
later  when  a  guard,  trying  the  chapel 
doors,  was  caught  by  their  falling  weight. 
The  boys  were  placed  in  isolation.  Reports 
were  filed.  The  hinge  pins  were  replaced. 
The  chair  was  straightened;  the  movie 
screen  discarded.  The  cross  was  repaired 
and  replaced  on  the  altar,  still  tending  to 
lean  to  one  side. 

There  are  parallels  between  this  sequence 
and  the  struggles  of  our  daily  lives.  One 
which  stands  out  is  the  attempt  to  escape 
from  our  daily  living  with  wish-filled 
"stained  glass"  theologies  of  our  own  crea- 
tion; then  being  confronted  by  the  dual 
dilemma  of  being  barred  from  escaping  our 
human  limitations  and  facing  the  reality 
that  we  can't  bend  our  limits  with  the 
cross.  In  struggling  with  adversities,  fears, 
loneliness,  and  doubts,  we  forget  that  even 
Jesus  the  Christ  could  not  use  the  cross  to 
escape  this  life  to  freedom.  If  he  had,  he 
couldn't  be  the  Christ  for  all  of  us,  because 
we  wouldn't  be  able  to  identify  our 
humanness  with  his,  especially  the  feeling 
of  abandonment  and  estrangement  from 
God. 

"My  God,  my  God,  why  have  you  for- 
saken me?"  was  the  haunting  cry  from  the 
cross  (Mark  15:34;  Matt.  27:46).  This  cry 
affirms  Jesus'  humanity  and  his  throes  of 
dying.  Throughout  his  life  he  had  been  a 
man  subject  to  wandering  homelessness,  to 
physical,  social,  and  emotional  insecurity, 
to  separation  from  loved  ones  and 
loneliness,  to  uncertainty  and  outright 
error  in  intellectual  concepts,  to  doubting 
himself  and  his  own  work,  and  the  feeling 
that  he  had  been  forsaken  by  God.  If  he 
hadn't  felt  estrangement,  he  would  not 


have  had  a  total  involvement  in  the 
negatives  of  human  existence  which  are 
bonded  to  our  finiteness.  His  relationship 
with  God  was  still  there;  yet  he  felt  alone. 
His  cross  was  no  golden  symbol  as  in  our 
sanctuaries.  His  cross  was  the  place  of  his 
death,  a  tortuous  and  terror-ridden  death. 
"My  God,  My  God,  why  have  you  for- 
saken me?"  shattered  the  silence  of  his  suf- 
fering; and  some  scholars  have  said  that 
Jesus  was  meditating  on  the  twenty-second 
Psalm,  for  the  words  are  the  same.  If  that 
was  in  his  mind,  then  his  choice  reaffirms 
his  mission,  even  in  his  desolation.  He  is 
the  one  who  called  God,  Father,  and 
taught  us  to  do  so;  and  Jesus  called  out  in 
his  dying  to  God  as  God,  just  as  the 
psalmist  had  cried  out  in  his  helplessness. 


T, 


.he  psalmist,  too,  had  been  surrounded 
by  those  mocking  him  with  the  threat  that 
his  pain  was  a  sign  of  God's  disfavor. 
Describing  his  persecutors  as  ravenous 
animals  wanting  his  blood,  the  psalmist  felt 
that  his  heart  was  melting,  his  strength 
fading,  and  his  fever  and  thirst  running 
rampant.  Encircled  by  those  who  gloated 
over  his  pain,  the  psalmist  watched  while 
they  divided  his  possessions  among 
themselves.  In  this  swirl,  the  psalmist 
vowed  that  he  would  sing  a  hymn  of  God's 
goodness  in  the  center  of  the  congregation 
when  he  recovers.  Jesus  knew  that  he 
would  not  recover;  he  would  die.  He  still 
chose  this  psalm,  and,  as  the  suffering  ser- 
vant, reaffirms  his  mission  "to  proclaim  his 
(God's)  deliverance  to  a  people  yet  unborn, 
that  he  (God)  has  wrought  it"  (vs.  31).  This 
was  not  illness  to  be  followed  by  health. 
This  was  the  agony  and  anguish  of  death  to 
be  followed  by  new  life. 

"My  God,  my  God,  why  have  you  for- 
saken me?"  sounds  despairingly  strange 
from  the  one  who  preached  of  God  loving 
and  accepting  us,  even  when  we  cannot 
love  and  accept  ourselves.  Perhaps  it  was 
this  strangeness  that  stimulated  Mark  and 
Matthew  to  include  these  words  in  their 
recording  of  the  crucifixion,  while  the  later 
writers,  Luke  and  John,  focused  instead  on 


bc]  loffi]  K.UIrich 


16  MESSENGER  April  1975 


Jesus  forgiving  his  murderers  and  caring 
for  his  family  and  friends.  Mark  and 
Matthew  presented  a  stark  insight  into  the 
message  of  Jesus.  Jesus  had  preached  a 
message  of  love,  God's  love  for  us  and  our 
love  for  each  other  . . . 

...  a  caring  without  controlling — he 
could  promise  to  prepare  a  place  for  his 
followers  to  be  with  him  always,  but  the 
choice  of  following  was  theirs, 

...  a  confronting  without  coercion — he 
challenged  Judas  but  he  would  not  stop 
him, 

...  a  compassion  without  condem- 
nation— he  loved  those  who  would  deny 
him  as  Peter  did, 

...  a  commitment  without  complexity  — 
he  knelt  and  served  them,  washing  their 
feet  and  showing  his  way,  and 

...  a  conviction  without  compre- 
hending—  he  faced  the  giving  of  his  body 
and  blood,  even  proclaiming  the  bread  and 
the  cup  to  be  reminders,  knowing  that  the 
disciples  could  not  understand  his  gift  and 
would  not  support  him  in  his  dying. 

In  his  cry  to  God,  he  confirms  that  God 
can  be  with  us  even  when  we  feel  that  we 
are  alone  and  abandoned,  for  God  was 
with  him  as  he  shouted  his  pain  and  gave 
up  his  life. 


La 


Crucifixion. "  by  Francisco  de  Zurba 


yabeled  a  "blasphemer"  by  the  religious 
community  and  a  "political  insurrectionist" 
by  the  government,  Jesus  suffered  a  cruel 
and  violent  death.  The  charges  matter  little 
because  the  lies  of  the  accusers  were  only 
fractions  of  the  truth  they  feared.  The 
manner  of  death  isn't  crucial  for  whatever 
way  they  selected  would  have  been  unjust. 
What  is  significant  is  Jesus  the  Christ  dy- 
ing, as  we  will  die.  We  can  identify  with  his 
humanness  of  feeling  alone  at  the  time  of 
dying,  even  when  that  is  not  the  case.  We 
can  see  the  reflection  of  Jesus'  mission  of 
deliverance  of  new  life  instead  of  living 
deadness.  We  can  hear  the  message  that, 
even  when  we  feel  abandoned  by  God,  God 
is  with  us.  The  cross  is  not  an  escape  from 
life.  The  cross  is  the  ultimate  reminder  of 
God  being  with  us  in  all  of  life,  d 


April   1975  MESSENGER  17 


kept  ©m 


^Parah  Righter  Major  (1808-1884)  is 
renowned  among  the  Brethren  as  their  first 
woman  preacher.  Born  near  Philadelphia, 
she  was  converted  under  the  preaching  of 
another  outstanding  personality  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  Harriet  Livermore. 
This  eccentric  and  brilliant  world  traveler 
(immortalized  in  Whittier's  "Snowbound") 
was  allowed  to  speak  in  Brethren  con- 
gregations at  Philadelphia  and  German- 
town,  a  privilege  denied  her  by  the  fashion- 
able denominations.  The  story  of  Harriet 
Livermore  was  largely  preserved  by  the 
famed  Brethren  historian  Abraham  Harley 
Cassel,  himself  converted  by  Sarah  Righter 
Major,  neatly  completing  the  circle. 

According  to  James  Quinter's  memoir, 
soon  after  Sarah  Righter's  baptism  at  the 

18  MESSENGER  April  1975 


age  of  eighteen,  she  felt  a  calling  to  preach. 
Knowing  the  resistance  of  the  Brethren 
generally  to  women  speaking  in  church  and 
keenly  conscious  of  the  heavy  responsibili- 
ty it  entailed,  she  suppressed  her  desire  for 
a  time.  Her  sympathetic  father  discovered 
the  cause  of  her  melancholy  and  took 
counsel  with  Peter  Keyser,  a  minister  of  the 
Philadelphia  congregation.  He  encouraged 
her  as  did  Israel  Poulson  of  the  Amwell 
congregation  in  New  Jersey;  she  was  asked 
to  preach  in  both  churches. 

The  innovation  caused  controversy.  A 
question  on  the  propriety  of  women 
preaching,  obviously  stemming  from  her 
activity,  was  submitted  to  the  yearly 
meeting  of  1834.  The  response  was 
negative:  "Concerning  a  sister's  preaching: 


Not  approved  of:  considered  such  sister  be- 
ing in  danger,  not  only  [of]  exposing  her 
own  state  of  grace  to  temptation,  but  also 
causing  temptations,  discord,  and  disputes 
among  other  members."  Sarah  kept  on 
preaching,  in  her  quiet  but  determined 
manner.  A  committee  of  elders  was  sent  to 
counsel  with  her.  After  considerable  discus- 
sion, they  came  away  without  enforcing  the 
conference  decision.  Neither  did  they  grant 
her  official  permission  to  preach.  Hence- 
forth, Sarah  Righter  was  to  preach  when     . 
requested  but  was  urged  not  to  press  her 
services  on  others.  One  of  the  committee 
explained  why  he  could  not  deny  her  call 
to  preach:  "I  could  not  give  my  vote  to 
silence  someone  who  can  outpreach  me." 
Sarah  Righter  did  not  marry  until  1842, 


Yearly  Meeting  in  i834 
forbade  her  to  preach. 
BUT  Sarah  would  not  keep  quiet. 

She  KEPT  ON  PREACHING 
UNTIL  EVERY  VOICE 
RAISED  AGAINST  HER 
WAS  STILLED. 

The  Spirit  OF  God 

WAS  NOT  TO  be  QUENCHED 
"BECAUSE  IT  WAS  GIVEN 
TO  A  WOMAN." 


Harriet  Livermore, 
"The  Pilgrim  Si  ranger  ' 
converted  Sarah 
in  Philadelphia  in  1826 


choosing  Thomas  Major  who  had  been 
called  to  the  Brethren  ministry  (along  with 
her  father)  one  year  previously.  In  1843, 
they  migrated  to  Ohio,  settling  finally  in 
Highland  County.  The  Majors  quickly 
became  active  in  that  area,  spending  much 
time  in  visiting  churches  and  holding 
meetings.  The  manner  of  their  witnessing 
was  both  tactful  and  effective.  Usually 
Thomas  Major  would  open  the  service. 
After  a  few  remarks,  he  would  yield  to  his 
wife,  admittedly  the  better  speaker.  Oc- 
casionally, the  congregation  being  visited 
would  request  that  she  not  preach.  In  that 
case,  she  would  often  be  asked  to  lead  in 
prayer. 

James  Quinter,  the  ablest  Brethren 
leader  in  the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth 


century,  called  Sarah  Righter  Major  a 
"remarkable  woman."  Although  she  did 
not  have  an  advanced  education,  she  "had 
a  good  and  discerning  mind."  Moreover, 
"she  had  good  taste,  good  judgment,  and 
fine  feelings."  He  observed  that  "though 
she  had  considerable  prejudice  to  contend 
with  in  our  Brotherhood,  such  was  her 
modesty,  her  humility,  her  discretion,  and 
her  exemplary  life,  that  as  she  was  known 
she  was  loved.  Generally,  if  not  universally, 
wherever  she  went  once  to  preach,  she  was 
invited  to  repeat  her  visit.  Some  brethren 
went  to  hear  her  preach  with  a  little  preju- 
dice, but.  when  they  had  heard  her.  that 
prejudice  was  greatly  diminished,  if  not 
altogether  removed." 

Another  contemporary  described  her 


The  Church  of  the 
Brethren  and  par- 
sonage at  Ger- 
mantown  as  they 
appeared  in  the 
1800s.  Peter 
Keyser  was  bishop 
here  for  forty- 
seven  years. 


preaching  as  "usually  of  the  style  of  exhor- 
tation: but  when  treating  some  subjects, 
she  spoke  with  great  emphasis.  She  oc- 
casionally spoke  on  such  subjects  as  infan- 
ticide and  sexual  excises  [sic]  in  such  a  way 
as  to  make  many  blush  and  some  good 
brethren  and  sisters  thought  her  words 
were  sometimes  imprudent." 


^^he  was  known  for  her  personal  sym- 
pathy and  care.  She  preached  regularly  in 
jails  and  hospitals  and  had  a  special  con- 
cern for  black  families.  She  was  noted  for 
visits  to  individuals,  which  gave  her  the  op- 
portunity to  converse  directly  about  their 
spiritual  condition. 

A  rare  pamphlet  published  in  1835  has 
preserved  her  views  on  the  role  of  women 
in  the  ministry  and  its  biblical  basis.  The 
text  is  from  a  letter  written  to  Jacob  Sala, 
a  Brethren  printer  in  Canton,  Ohio.  The 
first  nine  pages  of  the  pamphlet  are 
devoted  to  a  letter  (in  German)  to  Sala 
from  a  Swiss  pietist  living  near  Basel.  It  is 
a  discussion  of  millenialism.  Sala  was  born 
in  Germany  and  lived  for  a  time  in  Western 
Pennsylvania  before  moving  to  Ohio.  His 
sons.  Johann  and  Solomon,  were  also  ac- 
tive printers,  publishing  among  other  items 
many  Brethren  hymnals.  Solomon  Sala  is 


April  1975  messenger  19 


In  1847  Sarah  and  Thomas  Major  joined  the  Fall  Creek  congregation,  near  New  Bos- 
ton, Ohio.  Two  years  later  Thomas  built  this  meeting  house  and  was  elder  until  1883. 


primarily  remembered  for  his  publishing 
career  in  cooperation  with  Alexander 
Campbell,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Dis- 
ciples movement. 

Although  the  letter  is  signed  only 

"Sarah "  It  is  recognizable  as  from  the 

pen  of  Sarah  Righter  because  of  the  con- 
tent and  context.  Evidently  Sala  had 
written  to  her,  admitting  his  prejudice 
against  women  in  active  church  roles.  The 
pamphlet  was  in  the  Reuel  Pritchett  collec- 
tion, now  in  the  possession  of  John  A. 
Pritchett  Sr.  of  Nashville,  Tennessee.  No 
other  copy  is  known. 

Lower  Merrion,  April  1st,  1835 
Respected  Stranger  and  Brother: 

May  Grace,  Mercy,  and  Peace  be  with 
thee  and  all  those  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ — to  whom  be  praise  now  and 
forever.  Amen.  40  years  you  have  been, 
professing  Jesus — if  when  you  were  bap- 
tiz'd,  you  put  on  Christ,  and  never  put  him 
off — you  must  by  this  time  have  come,  not 
only  to  the  fullness  of  the  stature  of 
manhood  of  Christ,  but  also  to  a  fatherly 
age.  At  this  day  Br.  Paul's  testimony  is 
very  true,  "Ye  have  ten  thousand  instruc- 
tors in  Christ  but  not  many  Fathers."  The 
tempter  has  tried  you,  yes,  Satan  himself  is 
transform'd  to  an  Angel  of  light,  and  no 
marvel,  if  his  ministers  are  too,  who  if  it  be 
possible  will  deceive  the  very  elect. 


T 


of  the  Savior's  parable  of  the  woman  hav- 
ing 10  pieces  of  silver,  and  losing  one  piece, 
doth  light  the  candle,  and  sweep  the  house, 
and  seek  diligently  till  she  find  it,  and  when 
she  hath  found  it,  she  calleth  her  friends 
and  neighbors  together  saying,  "Rejoice 
with  me,  for  I  have  found  the  piece  which  I 
had  lost."  So  they  rejoice  in  heaven  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth,  and  so  you  have 
heard  of  me,  that  as  a  repenting  woman  I 


call  on  my  dying  friends,  to  see  "the  pearl 
of  price"  I  have  found,  "the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord."  Well,  well, 
my  dear  brother,  may  our  dear  Redeemer 
give  me  grace  to  be  faithful,  that  you  may 
never  hear  any  worse  report  of  me  than 
this. 

You  once  thought  this  liberty  I  use  an 
assumption  not  belonging  to  the  female 
character,  because  the  Head  of  the  Church, 
in  sending  out  into  the  world,  chose  his 
first  heralds  from  your  sex.  My  dear 
brother,  I  shall  ever  acknowledge  the  head 
of  the  woman  to  be  the  man,  and  the  head 
of  every  man  is  Christ.  He  did  not  send 
many  men,  and  gave  them  no  authority  to 
forbid  any  that  should  do  works  in  his 
name  and  kingdom.  You  recollect  when  the 
apostles  return'd  they  said,  they  saw  one 
casting  out  devils  in  his  name,  and  forbid 
him,  because  he  foUoweth  not  with  us.  But 
he  said,  "Forbid  him  not,  no  man  can  do  a 
miracle  in  my  name,  and  speak  lightly  (or 
in  the  least)  of  me."  They  forbid  him, 
because  he  went  not  with  them  when  he 
might  have  as  strict  command  to  go  home, 
and  shew  the  people,  how  great  things  the 
Lord  had  done  for  him,  as  they  had  to  go 


iihrough  a  number  of  your  friends,  you 
have  heard  of  me  as  sustaining  an  extraor- 
dinary character,  feeling  it  my  duty  to 
make  known  even  publicly,  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ.  You  remind  me 


Peter  Keyser, 
bishop  of  the  Ger- 
mantown  and 
Philadelphia  con- 
gregations, was 
Sarah's  mentor  as 
she  struggled  with 
her  desire  to  be  a 
preacher.  He 
asked  her  to 
preach  in  his 
pulpit,  as  did 
Israel  Paulson  of 
the  Amwell,  New 
Jersey  church. 
Succeeding  Alex- 
ander Mack  in 
1802,  Keyser 
served  in  the 
bishopric  until 
death  removed 
him  in  1849. 


20  MESSENGER  April  1975 


shew  the  kingdom  of  God  to  the  cities  of 
Israel. 

I  believe  man  to  have  been  first  in  crea- 
tion, but  I  also  believe  woman  was  made  to 
be  an  help  meet  for  or  equal  to  him,  having 
a  soul  and  body,  capable  of  helping  him,  in 
1  his  natural,  and  spiritual  world,  the  com- 
panion of  his  joys  and  sorrows,  in  heaven 
and  on  earth,  who  looks  up  to  him  as  for 
her  power  and  protection,  and  on  whom  he 
is  bound  to  look  with  feelings  of  care  and 
love,  so  as  to  secure  that  confidence  to 
himself  which  belongs  to  his  high  station. 
1  am  happy  to  say,  that  at  this  dark  age  of 
the  world,  1  have  met  with  men,  who  are 
always  the  same  faithful  friends  in  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  things,  but  believe  me 
these  are  the  fewest,  who  are  brethren  in- 
deed, in  every  time  of  need,  especially  when 
the  truth  is  suffering,  and  many  are 
asham'd  to  defend  it. 


I 


believe  my  character  is  not  so  uncom- 
mon as  that  of  "Anna  the  prophetess"  of 
great  age,  the  widow  of  84  years,  which 
took  the  liberty  of  staying  in  the  temple  to 
serve  God,  with  fastings  and  prayers  night 
and  day.  Simeon  was  singing  his  dying 
song  with  the  infant  in  his  arms,  in  the 
presence  of  the  many  who  came  daily  to 
the  temple,  and  no  doubt  there  were  many 
there  at  that  time,  who  knew  the  time  was 
then  when  the  Child  (wise  men  came  from 
far  to  worship),  must  be  offer'd  to  the 
Lord.  They  came  looking  for  redemption 
in  Israel,  she  coming  in  that  instant,  as  he 
did,  so  she  gave  thanks,  and  spake  of  Him 
to  all  who  look'd  for  redemption  in  Israel. 

Let  me  say,  Christ  has  not  only 
honoured  your  sex,  but  he  has  comforted 
mine.  When  he  was  to  come  into  the  world, 
he  sent  his  angel,  not  to  Joseph,  but  to 
Mary,  face  to  face,  to  tell  her  she  was 
"bless'd  among  women"  and  by  the  holy 
Ghost  gave  her  words  to  magnify  God, 
with  Elizabeth  in  a  loud  voice,  in  the  very 
city  of  the  priests,  where  Zachariah  dwelt. 
When  he  came  first  in  the  temple,  his  spirit 
moves  the  lips  of  Simeon  and  Anna,  and 
some  historians  whose  sects  oppose  a 
woman's  testimony,  call  her  the  first  herald 
of  the  gospel,  and  say  she  went  from  house 
to  house,  and  to  the  Towns  of  Israel, 
proclaiming  to  them  that  Christ  the 
Messiah  had  come.  And  when  he  burst  the 
bars  of  death,  his  few  disciples  are  in  fears 
and  tears — at  home,  but  Mary  seeks  him — 


living  or  dead,  and  finds  him  alive  and 
receives  his  dear  command  to  go  and  tell 
his  disciples  and  Peter  too,  that  he  is  risen 
from  the  dead,  and  the  resurrection  of  our 
Saviour,  believe  me,  I  rejoice  to  tell  you 
saints  and  sinners,  for  this  living  fact  holds 


Sarah's  husband,   Tliomas,  was  a  preacher 
but  he  usually  yielded  ihe  pulpit  to  her. 

up  the  kingdom  of  the  living  God,  the 
kingdom  of  heaven. 

Happy  woman!  Methinks,  many  often 
sat  silent  to  hear  her  tell,  what  she  saw  and 
heard  that  joyful  morning,  when  beside  his 
tomb  her  Master  stood  and  as  he  calPd  her 
Mary,  dri'd  her  tears  away,  and  put  such 
tidings  in  her  lips,  as  heavenly  angels 
wonder'd  at  with  joy.  But  when  the  day  of 
Pentecost  was  fully  come,  you  know  they 
were  all  together  with  one  accord  in  one 
place,  the  number  of  the  disciples  was  120 
(men  and  women)  in  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion they  waited  for  the  promise  to  endue 
them  with  power  from  on  high,  and  cloven 
tongues  like  as  of  fire  sat  on  each  of  them, 
and  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  spake  with  other  tongues  as  the 
spirit  gave  them  utterance,  even  so  that 
none  of  their  many  enemies  could  dispute 
Peter's  testimony  when  he  said  to  them. 
This  is  that  which  was  spoken  by  the 
prophet  Joel,  "And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in 
the  last  days  I  will  pour  out  my  spirit  on  all 
flesh  and  your  sons  and  your  daughters 
shall  prophesy." 


And  that  this  gift  continued  in  the 
church,  just  as  they  receiv'd  the  Holy 
Ghost,  1  am  well  convinced,  and  was  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  some  women  at 
Corinth,  to  whom  Paul  wrote,  to  prophets 
male  and  female,  how  they  should  dress, 
when  either  of  them  pray'd  or  prophesied. 
Let  Paul  explain  prophesy.  "He  that 
prophesieth,  speaketh  to  edification,  exhor- 
tation and  comfort,"  and  the  gift  of  speak- 
ing to  edify,  to  exhort  and  comfort  is  not 
given  at  the  schools,  nor  at  any  time  we 
please,  nor  by  the  power  of  man. 


1 


iherefore,  I  conceive  it  would  be  very  in- 
consistent in  an  apostle,  who  had  laid  his 
hands  on  men  and  women,  and  pray'd  over 
them,  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy 
Ghost,  to  quench  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  because  it  was  given  to  a  woman — in 
answer  to  prayer — when  at  that  time  it 
may  not  be  given  in  such  measure  to  more 
experienced  Christians.  God  always  gave 
his  gifts  freely  where  they  were  willing  to 
use  them,  and  1  believe  in  Christ  Jesus 
male  and  female  are  one,  just  as  Jew  and 
Gentile  are  made  one.  Every  one  should  do 
as  much  as  they  can  to  glorify  God  with 
the  different  gifts  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

You  once  thought  in  reference  to  the 
church  the  apostle  said  "Let  the  women  be 
silent."  Now  in  two  places  in  the  scriptures 
they  tell  me,  Paul  says  so — but  there  is 
much  in  the  Old  Testament  about  holy 
women,  in  the  old  and  new  church  of 
Moses  and  of  Christ.  Now  if  all  the  rest  of 
the  scriptures  prove,  that  Paul  in  these  two 
passages  forbids  all  women  to  speak  by  the 
spirit  of  God,  to  edify,  exhort,  and  comfort 
the  church  of  believers,  and  convince  the 
unbelieving  men  and  women  of  the  truth, 
then  it  might  be  so  believed.  But  if  the  rest 
of  the  testimony  proves  the  contrary,  then 
Paul  in  these  two  letters  is  not  understood. 
1  believe  he  very  honorably  would  not  suf- 
fer any  woman  to  come  in  and  teach  doc- 
trines she  never  received  from  Jesus  or  his 
apostles,  as  many  believing  women  do  op- 
pose their  wise  men,  and  do  as  they  please 
in  word  or  deed.  Again  he  will  not  suffer 
them,  to  talk  in  meeting,  nor  ask  questions, 
who  have  not  wisdom  enough  to  know 
when  to  ask  their  husbands,  they  who 
know  not  the  time  to  speak,  know  not 
what  to  speak. 

My  love  to  all  who  love  the  Lord,  etc. 
Sarah [Righter  Major]   □ 

April  1975  messenger  21 


Witness  in 
Washington 


by  Ralph  E.  Smeltzer 


While  the  treatment  of  specific  issues  by 
the  Washington  Office  staff  appears 
periodically  on  these  pages,  we  have  rarely 
provided  an  overview  of  the  office's  work. 
Here  follow  responses  to  questions  com- 
monly raised  about  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren's  ongoing  witness  in  Washington. 

IVhy  a  Christian  presence  and  witness? 

The  church's  ministry  includes  a  respon- 
sibility to  encourage  and  help  government 
leaders  express  genuine  concern  for  all  peo- 
ple in  the  making,  administering,  and, 
judging  of  laws  and  policies.  Because 
government  affects  people's  lives  in  many 
and  major  ways.  Christians  are  called  upon 
to  help  shape  government  and  to  pursue 
justice  through  non-violent  social  change. 

At  the  same  time  the  Washington  Office 
facilitates  a  witness  to  government,  it 
assists  the  church  by  apprising  con- 
gregations and  members  of  developments 
on  selected  issues,  and  in  arranging  con- 
tacts between  representatives  of  the  church 
and  government. 

Where  do  you  represent  the  church  and 
interpret  its  position? 

The  church's  voice  is  presented  at 
government  and  interreligious  briefings, 
hearings,  and  conferences.  This  may  in- 
clude testifying  before  congressional  com- 
mittees or  responding  to  invitations  by 
legislators,  administrators,  and  others  seek- 
ing the  church's  help  in  drafting  or  carrying 
out  legislation. 

During  the  last  Congress  we  arranged 
for  Brethren  testimony  a  number  of  times; 
on  Vietnam  reconstruction  before  the 
House  Foreign  Affairs  Committee,  on 
military  spending  before  a  House  Ap- 
propriations Subcommittee,  on  amnesty 
before  a  House  Judiciary  Subcommittee, 
and  on  national  health  insurance  before  the 
House  Ways  and  Means  Committee. 

Our  office  assisted  the  1974  Annual  Con- 
ference moderator,  Wayne  Geisert,  in 
visiting  numerous  legislative  and  ad- 

22  MESSENGER  April  1975 


Jlie  Washington 
Office  is  staffed  by 
(from  right)  Ralph 
E.  Smeltzer,  direc- 
tor: Louise  Bow- 
man, office 
manager  /  ad- 
ministrative 
secretary;  Sylvia 
Eller  and  Steve 
Longenecker,  BVS 
staff  assistants 


ministration  offices  to  interpret  the 
church's  amnesty  position,  and  this  year's 
moderator,  Donald  Rowe,  in  visiting 
several  legislators  to  put  a  ceiling  on  aid, 
especially  military  aid,  to  Cambodia.  We 
also  worked  with  one  senator's  office  in 
helping  to  draft  an  amnesty  bill  and  a 
representative's  office  in  developing  the 
World  Peace  Tax  Fund  Bill. 

The  1973  Annual  Conference  moderator. 
Dean  Miller,  met  with  several  government 
leaders,  including  Gerald  Ford,  then  House 
minority  leader.  The  purpose  was  to  pre- 
sent the  church's  position  on  ending  the 
Vietnam  War.  Although  Congressman 
Ford  and  we  did  not  agree,  we  had  an  in- 
teresting half  hour  dialogue  during  which 
time  our  host  relaxed  with  his  feet  on  the 
desk  and  a  pipe  in  his  mouth. 

To  what  issues  is  the  church  addressing 
itself  in  this  session  of  Congress? 

We  are  concentrating  on  12  political  ac- 
tion priorities  of  concern  to  Annual  Con- 
ference, the  General  Board,  and  the  World 
Ministries  Staff: 

1.  Securing  amnesty  for  conscientious 
objectors  to  the  Vietnam  War. 

2.  Preventing  erosion  of  the  Supreme 
Court  decisions  on  civil  rights  and  liberties. 

3.  Reforming  our  criminal  justice  and 
prison  systems. 

4.  Providing  economic  justice  for  the 
poor  and  unemployed. 


5.  Conserving  energy  resources,  develop- 
ing new  ones,  and  protecting  our  environ- 
ment. 

6.  Bringing  about  real  peace  and 
reconstruction  throughout  Indochina. 

7.  Reducing  military  spending. 

8.  Providing  national  health  care  legisla- 
tion. 

9.  Suspending  economic  and  military  aid 
to  repressive  governments. 

10.  Providing  a  war  tax  alternative  to 
conscientious  objectors. 

1 1.  Reforming  our  welfare  system. 

12.  Avoiding  massive  world  hunger. 

Who  are  some  of  the  Brethren-related  per- 
sons in  significant  Washington  positions? 
Our  office  has  been  in  contact  with  60 
such  persons  in  government  or  in  business, 
labor,  education,  the  church,  and  other 
agencies.  One  heads  the  State  Depart- 
ment's Foreign  Service  Institute:  another 
its  cultural  exchange  program.  One  is  a 
senior  fellow  at  The  Brookings  Institution: 
another  edits  the  United  Auto  Workers' 
weekly,  Washington  Report.  One  serves  as 
marketing  chief  for  UNIVAC:  another 
assists  the  Commissioner  of  Education  in 
the  Department  of  Health,  Education  and 
Welfare.  We  host  as  many  of  these  people 
as  possible  at  an  annual  reception. 

Beyond  Messenger,  how  does  the 
Washington  Office  help  the  church  be 


I 


aware  and  informed  on  legislative  and 
other  concerns? 

Agenda  to  pastors  and  witness  chairper- 
sons provides  a  channel  for  reports  and  up- 
dates on  the  church's  political  action 
priorities.  Members  and  congregations  es- 
pecially interested  in  legislative  action  are 
enrolled  in  IMPACT,  an  action  network 
which  informs  members  through  bulletins 
called  Prepares.  Updates,  and  Action 
A  lerts. 

What  church  policy  statements  and 
resolutions  has  the  office  helped  to  draft? 
In  the  last  two  or  three  years,  we  have 
assisted  with  General  Board  resolutions  on 
energy,  the  CIA,  capital  punishment, 
welfare  reform,  national  health  care,  and 
strip-mining.  For  Annual  Conference,  we 
have  provided  assistance  to  committees 
drafting  statements  on  the  church  and 
agriculture  and  criminal  justice  reform. 
These  policy  statements  and  resolutions 
provide  a  basis  for  church  political  action 
and  congressional  testimony.  They  also  in- 
form and  guide  church  members  who  seek 
to  engage  in  local  action. 

Are  there  opportunities  for  church 
members  to  study  directly  the  federal 
government  and  the  United  Nations  in  ac- 
tion? 

Each  year  several  Christian  citizenship 
seminars  in  Washington  and  at  the  UN  for 


youth,  adults  and  church  leaders  are  spon- 
sored in  cooperation  with  Brethren  districts 
and  other  groups.  Already  this  year  six 
Brethren  seminars  have  been  held  by 
various  regions  of  the  church  with  about 
200  participants.  In  February,  20  Brethren 
participated  in  an  IMPACT  Briefing.  In 
May,  15  will  attend  a  seminar  on 
militarism  sponsored  by  the  Brethren, 
Friends,  and  Mennonite  offices  in 
Washington. 

Do  we  Brethren  work  with  other  religious 
groups  toward  a  common  witness  in 
Washington? 

We  participate  actively  in  the  70-member 
Washington  Interreligious  Staff  Council 
(WISC)  and  in  IMPACT,  its  infor- 
mation action  arm.  This  cooperative  effort 
is  sometimes  referred  to  by  the  press  as 
"the  growing  religious  lobby  in 
Washington."  We  are  also  helped  by  our 
membership  in  the  National  Council  of 
Churches,  the  Joint  Strategy  and  Action 
Committee  (JSAC),  the  National  In- 
terreligious Service  Board  for  Conscien- 
tious Objectors,  and  through  cooperation 
with  coalitions  around  specific  issues. 

What  impact  do  you  see  these  efforts  hav- 
ing on  Congress? 

One  way  to  measure  the  effectiveness  of 
our  church's  witness  in  Washington  is  to 
ask  legislators  and  administration  officials 
themselves.  When  Senators  Schweiker 
(Pa.).  Mathias  (Md.),  Bayh  (Ind.),  Taft 
(Ohio),  Percy  and  Stevenson  (III.),  and 

At  100  Maryland  Ave.,  the  Washington  Of- 
fice faces  the  Capitol  and  Supreme  Court 


Representatives  Whalen  and  Regula 
(Ohio).  Brademas  and  Roush  (Ind.).  Pettis 
(Cal.).  Anderson  (111.),  Eshleman,  Goodling 
and  Morgan  (Pa.),  and  Staggers  (W.  Va.) 
say  to  us,  "Yes,  I've  had  a  good  many 
letters  from  you  Brethren  on  this  issue  and 
I'm  giving  your  views  serious  considera- 
tion," we  know  that  our  members,  con- 
gregations, and  Washington  Office  are  be- 
ing heard. 

Congressional  and  administration 
leaders  publicly  acknowledged  during  1974 
that  the  churches  had  a  decisive  inlluence 
on  votes  for  the  International  Development 
Agency  in  the  House,  against  the  importa- 
tion of  Rhodesian  chrome  in  the  House 
Foreign  Affairs  Committee,  and  toward  in- 
creasing the  social  responsibility  of  cor- 
porations doing  business  with  African 
countries  which  follow  an  apartheid  policy. 
There  are  at  least  si,x  other  public  issues  on 
which  the  churches  had  a  decisive  influence 
in  the  past  four  years. 

Although  our  Washington  Office  does 
some  lobbying,  our  main  effort  is  directed 
toward  developing  "local  lobbies"  of  active 
church  members.  We  can  gather,  analyze, 
and  share  information  on  issues  to  the 
church,  and  we  can  suggest  action  and 
cultivate  government  contacts,  but  in  the 
end  it  is  the  action  of  the  people  in  the 
pew,  the  congregations  across  the  country, 
that  really  makes  the  difference. 

Do  you  see  a  biblical  basis  for  the  church's 
witness  in  Washington? 

Indeed  I  do.  Jesus  called  his  followers  to 
proclaim  righteousness  and  justice,  to 
preach  good  news  to  the  poor,  to  proclaim 
release  to  the  captives  and  recovering  of 
sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  the  op- 
pressed, to  be  peacemakers,  to  be  as  leaven 
in  society,  a  light  in  the  world,  and  the  salt 
of  the  earth.  The  New  Testament  themes  in 
Jesus'  sermon  at  Nazareth,  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  the  stories  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  and  the  Last  Judgment,  the 
dealing  with  the  woman  of  Samaria,  the 
cleansing  of  the  temple  illustrate  well  his 
deep  concern  for  justice,  reconciliation  and 
peace.  Much  of  his  teaching  was  based 
upon  similar  Old  Testament  themes  from 
prophets  like  Isaiah.  Jeremiah,  Amos,  and 
Micah. 

Our  church's  witness  in  Washington  is 
an  effort  to  continue  this  aspect  of  Jesus' 
ministry  in  the  world,  to  translate  his 
gospel  of  love  and  justice  into  effective 
government  action.  [] 


April  1975  messenger  23 


. . .  some  homemade, 

groping,  amateur  rules: 

enjoy  your  children, 

love  them,  expect 

something  of  them, 

be  honest  with  them, 

and  finally, 

let  them  go 


Learning 

to  be 

a  parent 

by  Landrum  R.  Boiling 


24  MESSENGER  April  1975 


arenthood  is  a  part-time  occupation 
most  of  us  enter  almost  totally  unprepared, 
never  really  master,  and  in  some  cases,  get 
worse  as  the  years  go  by.  Yet  to  improve, 
at  least  a  little,  is  the  rightful  hope  of  us  all. 
And  some  do. 

Having  got  my  children  up  to  that 
mature  age  at  which  I  can  reasonably 
believe  I  have  done  them  about  as  much 
harm  as  I  shall  be  able  to  manage,  having 
reflected  on  some  things  I  did  and  didn't 
do,  having  had  no  little  opportunity  as  a 
teacher  and  college  administrator  to 
observe,  rejoice,  and  weep  over  the  paren- 
tal handiwork  of  others,  I  have  some  free 
advice  on  the  subject.  And  before  the 
grandchildren  start  coming,  I'd  like  to  get 
it  out  without  any  hint  of  pointedly  in- 
terfering counsel. 

Herewith,  some  homemade,  groping, 
amateur  rules  on  how  to  learn  to  be  a 
parent  in  this  bewildering  age; 

Accept  the  fact  that  being  a  parent  is  one 
of  the  most  important  tasks  you  will  ever 
undertake — and  budget  your  time  and 
energy  accordingly.  The  chances  are  that 
you  will  never  be  elected  president  or  prime 
minister  of  the  country,  write  the  great 
American  novel,  make  a  million  dollars, 
stop  pollution,  end  racial  conflict,  or  save 
the  world.  However  valid  it  may  be  to 
work  at  any  of  these  goals,  there  is  another 
one  of  higher  priority — to  be  an  effective 
parent.  This,  like  good  French  cooking,  or 
a  velvet  lawn,  takes  time — a  lot  of  time. 


Mc 


ost  of  us  are  cursed  with  the  notion, 
even  though  we  don't  say  it,  that  we  really 
don't  have  the  time  to  be  parents.  So,  find 
the  time,  and  if  something  else  has  to  go. 
let  it.  Neither  self-seeking  ambition  nor 
service-to-mankind  idealism  can  absolve  us 
of  the  responsibilities  we  take  on  in  having 
children.  But  the  glory  of  it  all  is  this; 
among  the  richest  rewards  of  life  can  be  the 
mutually  fulfilling  relations  of  parent  and 
child  who  know  and  love  and  spend  time 
with  each  other. 

Think  long  and  hard  about  the  par- 
ticular parental  role  you  have  to  play — 
now.  Neither  instinct  nor  memories  of  your 
own  parents  will  be  a  sufficient  guide. 
Parenthood  has  to  be  learned.  We  need  to 
read  more,  discuss  more,  think  more  about 
what  our  parenthood  requires.  We  need 
more  deliberate  education  on  the  subject  as 
part  of  our  regular  schooling — and  that 
schooling  ought  to  involve  some  kind  of 


guided  direct  contact  with,  service  to,  and 
learning  about  children,  how  they  grow 
and  develop.  Since  most  of  us  never  had  a 
chance  to  get  that  kind  of  education  for 
parenthood,  we  must  find  substitutes.  But 
try  to  learn  —  by  reading,  by  observation, 
by  honest  reflection  on  your  own  tricks 
and  errors. 

Don't  regard  them  as  an  extension  of 
yourself.  A  child  is  not  a  parent's  third 
arm,  a  beauty  spot  on  the  cheek,  or  a  boil 
on  the  neck.  A  child  is  not  a  parent's  toy  or 
private  thing.  A  child  is  a  person  bent  on 
growing  into  its  own  individuality.  You 
cannot  fulfil  your  ego  through  your  child, 
though  many  parents  try  —  usually  with 
painful  results  for  both  parent  and  child. 
Just  as  you  can't  build  up  your  own  self- 
esteem  by  forcing  your  dream  of  what  you 
had  hoped  to  accomplish  on  your  children, 
neither  should  you  beat  yourself  over  their 
failures.  Of  course,  you  will  suffer — and 
particularly  if  you  know  that  part  of  the 
failure  is  your  fault — but  again,  every  per- 
son is  going  to  make  his  own  mistakes, 
even  your  child — and  even  you. 

Enjoy  your  children.  This  means  more 
than  going  on  picnics  and  playing  games, 
but  it  means  that,  too.  Most  of  all,  it 
means  accepting  them  with  gladness  (as 
much  of  the  time  as  possible),  and  ex- 
pecting to  find  in  your  relationship  with 
them  part  of  your  own  fulfilment. 

Love  them  and  believe  in  them.  This  isn't 
always  easy.  It  isn't  easy  for  two  reasons. 
First,  they  are  at  times  downright  un- 
lovable. Second,  we  are  often  so  frozen  up 
by  our  own  fears,  doubt,  and  self-hate  that 
we  can't  love  and  we  can't  communicate 
belief  in  others.  As  we  can  grow  up  we  can 
come  to  love  more  fully — ourselves  and 
others.  As  we  can  come  to  know  that  God 
loves  us  in  spite  of  what  we  are,  that  we 
are  loved  by  another  person  despite  our 
faults,  we  can  come  to  love  our  children  as 
we  ought  and  to  communicate  to  them 
our  belief  in  them.  We  love  and  believe 
in  another  person  not  because  he  has 
"earned"  it,  but  because  he  is  a  child  of 
God — and  we  are  all  bound  together  as 
children  of  God  in  bonds  of  love  and  faith. 

Expect  something  of  your  children.  One 
of  the  common  faults  of  present-day 
parents  is  not  that  they  overwork  and  ex- 
ploit their  children — as  repeatedly  hap- 
pened in  pioneer  agricultural  families  —  but 
that  they  ask  nothing  of  the  children. 
Today's  children  grow  up  with  a  great 
sense  of  worthlessness.  They  perform  no 


helpful,  meaningful  role  in  the  family  or 
the  society.  They  are  parasites — and  know 
it.  And  resent  it.  Denied  the  daily  chores 
farm  children  have  traditionally  had  to  per- 
form as  their  contribution  to  the  survival 
of  the  family,  or  any  adequate  substitute, 
too  many  children  grow  up  feeling  ex- 
cessively dependent  and  defensive. 

To  gain  self-respect,  confidence,  and  an 
ability  to  deal  with  real  life,  a  child  needs 
to  be  able  to  contribute  to  the  common 
life,  to  know  that  he  is  counted  on  to  do 
something  useful.  If  the  family  cannot 
provide  that  challenge  within  the  push- 
button city  home,  the  family,  the  church, 
and  the  community  ought  to  see  to  it  that 
some  purposeful  challenge  to  young  people 
is  provided  in  the  broader  community  — 
and  serious  expectations  are  placed  upon 
them. 

Be  honest  with  them.  They  want  to 
know,  and  have  a  right  to  know,  what  we 
really  think  and  feel.  This  means  we  have 
to  talk  out  what  is  in  our  minds  and 
emotions  and  why;  they  aren't  mind 
readers.  We  can't  get  away  with  such  easy 
declarations  as  "Because  1  say  so,"  much  as 
we  all  wish  we  could.  At  the  same  time, 
when  we  have  explained  as  honestly  and 
fully  as  we  know  how  and  are  convinced 
we  are  right,  we  have  to  have  the  courage 
to  stand  firm  and  take  the  consequences. 


JTart  of  being  honest  is  showing  our 
feelings — both  joy  and  sorrow,  both 
weariness  and  exuberance,  both  love  and 
hate,  both  compassion  and  anger.  We 
cheat  our  children  and  ourselves  and  our 
relationships  when  we  pretend  that  we  are 
being  calm  and  sweet  and  understanding 
when  underneath  we  are  furious.  Honest 
anger  is  human  and  inevitable  and  should 
be  expressed,  hopefully  within  limits  and 
soon  to  be  replaced  by  reconciliation,  but 
to  hide  genuine  anger  is  to  create  smolder- 
ing resentment  and  to  promote  subtle 
cruelties— and  to  rob  children  of  the  right 
to  come  to  terms  with  real  human 
situations. 

Let  them  go.  We  do  not  own  our 
children.  In  the  end  we  cannot  control 
them,  make  them  over,  or  save  them.  In 
the  end,  the  best  we  can  do  for  them  is  free 
them  into  the  hands  of  God.  The  power  of 
truth  and  love  and  goodness  and  beauty 
works  within  their  souls  as  much  as  in  our 
own.  They  are,  ultimately,  his  children. 
And  he  is  sufficient  to  their  needs.  □ 


April  1975  messenger  25 


[fSS(Q)[U][r©s^ 


LIVING  AS 
FAMILIES 


The  Intentional  Family? 

Being  an  intentional  family  means  doing 
meaningful  things  together.  The  resources 
listed  here  can  help  you  do  just  that!  The 
family  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  in- 
fluences in  a  person's  life,  so  doing  inten- 
tional things  to  improve  the  quality  of 
family  life  is  an  investment  in  the  spiritual 
and  emotional  life  of  persons,  the  church 
and  the  world. 

"The  intentional  family  has  done  some 
basic  thinking  about  who  it  is  and  where  it 
is  going.  It  seeks  to  be  aware  of  each  of  its 
members,  to  be  conscious  of  them  as  per- 
sons" (from  The  Intentional  Family  by  Jo 
Carr  and  Imogene  Sorley,  at  $3.50  from 
The  Brethren  Press). 

Free  to  Be . . .  You  and  Me 

If  you're  looking  for  a  different  kind  of 
book  for  children  and  adults  to  enjoy 
together,  then  pick  up  a  copy  of  Free  to 
Be  . . .  You  and  Me.  It  is  a  new  form  of 


tncroduced  by  MarioHlomafc 

Goria  StOTiCm  and  Le«y  Cc«ir  Pogr«fatn 


BE 

4110 


«»« 


entertainment  conceived  by  Mario 
Thomas,  and  sells  for  $4.95  paperback, 
published  by  McGraw-Hill.  It  is  a  book  of 
adventure  because  it  opens  new  possibili- 
ties for  growth  and  change.  It  is  a  book  of 
humor,  but  the  laugh  is  on  old  constraints 
and  worn-out  conventions.  It  is  also  a 
songbook  and  a  storybook,  a  collection 
of  poems  and  a  gallery  of  pictures  that  ex- 
tols the  natural  child  in  all  of  us.  Life-en- 
hancing themes  of  autonomy  and  inter- 
dependence can  be  found  skillfully  blended 
with  the  wonder  and  the  wit.  There  are 
important  messages  within  the  merriment. 

"Some  selections  are  designed  to  expand 
children's  personal  horizons.  Others  dispel 
myths  that  distort  reality — like  pretty- 
equals-good,  and  all-mothers-stay-in-the- 
kitchen.  and  big-boys-don't  cry.  In  this 
book  there  is  fantasy  without  illusion; 
stories  of  excitement  without  cruelty  or 
violence;  songs  that  can  be  sung  together 
without  condescension;  and  artwork  that 
appeals  without  patronizing.  It  is  literature 
of  human  diversity  that  celebrates  choice 
and  does  not  exclude  any  child  from  its 
pleasures  because  of  race  or  sex,  geography 
or  family  occupation,  religion  or  tempera- 
ment. So  grab  a  guitar,  sit  down  at  the 
piano  or  snuggle  with  someone  at  bedtime 
and  start  enjoying  this  book.  There's 
something  in  it  for  the  free  spirit  in  every 
adult  and  the  wise  soul  in  every  child"  (ex- 
cerpts from  a  note  by  Lett  Cottin 
Pogrebin). 

A  33  1/3  LP  recording  of  the  songs  in 
the  book  is  also  available  from  The 
Brethren  Press  for  $5.95  plus  postage:  total 
$6.50.  The  songs  are  recorded  by  such 
celebrities  as  Carol  Channing,  Mario 
Thomas,  Tom  Smothers,  and  Harry 
Belafonte. 


Peoplemaking 


Virginia  Satir  has  written  a  lively,  down-to- 
earth  book,  useful  for  lay  persons  as  well 
as  professional.  It  fills  a  unique  need  in 
that  it  concerns  itself  with  one  of  the  most 
neglected  yet  integrally  important  parts  of 
life — the  family,  its  health,  welfare,  and 
survival.  The  book  is  entitled  Peoplemak- 
ing. She  says  "Family  life  is  something  like 
an  iceberg.  Most  people  are  aware  of  only 
about  one  tenth  of  what  is  actually  going 
on — the  tenth  that  they  can  see  and  hear — 
and  often  they  think  that  is  all  there  is. 
Some  suspect  that  there  may  be  more,  but 
they  don't  know  what  it  is  and  have  no 


idea  how  to  find  out.  Not  knowing  can  set 
the  family  on  a  dangerous  course,  as  a 
family's  fate  depends  on  understanding  the 
feelings  and  needs  and  patterns  that  lie 
beneath  everyday  family  events. 

"Fortunately,  after  working  with  some 
three  thousand  families,  I  have  found  some 
solutions  to  many  of  the  puzzles  of  family 
life  and  I  would  like  to  share  them  with 
you  in  this  book."  Self-worth,  communica- 
tion, system,  and  family  rules  are  the  main 
concerns  of  the  book.  They  are  presented 
in  human  terms,  in  simple  language,  using 
anecdotes,  case  histories,  and  perhaps  the 
most  effective  means  of  all,  a  series  of  com- 
munication games  and  other  exercises  that 


the  reader  can  use  at  home.  She  states, 
"There  is  some  possibility  that  just  reading 
this  book  may  evoke  a  little  pain  for  you. 
After  all,  facing  ourselves  has  its  painful 
moments.  But  if  you  think  there  may  be  a 
better  way  of  living  together  as  a  family 
than  the  way  you  are  living  now,  I  think 
you'll  find  this  book  rewarding."  Published 
by  Science  &  Behavior  Books,  Inc.  $7.95. 
Purchase  from  The  Brethren  Press. 

Family  Role  Play 

This  cassette  tape  includes  a  number  of 
family  life  "problem"  situations,  such  as 
what  to  do  about  a  dying  father  being  kept 
alive  artificially,  a  son  arrested  on  "pot" 
charges,  a  daughter  caught  cheating,  and 
communication  with  your  mate.  The  family 
participants  are  stimulated  to  share  what 
they  would  do  in  these  situations. 

This  is  an  ideal  tool  for  teaching  families 
to  communicate  in  an  atmosphere  of  love 


26  MESSENGER  April  1975 


and  trust.  Can  be  used  in  a  single  family, 
but  most  helpful  with  a  group  of  families. 
The  program  is  called  "Family  Enrich- 
ment Through  Role-Playing,"  by  Cecil  Os- 
I borne  and  costs  $7.95  from  Creative 
j  Resources,  Box  1790,  Waco,  Texas  76703. 
i 

A  Good  Family 

For  one  of  the  greatest  duties  and  oppor- 
tunities of  our  life,  we  are  the  least 
^prepared.  Founding  a  good  family  or  im- 
'proving  the  one  we  now  have  is  even  more 
of  a  challenge  than  usual  in  the  ever- 
changing  society  of  the  70s.  In  her  book,  A 
\Good  Family  Is  Hard  to  Found  (Abbey 
jPress,  SI. 50  paperback).  Dr.  Mary 
(McAnaw  Welsh  examines  the  needs  and 
'desires  of  each  member  of  the  family;  hus- 
iiband,  wife,  young  child  and  teenager,  both 
[iparents  and  children.  She  looks  at  two 
|basic  relationships:  husband-wife  and 
'parent-child,  and  indicates  that  these  boil 
down,  ultimately,  to  one  relationship:  the 
family.  Dr.  Welsh  believes  that  the  family 
.imust  respond  to  the  era  in  which  it  exists. 
(This  means — in  the  1970s — that  the 
'elements  of  "roles,"  sex  education,  drugs, 
jand  academic  education  are  important 
issues.  A  Good  Family  looks  at  these 
'issues,  weighs  them,  and  lays  the 
-groundwork  for  creating  the  best  of  possi- 
ble families.  Dr.  Welsh  states  that 
"cooperation  with  the  Lord  in  the  miracle 
of  Creation  involves  us  in  a  lifelong 
challenge  offered  by  parenthood.  Parenting 
demands  our  best  effort,  and  from  it  we 
may  earn  our  most  enduring  reward." 

A  Family  Magazine 

"The  Christian  Home"  magazine  is  for 
parents  of  children  and  youth.  Every 
month  there  is  a  page  or  two  on  each  of  the 
following: 

•  The  Voice  of  Youth 

•  Family  Night  at  Home  (fun  things  for 
families  to  do) 

•  The  Single  Parent  (special  concerns  of 
single-parent  families) 

•  Families  and  Disabilities 

•  Your  Marriage  by  David  Mace 

•  Book  Reviews 

•  Movie  Talk 

•  Family  Life  Devotions 
Individual  subscription  is  $6.25  a  year 

from  The  United  Methodist  Publishing 
House,  201  Eighth  Ave.,  Nashville,  Tenn. 
37202. 


A  Family  Sharing  Game 

A  father  of  three  confessed,  "I  learned 
more  about  my  teenager  in  30  minutes  with 
the  Ungame  than  I  had  in  a  year." 
The  Ungame  was  designed  to  enhance 


There  are  questions  for  children  and 
questions  for  adults.  The  Ungame  is 
available  at  $8.00  plus  $.75  postage  from 
Ungame  Co.,  P.O.  Box  964,  Garden 
Grove.  Calif.  92642  (714)  636-1682.  Ask  for 
the  Special  Christian  Family  Version. 

Family  Sharing  Packet 

This  packet  of  materials  includes  six  pages 
of  exercises  for  use  in  families,  either  in  the 
home  or  with  groups  of  families.  All  of  the 
exercises  encourage  family  members  to 
share  important  feelings  and  ideas  with 
each  other. 

Some  families  include  each  member  in 
sharing  a  small  part  of  his  life  before  the 
food  gets  passed.  For  example,  each 
member  could  share  the  high  point  of  his 
or  her  day.  The  person  who  can't  think  of  a 
high  point  has  something  to  talk  about  too: 
"What  kind  of  a  day  is  it  when  you  don't 
have  a  high  point?"  Another  question  is 
suggested:  "When  did  you  like  yourself  the 
most  today?"  Or,  "How  could  the  day  have 
been  better?"  These  are  just  a  few  of  the 
many  exercises  that  can  be  used  for  family 


open  and  honest  communication.  It  has 
been  used  in  prayer  groups,  churches, 
retreat  centers,  and  youth  groups,  and  is 
especially  effective  in  the  family. 

This  non-threatening  "game-like"  com- 
munication aid  helps  to  draw  out  the  par- 
ticipant's thoughts  and  feelings  on  Chris- 
tian beliefs,  hopes,  fears,  joys,  and  sorrows. 


life  activities  in  your  home  or  congrega- 
tion. There  are  exercises  to  match  every 
setting.  The  packet  costs  $.50  plus  $.15 
postage  and — like  all  of  the  above 
resources  mentioned — can  be  ordered  from 
The  Brethren  Press,  1451  Dundee  Avenue, 
Elgin,  111.  60120. — Mary  and  Ralph 
Detrick 


April  1975  messenger  27 


[h®[r®  D 


On  churches,  food,  pastors,  Bethany 


Ernest  R.  Jehnsen 

New  future  for 
the  rural  church 

For  twenty  years  we  have  heard  the 
prophets  of  doom  sing  the  death  song  of 
the  small  rural  church.  It  has  been  viewed 
with  derision  and  neglect.  In  the  1950s,  we 
were  so  preoccupied  with  church  extension 
in  mushrooming  suburbia  that  we  could 
see  little  else.  The  1960s  saw  an  almost 
belligerent,  "I  dare  you  to  survive"  attitude 
toward  the  small  rural  church.  Little  help 
or  hope  was  held  out  by  denominational 
planners,  and  it  struggled  to  survive  with 
little  or  no  encouragement  from  the  ex- 
perts. 

Planned  neglect  was  observed.  Rural  life 
programs  disappeared  in  most 
denominations.  Rural  seminaries  dis- 
appeared, along  with  our  Bible  Training 
School  from  which  came  much  of  the 
leadership  for  our  small  churches.  Other 
seminaries  failed  to  reemploy  staff  in  this 
field  when  these  positions  became  vacant. 
Summer  courses  for  rural  pastors  became 
almost  nonexistent.  The  National  Council 
of  Churches  dropped  any  real  emphasis  on 
town  and  country.  Pastors  found  the 
"secular  city"  more  exciting. 

We  have  turned  a  corner.  The  rural 
church  did  not  die.  In  community  after 
community  it  is  to  be  found  showing  a 
vitality  and  tenacity  that  was  not  expected 
by  the  critics  of  the  1960s.  Smallness 
proved  to  be  no  real  handicap.  Family 
after  family  sought  it  out  as  a  place  of 
worship  and  fellowship.  They  found  a  dis- 
tinct advantage  in  the  smaller  and  more 
intimate  fellowships  for  their  growing 
families.  They  felt  a  warmth  and  glow  in  the 
rural  fellowship.  In  the  less  formal  settings  of 
work  and  worship,  they  experienced  give 
and  take,  friendship  and  recognition. 


To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those  in 
the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or  disagree 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation  of  this 
value,  and  to  an  open  and  probing  forum, 
that  "Here  I  Stand"  responses  are  invited. 


service  and  opportunity  greater  than  could 
ever  be  true  in  the  urban  settings.  Rural 
churches  were  not  dying  institutions, 
ministering  to  an  aging  membership.  Quite 
to  the  contrary,  a  surprising  number  are 
serving  young  and  growing  families,  who  in 
turn  are  giving  leadership  and  direction  to 
the  church  program. 

Some  of  the  most  vital  and  alive 
fellowships  I  know  are  in  small  rural 
churches.  We  simply  have  to  change  our 
model  of  what  a  successful  church  is.  A 
church  is  effective  when  it  meets  the  com- 
munity and  its  members  at  the  point  of 
their  particular  need.  It  must  always  be 
that.  No  standards  set  at  a  denominational 
office  or  diocesan  headquarters  can 
measure  the  effectiveness  of  a  rural  church. 
They  only  measure  its  likeness  to  other 
churches.  It  cannot  be  compared  to  a 
remote  suburban  model.  It  is  how  it  meets 
its  responsibilities  to  the  socio-political  and 
geographical  situation  in  which  it  finds 
itself  that  determines  how  successful  it  is. 

The  small  church  must  not  be  tempted  to 
spread  its  membership  over  an  involved 
and  complex  pattern  of  organization,  nor 
must  it  be  judged  by  the  number  of 
meaningless  meetings  held  by  its  com- 
mittees. Rather  it  must  be  judged  by  the 


vital  and  spontaneous  response  to  the 
needs  within  reach  of  its  ministry.  It  cannot 
allow  itself  to  be  exploited  by  related  in- 
stitutions, or  even  by  the  denomination 
that  seeks  to  "get  one  more  cup  of  milk 
from  a  cow  that  is  going  dry."  The  rural 
church  must  not  allow  itself  to  be  made 
into  a  "little  city  church."  It  must  view 
itself  with  respect  and  must  have  that  kind 
of  respect  from  its  denominational 
leadership. 

Rural  churches  must  have  dedicated 
pastors,  who  love  the  values  of  rural  life 
and  rural  ministry.  It  cannot  be  content  to 
be  a  steppingstone  to  more  lucrative  fields 
nor  a  last  stopping  place  on  the  way  to  the 
grave. 

Rural  values,  thought  to  be  forgotten, 
are  once  more  becoming  meaningful.  En- 
vironmentalists, exponents  of  simple  living, 
persons  concerned  with  new  life-styles  con- 
sistent with  our  heritage,  even  sociologist 
and  scientist  are  speaking  of  values 
familiar,  all  along,  to  those  of  us  who  spent 
most  of  our  lives  close  to  the  soil  and  have 
worked  and  worshipped  in  the  open  coun- 
try church. 

The  rural  church  is  alive — and  is  setting 
on  the  edge  of  new  opportunities.  It  may 
be  the  salt,  preserving  our  society.  D 


Geraldine  Crill  Eller 

Production  versus 
low  consumption 

How  interesting  it  is  that  we  had  so  much 
attention  given  recently  to  looking  at  our 
ethical  responsibilities  for  the  Third 
World's  starving  people  and  what  we 
should  do  about  the  global  need  for  in- 
creased food  production. 

In  the  January  Messenger  there  were 
consecutive  articles  relating  to  food 
production  ("Bangladesh"  and 
"Homesteading").  The  two  articles  cancel 
each  other  out,  or  at  least  are  as  far  apart- 
in  the  needed  approach  of  Americans  to 
the  problem,  as  the  land  areas  they  repre- 
sent are  distant  from  each  other. 

The  articles  are  pertinent  not  in  and  of 
themselves  and  on  a  personality  basis,  but 
because  they  represent  many  other  per- 


sons who  are  polarized  on  the  problem  and 
how  to  solve  it.  We  have  leaders  in  and 
followers  of  that  sector  of  our  people  who 
believe  their  low  consumption  will  slay  the 
giant,  i.e.  seek  out  and  retreat  to  our  own 
little  personal  Edens:  Avoid  the  rat  race, 
produce  just  enough  to  care  for  the  im- 
mediate family  and  a  few  friends.  That  is 
one  pole  of  the  ideology.  It  would  seem  to 
be  tackling  the  problem  with  a  teaspoon.  It 
hasn't  fed  the  world  very  well  and  is  not 
the  better  way  as  page  22  and  paragraph  2 
tells  us  the  Moores  discovered. 

Duane  and  Ramona  Moore  tried  the  low 
consumer's  route.  They  attempted  in  all 
good  faith  to  radically  reduce  their  con- 
sumption, to  gain  empathy  for  the  people 
with  whom  they  were  to  work.  They  tried 
the  "I'd  rather  do  it  myself  approach.  It  is 
a  bill  of  goods  that  is  getting  much  promo- 
tion. The  only  trouble  with  it  is  that  it 
doesn't  work  in  the  end  results. 

We,  as  the  Moores,  find  our  priorities 


28  MESSENGER  April  1975 


juggled.  The  low  consumer  trade  mark  of 
thai  radical  a  life-style  is  that  it  requires  all 
one's  time  "just  to  feed  ourselves."  That  is 
not  what  the  Moores  were  sent  to 
Bangladesh  to  do.  That  is  not  what  the 
Third  World  food  and  hunger  conferences 
are  all  about  either,  "to  spend  all  our  time 
on  taking  care  of  ourselves  and  friends." 

Jesus  had  a  crowd  of  hungry  people  to 
feed  and  only  a  lad's  small  lunch  for 
supplies.  Did  Jesus  approach  the  people 
with  the  problem  by  low  consumerism  and 
announce  that  the  radically  small  rations 
would  be  apportioned  out  a  crumb  apiece? 
He  instead  went  for  a  multiple  production. 
That  is  the  same  thing  the  Moores  did  for 
the  Bengali.  How  much  better  for  Duane 
to  use  his  knowledge  of  agronomy  and  in- 
crease the  production  of  food  that 
Bangladesh  itself  could  grow  by  using  the 
90  percent  idle  land  that  had  been 
dedicated  only  to  the  simple  life  of  rice. 
How  much  more  beneficial  was  the  mass 
production  of  Bengali  cooking  oil  instead 
of  draining  off  the  Bangladesh  import 
dollars  by  70  percent  to  bring  in  soy  oil. 
How  much  more  Ramona  could  do  for  the 
hungry  people  to  teach  them  to  grow  and 
prepare  their  foodstuffs  than  just  to  trim 
her  own  life-style  to  working  at  producing 
their  own  supplies. 

Many  American  leaders  in  the  church 
and  activitists  are  advocating  withdrawal 
by  radically  curtailing  our  lives  to  "just 
feeding  ourselves,"  to  limit  our  earnings  to 
tax  evasion  levels,  to  limit  our  lives  to  self- 
containment,  to  live  on  our  own  little  plots, 
with  our  own  little  friends,  to  commit 
ourselves  to  low  consumerism  instead  of 
commitment  to  more  production.  To  try  to 
dodge  the  rat  race  bespeaks  that  we've  left 
out  some  of  our  Bible  lesson. 

As  lovely  as  it  would  have  been  for  Jesus 
and  the  closest  disciples  to  have  had  a  com- 
mon fellowship  support  group  arrange- 
ment, to  have  stayed  on  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration  with  the  simple  life-style  of 
radical  reduction  of  consumerism  and 
avoid  the  rat  race,  Jesus  gave  them  a  flat 
"No"  to  the  very  suggestion.  Jesus  sent 
them  back  into  the  rat  race  instead.  His 
orders  did  not  carry  them  back  into  a 
democracy  of  freedom  of  choice  and  the 
rights  of  law  and  order  protection  either. 
These  were  God's  chosen  people — yet  they 
had  to  live  under  the  tyranny  of  a  pagan, 
conquering  Roman  army  of  occupation. 
Can  you  think  of  a  state  of  the  nation 
message  any  rattier  than  that?  Jesus  clearly 


said  that  that  is  where  Christians  belong — 
in  the  rat  race  as  productive  members,  to 
leaven  society,  to  give  it  palatability  by 
Christian  saltiness. 

The  research  agronomist  from  the  state 
university  here  reported  in  January  that  in 
this  one  sector  of  my  state  alone  there  are 
7.7  million  acres  of  land  which,  if  irrigated, 
could  "become  the  breadbasket  of  the 
world."  During  the  big  depression  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  ordered  the  building  of 
Grand  Coulee  Dam  across  the  Columbia 
River  to  furnish  jobs,  to  get  the  economy 
moving  again.  The  dam  does  furnish  irriga- 
tion water — a  nonfossil,  nonpolluting.  self- 
renewing  source  of  electrical  energy.  Yet 
with  the  completion  of  the  unfinished 
siphons  and  laterals  the  extra  7.7  million 
acres  could,  using  the  same  dam  and  its 
energy,  make  possible  the  production  of 
wheat,  hay,  potatoes,  sugar  beets,  apples, 
etc.,  to  name  but  a  few  of  the  food  and 
fodder  needs  for  the  world.  At  the  same 
time  it  would  provide  jobs  in  farming, 
transportation,  processing  plants,  and  tool 
and  machinery  plants  needed  by  the  farm- 
ing for  American  labor. 

It  would  seem  that  if  we  Americans  talk 
about  global  hunger  at  world  conferences, 
yet  don't  invest  some  of  our  money,  time, 
talent,  and  lives  in  providing  the  expansion 
to  make  those  acres  productive  we  are  no 
better  than  the  Bengali  who  starve  while 
their  land  is  nonproducing  in  the  eight 
months  that  they  had  been  taking  their 
ease  in  the  very  presence  of  productive 
possibilities.  Retreat  to  our  own  little  con- 
sumerism when  the  world  is  starving  is  like 
the  unprofitable  servant  who  buried  his 
one  talent  because  "he  was  afraid"  of  the 
possible  rats  out  there  in  his  world. 

Through  Peter,  Jesus  commissioned  his 
followers  to  "feed  my  sheep,  and  tend  my 
lambs."  Having  accepted  that  call,  we 
should  be  totally  aware  that  Jesus  knew 
shepherds  would  have  to  contend  with 
more  fearsome  things  than  rats.  There  are 
also  bears  and  wolves  attracted  to  sheep 
bands. 

In  the  20th  century  the  Christian's  arena 
is  in  the  battle  to  increase  food  production. 
Condemnation  is  all  that  Jesus  had  for  the 
steward  who  hid  his  talent,  and  thereby 
failed  to  increase  production  on  what  he 
had.  The  severe  punishment  that  was 
pronounced  on  him  for  this  lack  of  mak- 
ing the  best  use  of  his  talent  is  not  one 
that  we  would  want  to  follow  on  us.  High 
production  per  acre,  improved  hybrid 


That 
glorious  period] 

of  Christian 
witness  and 
martyr 


THE 

ANABAPTIST 

STORY 

by  William  R.  Estep 

Conrad  Grebel  insisted  that 
the  Reformers  had  not  gone 
far  enough  in  repudiating  the 
excesses  of  Roman  Catholi- 
cism. And  on  a  January  eve- 
ning 450  years  ago,  he  and  a 
dozen  men  of  lil<e  conviction 
baptised  one  another — sig- 
naling their  breal<  with  Zwin- 
gli.  That  act  marl<ed  the  birth 
of  Anabaptism — and  the  be- 
ginning of  a  long  succession 
of  martyrs. 

In  this  sympathetic  account, 
William  Estep  details  the 
growth  of  the  Anabaptist 
movement,  discusses  its  the- 
ology, its  agreements  and  dif- 
ferences with  Reformation 
doctrine,  and  assesses  its  im- 
pact on  the  contemporary 
church. 

"Dr.  Estep  tells  the  story  au- 
thoritatively and  movingly. 
The  book  should  be  read  by 
all  who  believe  that  the  true 
church  is  loyal  first  to  her 
Lord,  rather  than  living  In 
bondage  to  cultural  pres- 

— Franklin  H.  Littel 
Chicago  Theological 
Seminary 

256  pages.  Paper  $3.95 


_llV^ 


At  your  bookstore  or  write 

WM.  B.  EERDMANS 
PUBLISHING  CO. 


April  1975  messenger  29 


developments,  the  searching  for  new  and  as 
yet  unused  plants  that  could  become  better 
food  for  the  world  are  and  have  been 
America's  talent.  Are  we  going  to  put  our 
brains  and  our  brawn  where  our  mouth  is 
in  food  conferences  or  are  we  going  to 
"radically  reduce  our  consumption  to  the 
point  where  it  requires  all  our  time  simply 
to  feed  ourselves,"  as  the  Moores  dis- 
covered and  others  find  necessary  when 


and  if  they  opt  for  that  line? 

What  "this  world  needs  now"  besides 
"love"  is  Christians  with  visions  that 
stretch  far  beyond  their  own  self-contained 
compounds,  who  put  the  emphasis  where  it 
will  count  the  most:  increased  food  produc- 
tion for  the  whole  wide  world.  Reducing 
our  consumerism,  of  and  by  itself,  is  sell- 
centered  and  nonproductive  to  the  global 
need. |  ] 


Evelyn  M.  Frantz 

Pastor:  A  laborer 
worthy  of  hire 

Suppose  a  congregation  advertised  on  its 
bulletin  board,  and  tried  to  practice  in  its 
corporate  life,  the  slogan 

Ministers:  Every  Member 
Such  a  concept  would  affect  the  members" 
participation  and  their  relation  to  the 
professional  pastor  they  employed. 

If  a  denomination  emphasized  the 
priesthood  of  the  believer  —  meaning  that 
Christians  can  be  priests  to  each  other,  its 
expectations  on  the  functions  of  pastors 
would  be  different  than  if  it  insisted  that 
ordination  alone  conferred  priestly  respon- 
sibilities. 

If  a  Christian  decided  that  the  gifts  men- 
tioned in  Ephesians  4  are  to  be  used  not 
only  in  the  life  of  the  church,  but  also  in 
the  vocation  which  each  person  chooses, 
this  would  alter  the  concept  of  the  ministry 
as  holier  and  higher  than  other  callings. 

Some  churches  and  pastors,  in  attempt- 
ing to  define  the  ministerial  function,  think 
of  paid  pastors  as  professional  individuals 
trained  in  theology  with  particular  skills  in 
communication,  in  administration,  in 
working  with  groups  and  individuals.  Such 
words  as  enabler,  facilitator,  counselor  are 
used  to  define  this  aspect  of  a  pastor's 
work.  The  concept  is  more  "one  among 
equals"  than  that  of  "shepherd  and  sheep." 
How  do  these  ideas  shape  the  interplay 
between  pastor  and  congregation? 

For  one  thing,  they  imply  that  members 
of  the  congregation  have  the  ability  to 
make  and  follow  through  on  decisions,  to 
experiment  with  various  ways  of  carrying 
out  the  work  of  the  church.  This  may  be  a 
real  challenge  to  the  pastor  who  knows 


what  should  be  done  and  how  to  do  it.  To 
sit  prayerfully  by  while  a  commission  or 
board  struggles  to  clothe  an  ideal  with  a 
practical  program  takes  more  discipline 
and  more  faith  in  both  God  and  God's 
human  creation  than  to  take  over  the  reins 
under  the  guise  of  efficiency. 

When  a  layperson  says,  "Well,  we  had 
another  meeting  at  the  church  last  night 
and,  as  usual,  the  pastor  talked  nonstop 
from  beginning  to  end,"  it  is  quite  clear 
that  the  members  in  that  congregation  are 
made  to  feel  their  ideas  are  unacceptable, 
so  why  should  they  offer  them?  The  pastor 
is  going  to  say  it  all  anyway.  It's  hard  to 
know  whether  pastors  in  such  situations 
feel  it  was  a  good  meeting  because  they 
were  never  away  from  the  sound  of  their 
own  voices,  or  whether  they  were  dis- 
couraged because  they  never  get  anything 
moving  in  the  congregation. 

Whatever  the  interplay,  the  skills  of 
communication  and  administration  re- 
quired in  pastoral  service  need  to  be  looked 
at  in  relation  to  other  types  of  work. 
Professionalism  should  be  respected  and 
properly  compensated  wherever  it  is  found. 
Professional  skills  should  be  rewarded 
monetarily  in  the  church  just  as  they  are  in 
the  marketplace. 

The  priesthood  of  the  believer — widely 
assumed  to  be  a  Brethren  principle — and 
the  free  ministry  would  seem  to  go  hand 
in  hand:  if  every  member  is  a  minister, 
why  should  any  be  paid  for  service  to 
the  church?  But  something  happened  to 
our  concept  of  Christian  service  in  the 
transition  from  free  ministry  to  paid 
pastorate. 

We  may  look  back  on  the  free  ministry 
as  a  golden  age,  but  the  number  of  adult 
children  who  sacrificed  their  own 
aspirations  and  stayed  home  to  manage  the 
farm  or  family  business  so  Dad  could  carry 


out  his  "calling"  as  revered  evangelist  mi: 
be  known  only  to  the  God  who  gave  the 
unused  talents. 

It  is  possible  that  the  adulation  we  on 
placed  on  the  ministry,  "the  high  and  hc| 
calling"  which  set  the  pastor  on  an  isolall 
pedestal  high  above  the  rest  of  us,  couldl 
have  been  at  least  in  part  the  result  of  o 
guilt  feelings  for  not  paying  the  pastor  a( 
quately.  After  all,  we  might  have  reason 
unconsciously,  such  a  person  must  be 
better  than  we  are:  who  else  would  wort 
from  dawn  till  after  dark  all  week,  then 
struggle  to  stay  awake  to  prepare  a  ser- 
mon? Since  we're  too  tired  to  do  that,  w 
can  only  assume  that  person  has  a  sped; 
calling.  And  we'd  better  let  this  individul 
do  the  church  work,  being  so  much  morj 
worthy  than  we.  But  we  shouldn't  jeopa  | 
dize  this  spiritual  motivation  by  moneta:! 
reward,  even  if  there  is  a  family  to  suppcj 

Salaried  pastorates  developed  as  the 
church  attempted  to  adjust  to  changing  ] 
social  patterns.  But  it  was  difficult  to  let  i 
of  the  values  we  had  seen  in  the  free 
ministry  and  even  harder  to  face  the 
economic  realities  of  supporting  a 
professional  pastor. 

One  result  of  attempting  to  handle  the 
conflicts  was  the  practice  of  giving  gifts  • 
church  workers.  These  were  often  sharec 
out  of  genuine  appreciation,  but  they  mif! 
also  have  been  attempts  to  assuage  guilt 
feelings  for  inadequate  salaries.  And  sin« 
the  giving  and  receiving  of  gifts  is  so 
fraught  with  insidious  temptations,  they 
sometimes  led  to  a  whole  cycle  of  con- 
nicting  emotions:  dependency,  humiliatic 
resentment,  genuine  gratitude,  false 
gratitude  —  widening  the  gap  between 
pastor  and  people  and  isolating  the 
minister's  family  even  more. 

To  illustrate  how  gift-giving  can  debas| 
the  recipient  while  the  givers  congratulatj 
themselves:  Even  though  giving  the  pastil 
a  car  may  seem  to  be  a  generous  gesture.} 
would  be  infinitely  more  respectful  of  th| 
pastor  as  a  person  to  pay  salary  enough  li| 
the  pastor's  family  to  buy  its  own  car. 
Again,  the  church  that  gave  $400  in 
gratitude  for  40  years  of  service  thought) 
was  doing  a  generous  thing  until  it  was 
pointed  out  that  this  amounted  to  $10  pi 
year. 

The  flip  side  of  the  minister's  family 
needing  to  depend  on  handouts  to  suppl 


30  MESSENGER  April  1975 


;nt  a  low  income  was  the  matter  of 
nisterial  discounts.  Sometimes  the  dis- 
unts  were  freely  offered,  out  of  respect  or 
Tipathy  or  business  enterprise,  but  they 
re  also  at  times  openly  asked  for  by 
nisters  themselves,  degrading  the 
;ipient  and  placing  a  hardpressed 
siness  person  in  a  most  awkward  and 
[barrassing  situation. 
A  recent  18-month  study  of  more  than 
iOO  pastors  in  19  Protestant 
nominations  showed  that  their  annual 
:ome  is  only  about  half  the  salary  of 
mparably  educated  professionals.  It 
■ther  indicated  that  the  number  of 
stors  moonlighting  in  secular  jobs  rose 
im  14  to  20  percent  in  the  preceding  ten- 
ir  period,  while  the  number  of  pastors" 
ves  who  work  rose  from  less  than  25  per- 
it  in  1963  to  nearly  half  of  all  Protestant 


pastors'  wives  in  1973. 

These  figures  contrast  with  the  general 
US  population  where  42  percent  of  married 
women  are  employed  outside  the  home  and 
five  percent  of  the  non-agricultural  labor 
force  hold  more  than  one  job. 

The  study  also  showed  that  median 
salaries  to  pastors  were  below  $10,000  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  while  they 
were  above  that  in  the  Episcopal  Church, 
United  Methodist  Church,  United  Church 
of  Christ  and  the  three  major  Lutheran 
bodies. 

How  does  a  congregation  determine  a 
fair  pastoral  salary?  One  principle  was 
stated  by  a  western  pastor  some  years  ago: 
"Any  pastor  can  live  on  the  tithe  of  ten 
percent  of  the  members  of  the  congrega- 
tion." 

Other  samples  of  ways  by  which  a 


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apartments  m  The  Cedars  Towers,  an  Apart- 
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William  W.  Hobbs,  Administrator,  1111  East 
Kansas  Avenue,  McPherson,  Kansas67460or 
0311316-241-0919. 

WANTED-A  copy  of  the  book  "Pleasant  Hill" 
by  Ethel  Weddle;  also  the  Flory  and  Brubaker 
family  record,  "Flory  Brubaker  Book."  Con- 
tact Elsie  S.  Wolf,  1318  Dakota  Avenue, 
Modesto,  California  95351. 

FREE— An  inspiring  sermon  from  the  book, 
"The  Carpenter's  Way  to  Build  Dynamic  Ser- 
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couple  in  their  sixties.  No  tobacco  or  alcohol. 
Live  in,  Harry  W.  Diehl,  4424  Oak  Hill  Rd., 
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FOR  RENT  — Planning  a  summer  vacation'  A 
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INVITATION  — If  you  are  planning  a  trip  to 
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h(B\rm  D 


pastor's  salary  may  be  determined  were 
listed  in  a  May  1974,  article  in  Changing 
Times:  "Paying  an  amount  equal  to  the 
median  income  of  men  with  college 
degrees.  Making  the  salary  at  least  equal  to 
the  national  median  family  income  or  me- 
dian family  income  of  the  congregation, 
whichever  is  higher.  Paying  a  salary  similar 
to  that  of  a  comparable  professional  in  the 
community,  such  as  the  high  school  prin- 
cipal." 

A  little  investigation  reveals: 

—  In  one  middle-sized  city,  1973-74  mid- 
dle management  salaries  ranged  from 
$13,800  for  a  payroll  supervisor  to  $17,500 
for  a  personnel  manager. 

— The  1973  median  income  of  engineers 
with  Master's  degrees  and  five  years"  ex- 
perience varied  from  $14,000  to  $17,000, 
depending  on  their  branch  of  engineering 
and  by  whom  they  were  employed. 

—  The  Church  of  the  Brethren 
recommended  minimum  pastors'  salary 
schedule  for  1975  lists  $9400  plus  $2000 
parsonage  consideration  for  a  pastor  with  a 
graduate  degree  and  five  years'  experience. 

Paying  a  salary  equal  to  the  median 
family  income  of  the  congregation  would 
no  doubt  result  in  a  substantial  raise  in 
many  churches.  However,  since  some 
pastors  do  see  their  work  as  a  particular 
calling  and  expect  to  receive  other  than 
material  rewards  from  it,  there  could 
probably  be  found  those  who  would  be 
willing  to  work  in  inner-city  or  low-income 
rural  areas,  if  they  knew  the  people  of  their 
parish  shared  their  economic  level  as  well 
as  their  dedication  to  Christ's  kingdom. 

But  what  about  all  those  fringe  benefits; 
the  parsonage,  the  travel  allowance,  the 
pension,  the  insurance?  They  take  a  chunk 
of  the  church  budget:  why  can't  the  pastor 
appreciate  that?  Certainly  every  pastor 
does  recognize  their  value;  most  pastors 
couldn't  pay  for  them  on  the  salary  grant- 
ed. But  neither  should  that  be  an  excuse 
for  not  paying  adequate  compensation. 

It  could  well  be  that  parsonage  families, 
if  they  never  have  to  maintain  their  own 
houses  or  pay  their  own  utilities,  really 
don't  recognize  the  actual  cost  of  these 
items.  They  most  certainly,  however,  know 
the  frustration  of  having  to  wait  until 
someone  else  gets  around  to  making 
repairs  to  the  leaking  roof  or  the  crumbling 
back  steps.  These  factors  may  contribute  to 


the  belief  in  some  denominations  that 
church-owned  housing  for  clergy  should 
discontinued  and  that  salaries  should  be 
adequate  to  allow  pastors  to  be  responsi 
for  their  own  housing. 

A  matter  of  great  concern  is  now  and 
has  been  for  some  time  the  small  numbi 
of  Brethren  students  at  Bethany  Semina 
and  the  even  smaller  number  who  enter  • 
pastorate  after  graduation.  It  is  possible 
that  non-Brethren  students  attend  becau 
they  recognize  definite  advantages  at 
Bethany  but  know  they  may  return  to  th 
own  denominations  for  higher-paid 
pastorates.  And  it  is  possible  that  Brethi 
Bethany  graduates  who  enter  teaching, 
clinical  work,  or  other  fields  may  do  so 
least  in  part  because  of  financial  con- 


Albert  L.  Sauls 

Recruitment,  not 
relocation,  needec 

Because  of  the  conversation  at  last  year' 
Annual  Conference  and  numerous  printu 
words  about  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary  in  these  days  of  the  "economif 
crunch,"  I  feel  led  to  add  my  testimony ' 
the  mix. 

There  is  the  suggestion  of  relocating  t 
Seminary  to  a  "more  Brethren  populate! 
area."  Really,  to  what  advantage  are  we 
seeking?  Speaking  as  one  who  lives  on  t 
west  coast,  there  does  not  seem  to  be  mi^ 
value  in  moving  the  seminary  to  the  eas' 
coast.  There  are  Brethren  here  in  the  we 
who  still  support  Bethany  by  their  preset 
and  money.  There  is  a  young  man  in  ou 
congregation  who  is  attending  McPhersi 
College,  and  who  has  intentions  of  enteri 
Bethany  Seminary  following  graduation. 
What's  more,  one  could  argue  that  the 
"Brethren  presence"  may  more  aptly  be 
placed  in  the  midwest.  Indeed,  has  anyoii 
other  than  the  Board  of  Directors,  stopp 
to  realize  that  it  would  be  poor  stewards) 
to  try  and  duplicate  a  seminary  campus 
Pennsylvania,  with  the  rise  in  cost  of 
buildings  today,  with  monies  derived  fro 
the  sale  of  the  present  campus.  Add  to  tb 
job  opportunities  for  students,  proximit; 
to  other  seminaries,  centrality  for  par- 
ticipation in  continuing  education. 


isiderations.  The  rest  of  us  consider 
netary  compensation  when  choosing  a 
ition;  why  shouldn't  theological 
lents  do  the  same? 
uppose  a  congregation  sincerely  and 
lestly  rejected  the  concepts  of  the 
listry  listed  at  the  beginning  of  this  arti- 
and  preferred  to  think  of  spiritual 
lership  as  the  result  of  a  special  divine 
ing.  fhat  is  no  reason  to  ignore  the 
lilies  of  living  and  raising  families  in  our 
terialistic,  inflation-ridden  society.  Their 
tor  is  also  a  laborer  worthy  to  be  hired 
1  fair  and  honest  rate  of  compensation. 
ely  this  church  should  know  better  than 
le  others:  "Let  him  who  is  taught  the 
rd  share  all  good  things  with  him  who 
:hes."    D 


catmg  faculty,  and  one  wonders — why 
uss  relocation?  The  need  is  one  of 
uitment,  not  relocation! 
he  crucial  issue  before  the  church  and 
inary  is:  "How  to  provide  the  best 
)logicai  and  pastoral  education  to 
ire  Church  of  the  Brethren  ministers." 
;  the  local  church,  the  Seminary  does 
need  the  fear  of  financial  jeopardy 
ging  around  its  neck,  slowing  or  stall- 
the  movement. 

it  Bethany  we  have  a  good  president 
dedicated  Christian  faculty.  After  fif- 
1  years  of  pastoral  work,  following 
iuation  from  Bethany,  1  am  more  than 
vinced  that  our  seminary  is  second  to 
e  in  preparing  men  and  women  for 
'ice  in  Christ's  church.  The  integrity  of 
seminary  is  at  stake.  We  of  the  church 
uld  have  the  same  confidence  in  the 
inary  fulfilling  its  mission  and  purpose, 
ve  do  of  the  local  church.  (Perhaps  in 
ity  we  do.) 

happen  to  serve  in  a  federated  church; 
:  Wenatchee  Brethren-Baptist  Church 
ted.  It  has  been  thrilling  to  see  how  well 
Baptist  part  of  our  fellowship  support 
seminary  and  my  participation  in  the 
:tor  of  Ministry  program.  Renewal  for 
and  the  congregation  is  the  only  way  1 
spell  out  the  results  of  one-and-a-half 
rs  participation  in  the  D.Min.  program, 
ther,  the  seminary  itself  is  open  to,  and 
ticipating  in  cooperative  service  with 
rthern  Baptist  Seminary,  an  adjoining 
ipus.  How  beautiful  it  is  to  have  the 


cross-fertilization  of  Brethren-Baptist  local- 
ly and  at  the  seminary  level. 

It  is  true  that  the  best  education  avail- 
able in  any  sphere  of  life  is  of  little  worth 
unless  taken  advantage  of  and  utilized. 
Bethany  could  have  the  best  faculty  and 
facility  around,  and  if  not  utilized,  fail 
in  its  intent.  So,  as  I  see  it,  the  church 
has  a  mandate  to  "recruit"  for  the  sem- 
inary, rather  than  "refute"  its  present  ef- 
forts to  be  an  effective  instrument  of  God. 
The  local  church  depends  upon  the  sem- 
inary to  train  leaders.  The  local  church 
rises  or  falls  with  such  leadership  (Ephe- 
sians  4:1 1-13). 

If  1  have  learned  anything  in  life,  it's 
been  that  "people  who  make  for  trouble 
are  people  with  trouble."  Is  it  not  time  we 
stop  making  trouble  for  the  seminary,  and 
begin  to  contribute  positively  in  freeing  the 
economic  strings  that  bind  heavily  upon 


the  board  and  administration? 

True,  one  great  need  is  for  presence: 
"presence  of  the  seminary  at  the  local 
level."  It  is  just  as  valid  to  remember  the 
"presence  of  the  local  church  at  the 
seminary  level."  Here  I'm  talking  about 
more  than  "bodies."  The  seminary  must 
have  "alive  Christian  persons"  to  whom  a 
theological  education  can  be  rendered.  The 
seminary  first  and  foremost  belongs  to  the 
church.  If  it  fails,  the  indictment  is  upon 
the  church.  The  people  of  all  our  con- 
gregations need  to  remember  and  act  upon 
the  fact  that  both  local  church  and 
seminary  belong  to  Christ.  It  is  to  him  we 
turn  for  renewed  strength,  and  to  whom  we 
find  our  ultimate  purpose  for  being  and 
serving. 

May  God  help  us  to  go  forward  both 
locally  and  at  the  seminary  level  for  a 
greater  nurture  and  service,    n 


Coming      Vi    \ 
South?    \l 

The 

churches 

of 

Florida 

and 

Puerto  Rico 

are 

your 

warmest 

friends 


ARCADIA,  N.  Mills  Ave.  at  Hickory  St.,  Arcadia 
33821;     Joseph      S.      Rittenhouse,      pastor. 
CASTANER,   Box  34,  Castaner,  Puerto  Rico 
00631;     Guilliermo     Encarnacion,     pastor. 
CLAY  COUNTY,  P.O.  Box  185,  Middleburg 
32068;  A.  E.  Lanier,  pastor.  FORT  MYERS, 
Pacific   &    San    Bernadine   Sts.,   Palmona 
Park,  North  Fort  Myers  33903;  C.  H.  Retry, 
pastor.    JACKSONVILLE,   4554    Prunty   Ave., 
Jacksonville  32210;  Charles  McGuckin,  pastor. 
LORIDA,  in  Lorida  33857;  Ira  S.  Petre,  pastor. 
MIAMI    COMMUNITY,    10855    S.W.    26th    St., 
Miami  33165;   Rodney  Busard,   pastor.  MIAMI 
FIRST,    18200    N.W.    22nd    Ave.,    Opa    Locka 
33054;  Paul  Henz,  pastor.  MORNING  STAR,  665 
N.E.  40th  St.,  Pompano  Beach  33064;  Sam  W. 
Longenecker,  pastor.  ORLANDO,  3839  S.  Fern- 
creek  Ave.,  Orlando  32806;  Wilbur  A.  Martin, 
pastor.    ST.    PETERSBURG,    7040    38th    Ave., 
North,  St.  Petersburg  33710;  Edgar  S.  Martin, 
pastor.  SEBRING,  Oak  Ave.  &  Pine  St.,  Sebnng 
33870;   John   C.   Middlekauff,   pastor.   TAMPA, 
18th  Ave.  &  48th  St.,  Tampa  33605;  Clarence 
R.  Bovi^man,  pastor.  WINTER  PARK,  1721  Har- 
mon,  Winter  Park  32789;  Guy  R.    Buch,   pas- 
tor.     DISTRICT     OFFICE,      Box 
296,   St.   Cloud   32769,  tele- 
phone 305  892-6550;  Merle 
Crouse,     district     executive. 


ox 


Church  of  the  Brethren/ District  of  Florida  and  Puerto  Rico 


April  1975  messenger  33 


ps©pDS(i:ipg][rDS&i] 


Dayton:  Helping  those  who  are  hurt 
and  hospitaUzed  far  from  home 

Lonely  is  the  way  you  spell  it  —  being 
young  and  hurt  and  hospitalized  in  a  com- 
munity a  long  way  from  home.  That  was 
the  situation  for  Tommie  and  Katie,  whom 
Donald  Jordan,  pastor  at  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Dayton,  Va.,  encountered 
during  his  service  as  chaplain  at 
Rockingham  Memorial  Hospital. 


they  would  not  fall  behind  in  their 
schoolwork.  The  other  members  of  the 
church  became  interested  and  sent  cards 
and  letters  to  the  youngsters.  After  a  five- 
week  period  of  hospitalization,  both 
children  were  released.  A  letter  came  to  the 
Dayton  church  members  from  Tommie's 
parents  expressing   their  gratitude  lor  the 


When  Dayton  pastor  Don  Jordan  found  lonely  children  in  the  hospital,  far  from  home, 
he  asked  Jim   Longenecker  (left)  and  Linda  Rusmisel  to  pay  cheering  visits  to  them 


Tommie  was  eleven  years  old  and  from 
New  Jersey.  He  had  fallen  while  hiking  on 
the  Skyline  Drive.  Katie,  12,  had  been  hurt 
in  an  auto  accident.  Being  from  Pittsburgh, 
she  didn't  have  visitors  from  home  between 
weekends.  Tommie,  too,  saw  his  family  in- 
frequently. Gloomily  the  weeks  stretched 
out  ahead  for  two  lonely  children. 

Chaplain  Jordan  got  an  idea — why  not 
ask  some  people  from  his  church  to 
become  their  special  visitors?  Four  of 
Dayton's  young  adults  responded,  people 
who  related  well  to  children — Jim  Bentch, 
Gwen  Miley,  school  psychologist  Jim 
Longenecker,  and  Linda  Rusmisel  who  is  a 
worker  with  disadvantaged  children.  The 
four  made  frequent  visits  to  Tommie  and 
Katie.  As  the  weeks  went  on,  Jim  arranged 
for  tutors  from  the  school's  visiting  teacher 
program    to    work    with    the    children   so 

34  MESSENGER  April  1975 


real  help  the  pastor  and  the  church  had 
been  to  their  child. 

"When  our  young  friends  returned 
home,  it  was  hard  to  say  who  had  benefited 
the  most — Tommie  and  Katie,  or  us," 
commented  Mr.  Jordan. 

"We  learned  we  need  to  stay  alert  to  op- 
portunities to  serve.  There  are  places  all 
around  where  we  can  minister  as  a  team. 
Sometimes  it  helps  to  set  up  some  systems 
of  notification.  Recently  we  were  also  able 
to  find  housing  for  an  unemployed  father, 
whose  child  was  in  the  hospital.  The  family 
was  from  West  Virginia  and  the  child  was 
confined  for  a  week. 

"We  hope  we  can  be  as  sensitive  and 
responsive  in  future  situations." — L.T.P. 


Reading  church:  Good  food  speaks  a 
universal  language  . . .  plus  Spanish 

Tantalizing  smells  floated  up  from  the 
kitchen  and  that  was  enough.  Good  food 
speaks  a  universal  language — and  cooks 
understand  each  other. 

Over  the  past  several  months  delicious 
testing  has  been  conducted  in  the  kitchen 
of  the  First  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
Reading,  Pa.  In  process  has  been  the  com- 
pilation of  a  cookbook  of  common  Puerto 
Rican  and  Cuban  dishes  for  use  in  helping 
Hispanic  families  to  better  nutrition. 

The  pilot  project  grew  out  of  a  Penn 
State  University  homemakers'  program 
that  has  been  carried  on  at  the  Reading 
church  for  years.  Reading  views  communi- 
ty use  of  its  building  as  a  neighborhood 
ministry.  One  of  the  25  groups  that  meets 
there  is  the  Berks  County  home  extension 
service  classes  for  women  from  the  large 
community  of  Hispanic  agricultural 
workers.  Classes  in  cooking,  child  care, 
and  health  are  offered. 

The  US  Department  of  Agriculture  peo- 
ple heard  of  this  program  and  solicited  the 
help  of  the  women,  the  church,  and  some 
linguists  to  prepare  a  cookbook  to  be 
printed  in  Spanish,  English,  and  with  pic- 
tured instructions  for  illiterates.  The 
women  came  to  the  church  and,  as 
observers  watched,  cooked  recipes  that  had 
been  selected  from  popular  national  dishes. 
The  observers  wrote  down  the  instructions; 
then  everyone  within  smelling's  distance 
came  to  sample.  Odd  how  Pastor  Donald 
Robinson  happened  to  be  on  hand  daily! 

After  the  recipes  were  recorded,  a 
different  group  of  cooks  came  to  make 
them  from  the  printed  instructions  twice. 
Sampling  again!  The  final  recipes  were 
submitted  to  Washington  where  such  infor- 
mation as  nutritional  value,  cost,  and 
availability  of  ingredients  nationwide  was 
incorporated.  The  result  is  to  be  published 
this  spring  by  the  Department  of 
Agriculture. 

"This  was  a  fascinating  and  delicious 
process,"  comments  Pastor  Robinson.  "It 
should  prove  very  helpful  to  the  Spanish- 
speaking  families  who  find  the  foods  and 
language  in  our  stores  confusing  and  un- 
familiar." 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  a  signifi- 
cant, familiar  name  to  a  wide  range  of  busy 
people  in  Reading.  It  speaks  to  them  of 
Christian  concern  and  witnesses  to  its 
caring.  —  L.T.P. 


'Because  We  Care':  A  good  enough 
reason  for  visiting  the  lonely 

Lo\e  is  inter-generational  —  no  one  is  too 
old  or  too  young  to  need  it. 

Chaplain  Warren  Eshbach  of  The 
Brethren  Home  at  Cross  Keys  approached 
some  congregations  around  New  Oxford, 
Pa.,  about  a  concern  of  his.  Through  the 
Pastoral  Care  Department  of  the  home,  he 
invited  men  and  women  to  become  visiting, 
caring  partners  with  residents  of  the  home. 
The  Volunteer  Visitors  program  enlisted  27 
jpersons  from  nine  congregations  when  it 
began  last  October. 

Visiting  friends  are  welcome  diversions 
in  the  routine  existence  of  institutional  liv- 
ing, but  sometimes  they  can  be  distressing, 
unless  they  understand  the  psychological 
problems  older  people  are  experiencing. 
Chaplain  Eshbach  and  nurse  Doris  Oyler, 
in-service  director,  initiated  an  eight-week 
course  of  training  for  their  volunteers 
called  "Because  We  Care."  Training  includ- 
d  getting  acquainted  with  The  Brethren 
Home's  facilities,  tips  on  being  a  good 
listener,  and  studies  on  the  biblical  and 
theological  implications  of  the  aging 
process  and  the  Christian  view  of  death. 
rime  was  spent  on  how  to  help  in 
remotivation  and  reality  therapy  and  in  un- 
derstanding the  feelings  and  attitudes  of 
older  people. 

Members  of  the  Bermudian,  Hanover, 
and  Pleasant  Hill  churches  and  the  First. 
Second,  and  Madison  Avenue  churches  in 
York,  and  the  Black  Rock  congregation 
were  in  the  group  which  met  on  Tuesdays 
and  studied  and  visited  all  day  for  the 
eight-week  period.  At  the  conclusion, 
members  of  the  unit  were  presented  cer- 
tificates by  Cross  Keys  Home  ad- 
ministrator Harvey  S.  Kline. 

Several  of  the  visitors  are  of  retirement 
age  themselves  and  it  was  interesting  to 
note  that  they  became  more  understanding 
of  themselves  and  each  other  as  the  study- 
work  days  passed.  The  biblical  study  and 
the  discussion  on  aging  and  on  death  were 
helpful  to  us  all.  It's  a  subject  long 
neglected  and  so  important,"  concludes 
Mr.  Eshbach.  — L.T.  P. 


Pomona  Valley:  'Hunger  walk'  turns 
physical  efforts  into  food  dollars 

"Hunger  Walks"  and  similar  group  efforts 
are  a  popular  response  to  world  hunger 
needs.  Young  and  not-so-young  people  all 
over  the  country  translate  physical  efforts 
into  dollars  to  buy  food  for  the  starving. 

One  of  the  more  major  walks  occurred 
last  fall  in  Pomona  Valley,  Calif.  La 
Verne's  Leland  Wilson,  in  heading  plans 
for  the  Council  of  Churches'  ten-mile  walk, 
invited  people  from  all  the  valley's 
churches  to  join  in  and  to  sponsor  hikers. 

The  gathering  early  Sunday  afternoon 
soon  took  on  the  excitement  of  a  celebra- 
tion. Representatives  from  50  Protestant 
and  Catholic  congregations  assembled  in 
walking  clothes,  some  even  in  track  suits, 
ready  for  the  jaunt.  There  were  opening 
ceremonies  by  mayors  and  council 
members  from  La  Verne,  San  Dimas,  Up- 
land Ontario.  Claremont.  and  other  towns 
up  the  valley.  First  to  sign  the  roster  was 
73-year-old  former  Congressman  Jerry 
Voorhis.  Among  the  others  who  clustered 
at  the  starting  point  were  actor  Ralph 
Waite  who  plays  John  Walton  on  the  pop- 
ular tv  series,  two  people  in  wheelchairs, 
and  one  blind  80-year-old  hiker. 

The  walk  was  begun  at  a  lively  pace — a 
group  of  joggers  ran  out  ahead.  Competi- 
tion developed  between  groups  and  in- 
dividuals. A  Catholic  priest  had  sponsors 
who  had  committed  SIOO  for  every  mile  he 
would  walk  and  had  challenged  the  other 
valley  churches  to  match  his  total.   From 


Pomona  Valley's  hunger  walk  was  so  successful  as  a  fund  raiser  for  CROP  ($32,000) 
that  La  Verne  pastor  Leland  Wilson,  walk  initiator,  plans  another  walk  this  November 


his  parish  250  joined  him  in  the  walk,  but 
the  La  Verne  Church  of  the  Brethren 
proved  the  champion  for  fund  raising.  At 
the  final  count,  1,800  persons  had  collected 
$29,319.  Most  of  the  money  was  donated 
to  CROP,  but  by  a  donor's  prerogative 
some  was  sent  to  other  agencies. 

Hikers  paused  for  rest  and  verification  at 
mile  checkpoints.  Reports  say  11,355  miles 
were  logged.  Twenty  joggers  ran  the  full 
ten  miles.  Jerry  Voorhis  set  a  rapid  pace 
and  completed  the  course,  as  did  children 
as  young  as  six.  One  battery-powered 
wheelchair  ended  the  course,  by  being 
pushed  by  helpful  young  friends. 

Beyond  the  miles  chalked  up  and  the 
dollars  pledged,  generated  ecumenical  good 
will  which  hopefully  will  prove  to  be 
permanent.  —  L.T.P. 


April  1975  messenger  35 


■(^[LaD^DTlDDI]®] 


Licensing/ 
Ordination 

G.  Leroy  Hulvey,  licensed 
Dec.  8.  1974,  Staunton, 
Shenandoah 

Larry  Dean  Little,  licensed 
March  3.  1974,  Prairie  Citv, 
Northern  Plains 

Pastoral 
Placements 

Sam  Avers,  to  Empire. 
Pacific  Southwest.  Visitation 
Minister 

Leonard  B.  Carlisle,  from 
Crest  Manor,  Northern  In- 
diana, to  Peoria.  Illinois- 
Wisconsm 

Jay  Fifer.  to  Beaver  Dam, 
Mid-Atlantic 

Bernard  Fuska,  from  interim. 
Pleasant  Hill,  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, to  fulltime.  Pleasant 
Hill,  Western  Pennsylvania 

John  W.  Glick.  from 
Meyersdale,  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, to  Pottstown,  Atlantic 
Northeast 

Lloyd  Haag.  from  interim 
Long  Green  Valley.  Mid- 
Atlantic,  to  interim.  Trinity, 
Mid-Atlantic 

William  Hayes,  to  interim 
Baltimore  First  Church.  Mid- 
Atlantic 

Paul  Heisey,  from 

Heidelberg-Free  Ministry.  At- 
lantic Northeast,  to  Welty. 
Mid-Atlantic 

William  Longenecker,  from 
interim.  Mount  Wilson.  Atlan- 
tic Northeast,  to  fulltime. 
Mount  Wilson,  Atlantic 
Northeast 

Clarence  Quay,  from 
Lynchburg.  Virlina,  to  Marion, 
Northern  Ohio 

Joseph  S.  Rittenhouse,  to 
Arcadia,  Florida-Puerto  Rico 

Rolland  Smith,  from  New 
Covenant  Fellowship,  Man- 
chester. Ky..  to  White  Branch, 
South/ Central  Indiana 

David  M.  Wine.  from 
Monitor.  Western  Plains,  to 
Buckeye,  Western  Plains 

Richard  C.  Witmer,  from 
Pleasant  Hill.  Southern  Ohio, 
to  Mount  Morris.  Illinois- 
Wisconsin 

Ronald  E.  Wyrick,  from 
secular,  to  ICeyser,  West  Marva 

Wedding 
Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  L. 
Blickenstaff.  Tulsa,  Okla..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emerson 
Broadwater,  Spring  Valley, 
Minn.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harve  Fred- 
erick, Nappanee,  Ind..  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrv  Huff. 
Cerro  Gordo,  111..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Percy  Klepin- 
ger,  Sebring.  Fla.,  57 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herschel  Metz- 


ger.  Delphi.  Ind.,  55 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Noah  Stakder. 
Cerro  Gordo.  III.,  53 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willie  Wagner, 
Cerro  Gordo,  111.,  64 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Werk- 
ing,  Duncansville.  Pa..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Whit- 
mer.  Sebring.  Fla..  65 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Levi  Ziegler. 
Collegeville.  Pa..  50 

111th  BVSUnit 
Post-thirty 

Mary  E.  Adkins.  of  Cabool. 
Mo.  to  Brethren  Service 
Center.  New  Windsor,  Md. 

Chester  and  Gladys  Detwiler. 
of  Nappanee,  Ind..  to  Bridge- 
water  Home.  Bridgewater.  Va. 

Mildred  Fulton,  of  Hunt- 
ington, Ind.,  to  Brethren  Serv- 
ice Center.  New  Windsor,  Md. 

Wilbur  and  Nellie  Hersh- 
berger,  of  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
Ohio,  (assignment  pending) 

Rebekah  Martens,  of  North 
Manchester.  Ind.,  (assignment 
pending) 

Marcia  J.  Moorehead.  of 
Decatur,  Ala.,  (assignment 
pending) 

Elsie  Finn  Norton,  of  Dan- 
ville. Ind..  (assignment  pending) 

Orville  and  Irene  Penny,  of 
Garden  City.  Mo.,  to  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Mountain  Grove, 
Mo.,  (pastorale) 

Wava  Perkins,  of  Hudson, 
Ind.,  (assignment  pending) 

112th  BVS 
Training  Unit 

Kathleen  and  Richard 
Allstot,  of  East  Wenatchee, 
Wash.,  to  European  Program. 
Poland. 

Cheryl  L.  Artman,  of  York, 
Pa.,  to  Gould  Farm,  Monterey, 
Mass. 

Kenneth  Barkiow,  of  Empire, 
Calif.,  to  PVS. 

Thomas  M.  Beam,  of  Mount 
Crawford,  Va.,  to  Brethren 
Service  Center,  New  Windsor, 
Md. 

Samuel  P.  K.  Chelvam,  of 
India,  to  Brethren  Service 
Center,  New  Windsor,  Md. 

Cynthia  J.  Conti,  of 
Flushing,  N.Y.,  to  Fox  Hill 
Home,  Batavia,  III. 

Holly  A.  Daugherty,  of 
Westover,  Md.,  to  The 
Sycamores,  Inc.,  Indianapolis, 
Ind. 

Marian  L.  Griggs,  of 
Tippecanoe,  Ind.,  to  Bella  Vista 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  Los 
Angeles.  Calif. 

Grant  W.  Holsinger,  of 
Somerset,  Pa.,  to  Fahrney- 
Keedy  Memorial  Home, 
Boonsboro,  Md. 

Sandra  J.  Hurst,  of  Stevens, 
Pa.,  to  Caldwell  Migrant 
Ministry,  Caldwell,  Idaho. 

Mr.    Kay   Kollman,  of  West 


Germany,  to  United  Farm 
Workers,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Susan  E.  Kreitzer,  of 
Dayton,  Ohio,  to  Pinecrest 
Manor,  Mount  Morris,  111. 

Jeanette  Lasater,  of 

Modesto,  Calif.,  to  PVS. 

Richard  R.  Liechty.  of  Gas 
Citv,  Ind..  to  Bar  41  Ranch, 
Wiibur,  Wash. 

Tony  J.  Mathias,  of  Gas 
City,  Ind.,  to  Lititz  Community 
Center,  Litltz,  Pa. 

Hans-Dieter  Reithmeier,  of 
West  Germany,  to  National 
Welfare  Rights  Organization, 
Washington,  D.C. 

Rebecca  S.  Sheaffer,  of  Can- 
ton. Ohio,  to  Brethren  Service 
Center,  New  Windsor,  Md. 

Faye  E.  Shoemaker,  of 
Dayton,  Va.,  to  Bloomington 
Christian  Center,  Bloomington, 
Ind. 

Donna  E.  Sievers,  of  Po- 
mona, Calif.,  to  Bloomington 
Christian  Center,  Bloomington, 
Ind. 

Suzanne  K.  Statler,  of  York, 
Pa.,  to  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Elgin,  III. 

Larry  L.  Stover  Jr.,  of 
Dayton,  Va.,  to  Better  Way, 
Inc.,  Elyria,  Ohio. 

Deaths 

Bessie  Altis,  75,  Cabool, 
Mo.,  March  8,  1974 

Rufus  Atherton,  90,  Ashland, 
Ohio,  Nov.  7,  1974 

Virginia  Beard,  92,  Gate 
City,  Va.,  Aug.  22,  1974 

Georgia  Beets,  48,  Kansas 
City,  Kans.,  Nov.  7,  1974 

Nellie  Bowersox,  77,  Green- 
ville, Ohio,  Nov.  2,  1974 

Luther  D.  Bowman,  80, 
Boone's  Mill,  Va..  Nov.  29, 
1974 

William  F.  Bowman.  77, 
Easton,  Md.,  July  4,  1974 

Mary  Boyd,  64,  Trov,  Ohio, 
Dec.  14,  1974 

Amos  Burkhart,  71,  New 
Holland,  Pa.,  Nov.  9,  1974 

Albert  Clark,  27,  South 
Bend,  Ind.,  Nov.  21.  1974 

Bobby  Lee  Connors,  47, 
Johnson  City,  Tenn.,  Aug.  22, 
1974 

Benjamin  Corbett,  82,  Mount 
Morris,  111.,  Dec.  30,  1974 

Payton  Cruise,  Sr.,  72,  Eden, 
N.C.,  Nov.  23,  1974 

Robert  Devoe,  81,  Dayton, 
Ohio,  Dec.  14,  1974 

Marv  Marshall  Dickerson, 
95.  Bowie,  Md.,  Oct.  25,  1974 

Louise  Hundley  Earles,  86, 
Eden,  N.C.,  Dec.  7.  1974 

Nora  Ebbert,  82,  Quinter, 
Kans.,  Nov.  14,  1974 

Elmer  E.  Ebersole,  87,  La 
Verne,  CaliL,  Oct.  28,  1974 

Wilbur  Ebersole,  Claysburg, 
Pa.,  Oct.  19,  1974 

Henry  Edwards,  67, 

Jonesboro,  Tenn.,  Nov.  8,  1974 

Margaret  Feathers,  63, 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  Oct.  31,  1974 


Lester  Griffith.  73, 

Johnstown,  Pa..  Nov.  17,  1974 

J.  Vernon  Grim,  64,  York, 
Pa.,  Nov.  7,  1974 

Mae  Grove,  60,  South 
English,  Iowa,  Dec.  5,  1974 

George  W.  Haldeman,  80, 
Chambersburg,  Pa.,  Aug.  3, 
1974 

Chester  Hale,  61,  Johnson 
City,  Tenn.,  Oct.  21,  1974 

Mark  Harding,  76,  Auburn, 
Ind.,  Nov.  7,  1974 

Samuel  A.  Harley,  65,  Se- 
bring, Fla.,  April  17,  1972 

Henrv  Harris,  84,  Mountain 
Grove,  Mo.,  Nov.  9.  1974 

Jacob  C.  Harshbarger,  73, 
Harrisonburg,  Va.,  Nov.  8, 
1974 

Frank  Harshman,  78, 
Myersville,  Md.,  Nov.  17,  1974 

Maurice  A.  Harter,  61,  Rich- 
mond, Ind.,  Dec.  II,  1974 

Constance  Hartley,  81 
Winter  Park,  Fla.,  Oct.  26 
1974 

Bertha  Hartsock,         84 

Frederick,  Md.,  Aug.  16,  1974 

A.  J.  Hawk,  66,  Troy,  Ohio, 
Dec.  21,  1974 

Emery  Heatwole,  75 
Dayton,  Va.,  Dec.  1,  1974 

Rilla  Heestand,  87 

Wheatridge,     Colo.,    Oct.     17 
1974 

Elma  E.  Helmick,  82 
Cumberland,  Md.,  Nov.  26 
1974 

Mabel  Helvey,  67,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  Oct.  6,  1974 

Isabelle  Henderson,  67,  Tip 
ton,  Iowa,  Nov.  14,  1974 

Sally  Belle  Hoffmaster,  91 
Berlin,  Pa.,  Oct.  21,  1974 

Margaret  Holbrook,  69 
Roanoke,  Va.,  Oct.  23,  1974 

Dessie  Mane  Huffer,  72 
Nappanee,  Ind.,  Dec.  16,  1974 

Martin  Hurst.  76,  Ephrata, 
Pa.,  Nov.  15,  1974 

Annie  Long  Jacobs,  87 
York,  Pa.,  June  7,  1974 

M  Richard  Jacobs,  67 
York,  Pa.,  Jan.  5,  1975 

Reuben  Jamison,  4^ 
Quinter,  Kans.,  Dec.  22,  1974 

Wilcie  Jamison,  79,  Quintei 
Kans.,  Nov.  16,  1974 

Eva  Juday,  73,  Goshen,  Ind 
Dec.  5,  1974 

Deuane  Kelly,  69,  West 
Milton,  Ohio,  Nov.  21,  1974 

Reuben  W.  Kennedy.  86, 
Kansas  City,  Kans.,  Nov.  2. 
1974 

Paul  L.  Kenney,  72, 
Stanwood,  Iowa.  Aug.  31,  1974 

Lewis  King,  68,  East  Berlin, 
Pa.,  Dec.  5,  1974 

Myrtle  King,  90,  Warren, 
Ind.,  Nov.  11,  1974 

Myrah  Eveland  Knapp,  93, 
Cerro  Gordo,  111.,  Dec.  29,  1974 

Mrs.  Walter  Kulp,  71, 
Ephrata.  Pa.,  Nov.  13,  1974 

Lillie  Kunz,  72,  Seattle, 
Wash.,  Nov.  9,  1974 

Ella  Cassel  Landis.  76, 
Harleysville,  Pa.,  Dec.  13,  1974 


Charles  E.  Mishler,  74,  Nap- 
panee, Ind.,  Dec.  18,  1974 

Edward  Morris,  58, 

Philadelphia.  Pa.,  Nov.  20, 
1974 

Elsie  Morris,  86,  Redondo 
Beach,  CaliL,  Sept.  4,  1974 

Daniel  H.  Moyers,  83, 
Broadway,  Va.,  Oct.  21,  1974 

Alice  Plowman,  90,  Dixon, 
111.,  Dec.  17,  1974 

Cleve  Pock,  88,  West  Milton, 
Ohio,  Dec.  8,  1974 

Samuel  A.  Powers,  90, 
Mount  Morris,  111.,  Dec.  29, 
1974 

Thomas  R.  Pugh,  91,  Peru, 
Ind.,  Nov.  10,  1974 

Elizabeth  Rader,  76,  Moneta, 
Va.,  Dec.  24,  1974 

Matt  Raskop,  89,  Quinter, 
Kans.,  Dec.  5,  1974 

Harry  Ray,  80,  Midland, 
Mich.,  Nov.  13,  1974 

L.  Gwen  Roetman,  64, 
Worthington,  Minn.,  Dec.  9, 
1974 

Charles  Roose,  88.  Nap- 
panee, Ind.,  Dec.  19,  1974 

Dorothy  Rust,  76,  Cabool, 
Mo.,  July  14,  1974 

llo  Schubert,  76,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  Sept.  2,  1974 

Brian  Schwartz,  13,  Hudson, 
Ind.,  Oct.  24,  1974 

Fannie  Seese,  80,  Freeport. 
Mich.,  Nov.  8,  1974 

Agnes  Shenk,  80,  Laotto, 
Ind.,  Dec.  12,  1974 

Leona  Sherfy,  87,  McPher- 
son,  Kans.,  Nov.  27,  1974 

Burdette  Shifflett,  44, 
Myersville,  Md.,  July  19,  1974 

Edwin  W.  Showalter,  82, 
Bridgewater,  Va.,  Dec.  10,  1974 

Alice  Simmons,  85,  Paradise, 
CaliL,  Nov.  13,  1974 

Charles  R.  Smith,  70,  York, 
Pa.,  Dec.  28,  1974 

Homer  Smith,  68, 

Cumberland,  Md..  Dec.  10, 
1974 

Roy  Smith,  67,  York,  Pa.. 
May  28,  1974 

Glenn  Suavely,  79,  Forest, 
Ohio,  Nov.  5,  1974 

Margaret  Snyder,  57. 
Williamsburg.  Pa.,  Oct.  16, 
1974 

Joseph  Spitler,  86,  Mount 
Jackson,  Va.,  Dec.  22.  1974 

Raymond  Steele,  65,  Roaring 
Spring,  Pa.,  Dec.  2,  1974 

James  Strickling,  88, 
Ashland,  Ohio,  Nov.  9,  1974 

Katherine  Wagenhals,  78, 
Ashland,  Ohio,  Nov.  9,  1974 

Ira  E.  Weaver,  90,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  Aug.  26. 
1974 

Wayne  Weybright.  69,  New 
Paris,  Ind.,  Nov.  28,  1974 

Mae  Wolfe,  93,  Roswell, 
New  Mexico,  Dec.  24,  1974 

Ethel  Wright,  87, 

Bridgewater,  Va.,  Dec.  31,  1974 

Edgar  Young,  Roanoke,  Va., 
Nov.  25,  1974 

Goldie  Young,  85,  Madison, 
Wis.,  Aug.  30,  1974 


36  MESSENGER  April  1975 


by  Kenneth  E.  McDowell 


Make  me  no  promises 


Several  months  ago  1  listened  to  Earle  Fike 
deliver  a  sermon  using  the  title  "Make  Me 
No  Promises."  I  wondered  what  Earle 
would  talk  about  with  such  a  title  and  was 
even  more  interested  when  he  began  with 
the  story  of  Zacchaeus.  It  was  Earle's 
observation  that  when  Jesus  had  his  en- 
counter with  Zacchaeus  he  didn't  exact  any 
promises  from  the  man  in  exchange  for  the 
attention  he  would  give  him  but  rather 
accepted  Zacchaeus  as  he  was.  The  crowd 
murmured  against  him  for  it.  but  the  out- 
pouring from  Zacchaeus  was  a  response 
that  no  one  expected,  least  of  all  the 
crowd,  and  to  this  day  we  struggle  to  ex- 
plain it. 


Rat 


ther  than  explain  the  response  of 

;  Zacchaeus,  I  prefer  to  accept  it  and  to  use 

i  the  example  as  a  part  of  our  theological 
base  for  programs  that  I  relate  to  in  the  life 

f,  of  the  church.  In  disaster  situations  and  in 
development  programs,  we  don't  exact 
promises  from  those  who  are  to  benefit. 
We  don't  require  an  affirmation  of  faith. 

\  We  strive  to  minister  to  persons  when  and 
where  they  hurt  in  the  name  of  Christ  and 
we  have  confidence  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
can  use  such  a  witness. 

Development,  in  our  understanding,  is 
the  process  of  making  the  poor  productive 
or.  in  some  instances,  making  them  more 
productive.  Of  course  there  are  many  other 
definitions  of  development,  but  they 
appear  to  relate  more  to  illustrations  of 

:  development  rather  than  the  end  result. 
Regardless  of  the  steps  in  the  process,  what 
we  hope  to  achieve  is  greater  fulfillment 
and  independence  for  the  persons  helped. 
We  are  attempting  to  help  them  to  par- 
ticipate more  fully  in  the  economic  system 
of  their  country  since  in  most  countries 
compensation  to  persons  is  directly  related 
to  their  productivity,  either  in  the  form  of 

m  goods  or  services. 

I      A  part  of  our  development  philosophy  is 


that  those  being  helped  must  first  of  all 
want  our  assistance.  We  do  not  impose  our 
plan  or  our  ideas  on  others  without  their 
consent  and  input.  Our  real  preference  is 
for  those  who  desire  assistance  to  spell  out 
their  needs  and  then  together  we  can  work 
on  a  plan  for  meeting  those  needs.  This  is 
the  process  we  are  engaged  in  in  Niger — 
that  country  in  the  Sahel  most  severely 
affected  by  the  past  six  years  of  drought. 
There  the  government  has  said  that  it 
desires  the  help  of  voluntary  agencies  in 
food  production  projects.  Together  with 
government  officials,  we  will  decide  on  the 
location  and  the  plan  for  the  work.  Initial- 
ly, the  government  representatives  ap- 
proved our  idea  of  "run-off  agriculture"  ac- 
companied by  reforestation,  but  they 
reserve  the  right  to  work  through  the 
specifics  of  the  plan  with  us  and  to  monitor 
progress.  Their  goal  and  ours  is  to  help  the 
country  and  its  people  again  to  be  self- 
sufficient  in  food  production. 

Beyond  extending  to  the  host  country  or 
the  local  community  the  right  to  accept  or 
reject  offers  of  aid,  we  seek  to  involve  the 
recipient  people  in  helping  shape  the  direc- 
tion the  assistance  efforts  take.  As  fully  as 
possible  we  strive  to  work  through  existing 
community  and  church  structures,  to 
strengthen  the  hand  of  established  in- 
stitutions and  to  broaden  their  involvement 
and  sensitivity. 

T 

Xhe  same  philosophy  is  present  in  our 
Disaster  Response  Program.  We  always 
assume  that  there  are  needs  resulting  from 
disasters  to  which  the  church  should  re- 
spond. However,  we  do  not  rush  in 
to  an  area  in  the  early  hours  after  a 
disaster  "to  do  our  thing."  Government 
agencies  and  the  Red  Cross  are  man- 
dated and  personnel  are  trained  to  take  im- 
mediate action  to  restore  order  and 
normal  governmental  services  and  to 
feed  and  shelter  the  homeless. 


Within  days  this  is  usually  accom- 
plished and  people  are  ready  to  look  at 
continuing  needs. 

It  is  at  this  point  church  agencies  can  go 
into  a  community  to  help  with  further 
relief  and  much  more  in  reconstruction  — 
helping  persons  to  put  life  back  together 
again.  Our  membership  has  demonstrated 
the  love  of  God  and  the  compassion  of 
Jesus  Christ  many  times  over  in  Forty- 
Fort,  Buffalo  Creek.  Rodney,  Huntsville. 
Talma.  Monticello,  and  Xenia. 


w, 


'endell  Rolston  relates  that  when  he 
went  to  the  Indiana  community  of  Mon- 
ticello to  work  in  reconstruction  for  a  few 
days  he  stayed  overnight  in  the  home  that 
they  were  working  on.  The  teenage  son 
observed  in  conversation  one  evening  that 
he  was  part  of  a  group  from  Indiana  who 
with  their  pastor  went  to  Forty-Fort  in 
Pennsylvania  to  work  in  clean-up  and 
repair  after  the  floods  of  1972.  It  wasn't  a 
pleasant  job  working  in  the  mud  and  silt 
deposited  by  the  mighty  Susquehanna,  but 
the  fellowship  with  other  volunteers  and 
the  deep  gratitude  of  those  victimized  by 
the  flood  made  it  an  unforgettable  ex- 
perience. And  no  one  could  know  that 
within  a  year  or  two  he  and  his  family 
would  welcome  fellow  Christians  from  Il- 
linois who  had  come  to  assist  them  recover 
from  the  devastation  of  the  tornadoes  of 
April  1974. 

"Make  me  no  promises."  God  accepts 
you  and  me  as  we  are  and  we  can't  do  less 
as  we  face  a  world  that  is  hungry  and  hurt 
many  times  over  by  natural  and  human 
disasters.    D 


April  1975  messenger  37 


If  our  mission 
relationship  is  to  be 
vital  and  viable  we 
need  to  be  in  touch 
with  our  own  prej- 
udices and  attempt  to 
understand  others' 
life-styles,  struggles, 
joys,  and  needs 
through  open 
communication. 


by  Alice  Martin 


T, 


-he  eight  days  of  Christmas  that  were 
filled  with  loolcing,  learning,  and  analyzing 
the  life,  work,  and  religion  of  the  Haitian 
people  were  days  that  made  a  significant 
impact  on  the  understanding  of  mission 
and  world  ministry  for  21  people  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  Haiti  Travel  Seminar.  Un- 
der the  leadership  of  "Mambo"  Shirley 
Heckman,  the  "Encounter  With  Contrasts" 
enabled  us  to  learn  much  about  the 
Haitians  and  a  great  deal  about  our  own 
cultural  bias  and  faith  commitments. 

There  was  much  to  discover  as  our  eyes, 
ears,  minds,  and  hearts  were  filled  with  in- 
formation about  a  different  culture,  in- 
sights into  different  life-styles,  and  sen- 
sations of  crowded  markets,  cool  moun- 
tains, and  colorful  surroundings.  Worship 
became  an  integral  part  of  our  experience 
as  we  reflected  together  each  day,  par- 
ticipated in  the  singing  of  Sunday  morning 
hymns  (in  French)  with  the  people  of  Luc 
Neree's  congregation,  witnessed  Voodoo, 
and  ushered  in  the  New  Year  at  a  Creole 
Mass.  Our  hectic  schedule,  which  included 
sharing  and  fun  times  together  too,  helped 
us  to  appreciate  more  fully  the  beauty  and 
the  blessings  of  Haiti  as  well  as  sensitizing 

38  MESSENGER  April  1975 


Communication  Ami 


!;!ontrasts 


Left,  above:  BVSer  Becky  Learning  com- 
fiunicates  effectively  in  French  and  Creole 
with  students  at  St.  Vincent's  school. 

Left  below:  Pastor  Luc  Neree,  Shirley 
Heckman,  and  members  of  the  Haiti 
Travel  Seminar  participate  in  the  dedica- 

ion  of  new  facilities  at  Aide  Aux  Enfants, 
T  feeding  program  to  which  the  Church  of 

he  Brethren  contributed  $18,350  in  1974. 

Above,  top:  Haitian  markets  gave  the 
eminar  group  opportunity  for  direct  com- 
nunication  with  the  people. 

Above,  lower:  Terraced  hillsides,  a  result  of 
Zhurch  World  Service  agricultural  aid  in 
Haiti,  increase  the  island's  farm  acreage. 


us  to  the  needs  and  the  suffering. 

The  experiences  were  many  and  the 
stories  that  we  can  tell  are  varied,  yet  our 
struggle  to  communicate  was  a  common 
problem  that  pervaded  the  entire  seminar, 
in  a  country  where  language  and  customs 
are  different  from  our  own.  we  wanted  to 
talk  with  the  people  to  find  out  more  about 
them  and  to  let  them  know  more  about  us. 

The  question  of  how  to  communicate 
effectively  began  in  the  first  hours  of  our 
gathering  together  and  reoccurred  con- 
sistently with  each  new  experience.  In 
order  to  prepare  ourselves  for  the  change 
in  culture  we  played  the  simulation  game 
"Bafa-Bafa."  Our  struggles  to  decipher  the 
"Bafa"  language  warned  us  that  we  would 
need  ways  other  than  words  to  learn  and 
live  in  Haiti. 


Qr 


jr  arrival  and  the  transition  into  Hai- 
tian culture  was  made  smoother  by  the  in- 
dispensible  guidance  and  assistance  of 
Mark  Bauer  and  Beck>  Leaming,  two 
French  and  Creole  speaking  volunteers. 
Mark  and  Becky,  who  are  working  with 
the  St.  Vincent's  and  Holy  Trinity  schools, 
guided  us  through  a  variety  of  experiences, 
negotiated  for  transportation  through  the 
local  custom  of  bartering,  and  facilitated 
communication  with  the  Haitians  when 
language  was  a  barrier. 

Language  continually  plagued  our  direct 
give  and  take.  There  were  times  when 
group  members  were  invited  to  address 
other  groups,  but  our  words  had  to  be 
channelled  through  an  interpreter.  Broken 
French  and  broken  English  were  pieced 
together  as  we  tried  to  talk  with  individuals 
on  the  street,  or  as  we  tried  to  let  our  Hai- 
tian waiters  know  that  we  wanted  coffee 
during  the  meal,  not  after.  At  the  Haitian- 
American  Institute  we  attempted  to  help 
some  Haitians  strengthen  their  use  of 
English  by  talking  with  us.  Since  one  per- 
son could  not  speak  English  and  none  of  us 
spoke  Creole  or  French  fluently,  we  dis- 
covered that  Spanish  too  could  help 
further  dialogue. 

Even  when  we  could  understand  the 
words,  it  was  difficult  to  know  if  we  also 
understood  the  concepts  and  feelings  that 
were  beyond  those  words.  This  problem 
surfaced  as  we  tried  to  weigh  the  impact  of 
Church  World  Service  in  Haiti.  Mr. 


Tamari,  director  of  Church  World  Service 
in  Haiti,  and  Pastor  Luc  Neree,  founder 
and  director  of  Aide  Aux  Enfants 
(Messenger,  June  1974,  page  2),  each 
shared  his  impression  of  the  role  of  Church 
World  Service.  Beyond  their  reports  and 
views  we  wished  we  could  talk  with  clear 
understanding  with  the  Haitian  people 
whose  daily  lives  are  touched  by  Church 
World  Service  programs. 

Conversation  was  not  easy  in  Haiti,  but 
one  value  of  that  problem  is  that  we  dis- 
covered means  of  communication  other 
than  words.  The  beautiful  tones  of 
handbells  and  violins  played  by  blind  men 
and  boys,  a  smile,  a  handshake,  the  brilliant 
colors  and  bold  expressions  of  art  on  fences, 
camionettes  (buses),  buildings  everywhere, 
and  the  tooting  of  a  "tap-tap"  horn  became 
forms  of  expression  for  which  we  developed 
a  deeper  sense  of  appreciation. 

Struggling  to  find  ways  to  share  our 
stories  and  questions  with  the  Haitians 
helped  us  realize  that  we  also  needed  to 
find  ways  to  share  our  Haitian  stories  with 
others.  During  our  debriefing  session  in 
Miami  it  became  apparent  that  we,  as 
representatives  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  must  have  an  understanding  of 
the  life  of  the  people  to  whom  we  minister 
if  we  are  to  know  their  true  needs  and  to 
understand  the  effect  of  our  witness. 

We  learned  through  our  experiences  that 
Haiti  is  a  country,  a  people  that  we  need  to 
know  about,  learn  from,  and  share  with. 
Yet  if  our  mission  relationship  to  the 
Haitians,  or  to  any  people,  is  to  be  vital 
and  viable  we  need  to  be  in  touch  with  our 
own  prejudices  and  attempt  to  understand 
others'  life-styles,  struggles,  joys,  and  needs 
through  open  communication. 

As  we  ended  our  encounter  we  all 
carried  away  one  phrase  which  helped  us 
better  understand  the  philosophy  and  the 
strength  of  the  Haitian  people  and  which 
challenged  our  own  faith  and  commitment. 

"Map  degasse'm.  La,  degassez  nou." 

I  am  making  do  with  what  1  have.  You 
make  do  with  what  you  have.  G 


Intercultural  seminars  are  being  planned  to 
Puerto  Rico  this  summer  and  again  to 
Haiti  in  the  fall.  For  information  about 
them,  write:  Shirley  J.  Heckman,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  III,  60120. 


April  1975  messenger  39 


S(SJDt£(S 


A  discerning,  critical  minority 


As  the  bicentennial  year  moves  closer,  the  pace  of 
programs  and  writing  on  who  we  are  and  where 
we  have  been  as  a  country  picks  up.  One  of  the 
more  promising  treatments  is  a  television  special, 
"The  Right  to  Believe,"  on  ABC  News  Directions, 
Sunday,  March  30. 

The  one-hour  Easter  Day  program  surveys  the 
quest  for  religious  freedom  and  individual  liberty 
over  a  period  of  350  years.  As  described  by 
Cultural  Information  Service,  the  special  "is 
neither  a  history  of  America  nor  a  history  of 
religion:  rather  it  is  a  meditation  upon  how  the 
right  to  believe  has  become  the  freedom  upon 
which  most  other  freedoms  are  based."  The  com- 
mentator, historian  Henry  Steele  Commager, 
declares,  "Today  as  in  the  past,  freedom  is 
dangerous,  even  freedom  of  religion,  for  freedom 
is  a  contagious  thing.  Once  permitted  in  one  area, 
it  is  impossible  to  stop  it  in  another." 

Such  a  presentation  is  timely,  for  all  too  little 
heed  has  been  paid  by  the  nation's  historians  to 
the  contribution  which  smaller  religious  and 
ethnic  groups.  Brethren  among  them,  have  made 
to  the  course  of  human  liberty.  As  columnist  Gar- 
ry Wills  has  observed,  major  social  changes  in 
behalf  of  workers,  women,  civil  rights,  and  op- 
position to  war  have  stemmed  not  from  rational 
debate  or  the  electoral  process  so  much  as  from 
"fanatics"  who  staked  their  lives  on  a  principle. 
Respect  for  individual  conscience,  compassion  for 
the  poor  and  the  hungry,  care  for  the  homeless 
and  the  aging,  opposition  to  racism  and  violence, 
conservation  of  resources,  integrity  in  one's 
work — these  are  the  perspective  and  the  character 
with  which  minority  individuals  and  groups  es- 
pecially have  enriched  America's  past. 

More  importantly,  these  are  the  qualities  need- 
ed for  America's  present  and  its  future,  asserts  no 
less  a  critic  than  the  distinguished  lecturer  and 


writer  Kenneth  B.  Clark.  In  a  New  York  Times 
article  the  psychology  professor  deplored  how 
pervasive  dishonesty  is  in  American  institutions 
and  how  commonly  immorality  is  accepted  as  the 
price  of  apparent  success.  The  nation's  leadership 
and  the  majority  of  its  citizens,  he  contends,  are 
caught  up  in  status  striving,  success  symbols, 
moral  and  ethical  pretensions,  and  the  fear  of  per- 
sonal and  family  failure.  Integrity  and  sensitivity 
are  secondary  to  affluence  and  effectiveness. 

As  Kenneth  Clark  sees  it,  American  society  in 
its  present  state  cannot  afford  to  elect  to  high  of- 
fice individuals  who  put  ethical  concerns  above 
personal  advantage  and  moral  compromise. 
"Indeed,"  he  laments,  "the  concern  with  honesty 
and  human  values  becomes  the  sign  that  an  in- 
dividual is  not  practical  enough  to  be  entrusted 
with  the  responsibilities  of  making  realistic 
political  and  economic  decisions." 

In  the  midst  of  institutionalized  immorality 
and  moral  ambivalence,  Clark's  cry  is  for  a  critical 
minority  of  persons 

— who  continue  to  argue  that  human  beings 
are  capable  of  empathy  and  compassion  even  as 
cruelty  and  hostility  dominate. 

— who  "while  they  are  not  nominated  for  high 
office  and  if  nominated  are  not  elected"  none- 
theless strive  for  moral  and  ethical  values  and 
justice. 

— who  with  courage  repeatedly  raise  their 
voice  and  serve  "as  a  gnawing  and  irritating  con- 
science" to  those  who  have  attained  success. 


J.n  essence,  imposing  our  own  deduction,  to  be 
that  element  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  sometimes 
has  been  in  the  past  and  is  called  increasingly  to 
be  now  and  in  the  future:  A  discerning,  critical 
minority  . . .  salt,  light,  and  leaven.  —  h.e.r. 


40  MESSENGER  April  1975 


iOW  FIRM  THE  FOUNDATIONS? 

'he  earliest  Brethren  searched  the  Scriptures,  looking  for  the  prin- 
;iples  and  practices  that  would  characterize  a  New  Testament 
;hurch.  They  agreed  on  ordinances  and  ideals  that  are  basic  for 
he  Christian  life. 

|n  order  that  such  foundations  may  continue  to  support  the 
jhurch,  Brethren  writers  have  from  time  to  time  re-examined  their 
:hurch's  rites  as  well  as  its  central  convictions. 

{Foundations"  is  a  good  word  to  apply  to  a  number  of  Brethren 
jvritings,  recently  redesigned  and  reprinted,  offering  for  new 
leaders  some  pamphlets  that  have  already  proven  their  worth, 
-urrently  the  Brethren  Foundation  Pamphlets  include: 

he  Brethren  Love  Feast,    by  William  M.  Beahm.  15  pages. 

Jcriptural  authority  and  symbolic  meanings  of  the  feet  washing 

eremony,  the  agape  meal,  and  the  communion  service. 

I  I 

jhe  Meaning  of  Baptism,  by  William  M.  Beahm.  8  pages.  New  Testament  j 

isight  underlying  baptism  by  three-fold  immersion,  as  an  "outward  sign  of  | 

n  inward  grace."  a 

fnointing  for  Healing,  by  Warren  D.  Bowman.  25  pages.  Newly  revised  by  ^ 

he  author.  An  interpretation  of  a  biblically  based  practice  offering  physical  ^ 

lealing  and  spiritual  uplift.  ii 

i 

ideals  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  by  D.  W.  Kurtz.  19  pages.  A  con-  | 

lideration  of  such  basic  convictions  as  peace,  temperance,  simplicity  of  life,  | 

irotherhood,  and  religion  as  life.  | 

jrethren  Foundation  Pamphlets:  25  cents  each,  $2.75  for  twelve. 


FOUNDATIONS 

Please  send: 

Brethren  Love  Feast 

Meaning  of  Baptism 

Anointing  for  Healing 

ideals  of  thie  Ctiurcfi  of  the  Brethren 

Name 


Address. 


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Add  4C  each  p  &  h,  1  - 1 2  copies,  30  each  1  2-50  copies 

THE  BRETHREN  PRESS 

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So  HERtX  AM, 
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A\y3E.UF 


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AND  WSELF5ftY5  Wm.,      ^"^ll  ^S%lll^      tR|®i'#  M{I® 


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TRY  Yourself  iH  b,vs..., 

^  WAY  To  GET  NEA| 
'  THE  HE  ART  OF  Gof 
(AEf\KlN&  For 
Todays  HUfAAHiT 


BRETHREN 
VbWNTEER 
SEKVrcE 

FL&IM 
ILLINOIS  W 


DON  ROWE. 

Moderator 
in  a 
changing  role 


©©DIllbSDI]!^^ 


Dsl^ttS[r^ 


Don  Rowe:  Moderator  in  a  Changing  Role.  The  role  of 

Annual  Conference  Moderator  is  not  a  static  one,  Kermon  Thomason 
finds  in  an  interview  with  Don  Rowe.  With  the  article:  a  preview  of  the 
Conference  business. 

Becoming  a  Global  Citizen.  Ralph  g.  McFadden  teiis  how  a 

visit  to  India  helped  him  discover  his  global  citizenship. 

All  in  the  Ecumenical  Family.  Joel  K.  Thompson  describes  the 
nation's  churches  as  one  family  making  a  common  witness. 

How  Can  a  Small  Church.  Three  small  Kalamazoo  churches 
solve  many  problems  by  participating  in  an  associated  relationship.  By 
John  D.  Tomlonson. 

Walking  the  Other  Paths.  Reporting  on  a  study  conference  on 
"celebrating  the  experience  of  salvation  today,"  Olden  Mitchell  walks 
the  paths  of  nine  different  religious  groups. 

One  Vine  . . .  Many  Branches.  DeWitt  l.  Miller  stresses  the 

urgency  of  making  more  visible  before  the  world  the  oneness  we  share 
in  Christ  with  all  who  acknowledge  Jesus  as  Lord. 

Life  In  the  Community  of  Faith.  Joan  G.  Deeter  lifts  up  Pauls 
description  of  life  together  in  the  community  of  faith. 

Voice  of  Calvary:  Living  Out  the  Gospel.  Randy  Miller 

reports  on  the  power  of  God  working  through  His  people  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi communities  of  Jackson  and  Mendenhall. 

Criminal  Justice  Reform.  An  Annual  Conference  task  force 
report  to  peruse  before  its  June  presentation. 

Impulse  to  Liberation.  Desmond  W.  Bittinger  pays  a  tribute  to  a 
special  person  whose  liberation  process  took  96  years  to  complete. 

In  Touch  profiles  Sulemanu  Balami,  Bob  Noffsinger,  and  Juanita  Whisler  (2) 
. . .  Outlook  reports  on  a  WCC  delegate,  Brethren  to  China,  "On  Earth  Peace," 
Cuban  ties,  Belfast  minibus,  Kansas  CROP  award,  Arab  summer  camp 
program.  Believers'  church  (start  on  4)  . . .  Underlines  (7)  . , .  Update  (8)  . . . 
Special  report  on  Niger  (10)  . . .  Turning  Points  (25)  . . .  Here  I  Stand  (start  on 
32)  . . .  Resources  (37)  . . .  Editorial  (40) 


EDITOR 

Howard  E   Rover 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Kermon  Thomason 

ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 

Kenneth  I   Mofse 

DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 

Clyde  E   Weaver 

PUBLISHER 

Galen  B  Ogden 

VOL   124   NO  5 


CREDITS:  2,  12,  13,  14,  24  Ed  Buzmski.  4.  18 
RNS.  5.  15  Kermon  Thomason.  6  The  Irish 
News.  7  CROP,  9  UNRWA.  10-11  an  by  Ker- 
mon Thomason.  16  Don  Honlck.  17-24  graphics 
by  Ken  Stanley.  21  John  Tomlonson.  27  Camera 
Clix.  29  Randy  Miller.  38  Waltner. 


MtsstNOKK  IS  Ihe  official  publication  of  Ihe  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug.  20,  1918.  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17, 
1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1974.  Messenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version. 

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postage  paid  at  Elgin,  ML.  May  1975.  Copyright 
1975.    Church   of  the    Brethren   General    Board 


■ 


THE  PASTOR  AND  THE  PEOPLE 

I  am  concerned  about  the  many  small 
churches  in  our  brotherhood  that  cannot  sup- 
port a  minister  and  his  family  but  still  need  the 
help  of  the  ministry.  I  have  helped  in  some  ol 
that  ministry. 

I  fear  that  our  seminary  and  other  seminaries 
are  training  men  and  women  for  full-time  and 
some  of  that  training  just  makes  them  less  and 
less  responsive  to  the  real  needs  of  the  small 
church.  1  also  fear  that  we  have  put  too  much 
emphasis  on  the  academic  training  and  have 
failed  to  train  the  heart  and  the  hand. 

When  I  speak  of  heart  training  I  don't  ad- 
vocate that  we  put  our  emphasis  all  on  feeling. 
But  let  us  not  dry  up  all  the  feeling  in  order  tc 
seem  professionaL  We  must  have  a  warmth  ol 
heart  if  we  are  going  to  help  people.  Our  love  foi 
people  must  be  evident  in  all  we  do  and  are. 

I  read  of  one  seminary  which  was  emphasizing 
that  each  seminary  student  become  proficient  ir 
a  trade  before  going  out  into  the  pastorate.  1 
think  that  is  very  commendable  and  worthy  ol 
emulation.  We  would  not  go  amiss  to  urge  It  foi 
every  seminary  student  who  planned  to  serve  ir 
small  churches  where  the  churches  could  not  ful- 
ly support  the  pastor.  It's  no  disgrace  to  work 
with  our  hands  along  with  our  ministry.  Maybe 
some  of  our  pastors  would  then  know  what  theit 
people  were  up  against  in  the  nitty-gritty  of  life. 
It  was  Brother  C.  D.  Bonsack,  I  think,  who  said 
of  pastors  that  they  know  so  much  that  theii 
people  don't  know  and  so  little  of  what  theit 
people  do  know. 

Paul  S.  Longenecker 
Carson,  Calif. 

ANOTHER  WAY 

1  feel  a  relentless  temptation  to  modify  myi 
moral  standards.  The  pressure  of  well- 
intentioned  co-workers  and  associates  and  the; 
influence  of  my  urban  environment  together  per-. 
suade  me  to  narrow  my  concept  of  Immorality. 

Acquaintances  lie  to  save  or  improve  theii 
positions.  Stolen  merchandise  is  bought  at  e 
bargain.  Office  supplies  and  company  vehicles! 
are  borrowed.  Income  tax  returns  are  falsified. 
And  I  am  expected  to  do  the  same.  "You  pay  foij 
it  anyway,  and  everyone  else  does  it  too." 

I  am  pressured  to  spend  more  freely,  entertaini 
more  lavishly,  compete  more,  and  smile  at  im- 
proprieties. 

In  the  face  of  such  overt  immorality  and  othen 
more  subtle  pressures  of  daily  living  comes  thti 
Messenger  once  a  month  like  a  beam  of  light  tc 
remind  me  of  another  way.  Thank  you,  thank: 
you  for  persistently  challenging  my  way  of  life; 
and  pointing  a  higher  direction. 

I  particularly  appreciate  articles  that  translate 
the  concept  of  loving  and  caring  into  daily  liv-i 
ing.  The  January  articles  by  Alma  Long  and 
Bonnie  Hollis  were  most  stimulating.  I  hope 
Messenger  continues  to  deal  with  Ihe  "'how-to' 
part  of  Christianity. 

Sherry  L.  Petrv 
Atlanta,  Ga. 


pagjs  ©Diis 


ON  KEEPING  CONFERENCE  ANNUAL 

Several  have  written  about  Conference  going 
on  an  every  other  year  basis.  I  have  great  respect 
for  Jeff  Mathis  (Letters,  February).  I  know  he 
speaks  for  many  who  feel  the  same  way  he  does. 

There  are  some  points  which  I  would  like  to 
raise  which  I  feel  merit  consideration  for  holding 
Conference  every  year. 

Most  people  will  take  a  vacation  trip  to  some 
[)oint  of  interest.  Those  who  plan  their  trip  to 
Annual  Conference  would  probably  make  a  trip 
;o  some  point  of  interest  if  they  did  not  go  to 
Annual  Conference.  So  there  would  not  be  the 
lavings  in  hand  even  if  Conference  is  not  held 
;his  year. 

An  organization  which  1  am  very  familiar  with 
brmerly  held  meetings  every  year.  Then  they 
lecided  that  the  meetings  would  be  held  every 
other  year.  The  next  move  was  to  make  it  a 
delegate  conference  only.  This  organization  lost 
ts  members;  the  interest  died  down  to  nearly 
',ero.  One  of  their  members  told  me  last  month 
hey  would  have  to  turn  back  to  a  meeting  every 
/ear  to  keep  the  interest  at  a  higher  level  in  their 
ieveral  programs. 

Some  items  of  business  need  attention  on  a 
/early  basis.  World  conditions  change  more 
apidiy  now  than  they  did  a  few  years  back.  Our 
5wn  country  is  plagued  with  a  business  reces- 
ion.  Who  knows  how  much  longer  it  will  re- 
]uire  to  get  our  economy  turned  around? 

Ross  A.  Heminger 
last  Wenatchee,  Wash. 

'ARABLE  OF  A  HOSPITAL 

Once  upon  a  time  a  hospital  board  of  direc- 
ors,  after  building  a  new  hospital  with  the  latest 
■quipment  and  facilities  anywhere,  searched  for 
in  able  administrator.  They  found  such  a  person 
vho  agreed  to  come.  This  administrator  was 
Issured  their  purpose  was  to  heal  and  that  they 
lad  not  only  the  best  equipment  but  excellent 
ielp  and  a  full  staff. 

Soon  after  coming  the  administrator  ran  into 
iroblems.  He  discovered  that  the  entire  hospital 
lersonnel  had  differing  approaches  to  healing. 

One  group  believed  only  in  using  drugs  and 
nedicine  in  order  to  heal.  Another  group 
>elieved  only  in  the  chiropractic  method.  Still 
i.nother    insisted    only   on   proper   diets,   while 

Jnother  believed  in  positive  thinking. 
Whenever  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  per- 
pnnel,     if    the    administrator    said     anything 
neaningful,  he  roused  the  feathers  of  one  group 
')r  another.  If  he  said  anything  that  would  please 

ill,  he  said  little  that  was  challenging. 
There  was  no  creative  way  to  fulfill  the  pur- 
pose of  healing  he  was  hired  to  oversee. 

The  writer  has  known  churches  that  resembled 

Ihis  hospital  with  various  groups  each  assuming 

tiat  salvation  meant  only  one  way,  one  idea,  one 

lelief.   Or   the   issue   could   be  in  methods  of 

irogramming  or  interpretation. 

"He  who  has  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear." 

Edward  E.  Lyons 
Lent,  Wash. 


GOSPEL  BACK  IN  MESSENGER 

I  want  to  write  to  you  and  express  my  sheer 
joy  and  excitement  over  the  articles  in  the 
March  Messenger. 

These  are  the  kinds  of  articles  my  soul  longs 
to  read  in  my  denomination's  publication.  For 
many  years,  until  now,  I  have  not  been  able  to 
get  very  enthused  about  reading  it  or  asking  my 
congregation  to  subscribe  to  It.  To  me,  it's  like 
putting  the  "Gospel"  back  into  the  Messenger. 

Again  1  want  to  say,  "Well  Done!"  Keep  up 
the  good  work.  Encourage  articles  from  layper- 
sons who  have  "an  experience"  to  share. 
Nothing  beats  an  honest  personal  testimony  for 
reaching  people  for  Christ. 

Richard  L.  Deemy 
Friend,  Kans. 

THREE  GOING  ON  FOUR 

There  is  no  established  congregation  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  between  Chicago,  III., 
and  LaPorte-Michigan  City,  Ind.  So  in  that  area 
south  of  Chicago,  from  Park  Forest,  111.,  east  to 
Gary,  Ind.,  approximately  20  miles  wide,  a  core 
of  three  families  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
has  been  meeting  somewhat  regularly  since 
September,  1974.  We  have  been  principally  a 
study  and  support  group,  but  we  have  been  try- 
ing to  determine  what  form  this  group  needs  to 
take  to  become  relevant  in  this  transient  and  un- 
certain society  of  1975. 

We  are  three  families,  going  on  four,  but  we 
feel  there  are  more.  We  need  prayerful  support, 
but  we  would  also  appreciate  having  names  of 
families  in  this  area  who  might  be  interested  in 
joining  our  fellowship. 

KiYo  Mori 
1231  Lincoln  Highway 
Schererville.  Ind.  46375 

LITERALLY  .  .  .  THE  BROTHERS? 

In  the  February  Messenger  1  note  in  the  arti- 
cle by  Robert  F.  Price,  "The  Soviet  Churches 
Revisited,"  that  "...  we  brought  up  the  question 
of  women  in  their  delegation  during  the  return 
visit  next  spring.  We  made  no  progress  on  this 
question." 

Could  one  reason  be  that  we  have  not  includ- 
ed a  woman  delegate  in  any  of  our  official 
church  visits  to  the  Russian  church?  On  Aug.  25, 
1963  (the  time  of  the  first  visit  of  a  Russian 
delegation  to  our  Church  of  the  Brethren)  Lydia 
Popandopolo  signed  our  guest  book.  How  I 
treasure  that  autograph  and  the  gift  she  left  at 
the  end  of  several  days  of  mutual  Christian  shar- 
ing in  spite  of  a  complete  language  barrier. 

Just  maybe  they  took  their  cues  from  the  com- 
position of  our  delegations  in  1963,  1967,  and 
1971,  all  of  whom  were  men. 

Also,  1  have  understood  that  there  is  really  no 
direct  translation  of  the  word  "Brethren"  in  the 
Russian  language,  but  that  they  call  us  the 
Church  of  the  Brothers.  Perhaps  they  have  taken 
us  literally. 

Virginia  A.  Fisher 
Sebring,  Fla. 


"Ecumenism"  as  a  theme  underlies  a 
cluster  of  four  articles  in  this  issue  of 
Messenger.  Joel  K.  Thompson,  executive 
secretary  of  the  World  Ministries  Com- 
mission, leads  off  with  a  rationale  for 
Brethren  participation  in  inter- 
denominational programs.  DeWitt  L. 
Miller,  executive  of  the  Committee  on  In- 
terchurch  Relations,  follows  with  an 
overview  of  his  committee's  recent  and 
future  activities.  Olden  D.  Mitchell, 
pastor  of  the  Lincolnshire  congregation 
in  Ft.  Wayne, 
Ind.,  reports  on 
his  participation 
in  an  interfaith 
ecumenical  study 
conference.  And 
John  D.  Tom- 
lonson,  pastor  of 
the  Skyridge  con- 
gregation, Kala- 
mazoo, Mich.,  shares  how  his  and  two 
other  small  churches  came  together  to 
solve  some  program  problems. 

Other  articles  in  the  May  issue  have 
ecumenical  undertones  as  well,  such  as 
"Becoming  a  Global  Citizen,"  by  Ralph 
G.  McFadden,  Parish  Ministries  consul- 
tant for  person  and  faith  community. 

This  month's  cover  story  follows  a 
pattern  set  some  years  ago  of  putting  the 
spotlight  on  the  moderator  as  he  prepares 
for  the  last  and  most  significant  act  of  his 
year  in  office  —  moderating  Annual  Con- 
ference business.  Don  Rowe  gives  some 
insights  into  the  moderator's  role  in  this 
interview. 

A  former  Messenger  editor  (1944-50), 
Desmond  W.  Bittinger,  of  Chapman 
College,  Orange,  Calif.,  pays  a  tribute  to 
his  liberated  mother,  appropriate  for  the 
month  of  May. 

This  issue  is  unintentionally  a 
denominational  exclusive — all  Brethren 
writers,  including,  besides  the  aforemen- 
tioned, Lois  Teach  Paul,  Agenda  manag- 
ing editor;  Rosalita  Leonard,  WCTU 
national  general  secretary  of  the  Youth 
Temperance  Council,  Evanston,  111.;  Joan 
G.  Deeter,  executive  director  of  Wabash 
County  Mental  Health  Association, 
North  Manchester,  Ind.;  and  BVSer 
Randy  Miller,  our  Communications 
Team  intern. 

"Here  I  Stand"  contributors  are  George 
G.  Hess,  Dayton,  Ohio,  James  and  Nancy 
Poling,  York,  Pa.,  Ron  Beachley,  Mar- 
tinsville, Va.,  and  Bernice  Hoover  Cook, 
Plattsburg,  Mo. — The  Editors 

May  1975  messenger  1 


Sulemanu  Balami:  Thanks,  Dr.  Helser! 


What  if  Albert  Helser,  way  back 
there  in  1923,  could  have  previewed 
this  scene:  A  suave  young  black  in 
1975  arrives  at  the  Elgin  offices  and 
inquires  about  Helser's  early  mis- 
sionary writings.  The  young  man  is  a 
Bura  tribesman  from  Nigeria,  gather- 
ing data  for  his  Ph.D.  dissertation. 

He  is  Sulemanu  Balami,  born  in 
Garkida,  Nigeria,  a  son  of  Gana 
Balami  Puba,  who  was  an  early  con- 
vert to  Christianity  in  Lardin  Gabas 
and  a  primary  school  teacher  for 
many  years  for  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Mission. 

In  1966  Sulemanu  graduated  from 
Waka  Secondary  School.  At 
Nigeria's  Ahmadu  Bello  University 
he  earned  a  B.A.  and  M.A.  before 
serving  a  year  in  his  home  state's 
ministry  of  cooperatives  and  com- 
munity development.  In  September, 
1973,  he  arrived  in  Athens,  Ohio,  to 
earn  his  doctorate  in  African  history. 
His  wife  Hanatu  and  daughter  Vic- 
toria joined  him  there  later. 

Sulemanu  has  gone  back  to 
Nigeria  now  on  a  data  collecting 
visit.  What  excites  Sulemanu  is  the 
preservation  of  his  Bura  heritage. 
Back  home  in  his  village  of  Puba  he 
will  be  gathering  from  clan  elders 
recollections  of  the  heritage  that 
sustained  the  Bura  for  long  centuries 


before  western  technology  and 
Christianity  reached  them.  He  does 
this  with  a  real  sense  of  urgency, 
bemoaning  the  lost  opportunities  of 
past  years  as  old  people  passed  away, 
memories  dimmed,  traditions  died 
out,  and  the  rich  Bura  heritage  faded. 

Sulemanu  left  the  Elgin  offices  like 
Ali  Baba  emerging  from  his  treasure 
cave.  In  the  Brethren  archives  he  had 
found  to  his  surprise  and  satisfaction 
that  while  early  Brethren  missionaries 
had  focused  on  evangelism  in 
Nigeria,  they  had  not  overlooked  the 
culture  of  the  people  they  converted. 
In  the  writings  of  Helser,  Kulp, 
Mallott,  Bittinger,  and  Burke,  Sul- 
emanu found  precious  vignettes  of 
the  Bura  culture  of  fifty  years  ago. 

"Amazing!"  was  his  exclamation  as 
he  leafed  through  old  books  and 
Missionary  Visitor  articles.  "I 
thank  God  for  missionaries  like  Dr. 
Helser  who  helped  preserve  for  us 
what  we  did  not  know  to  do.  I  am 
going  to  devote  my  life  to  recovering 
for  Nigerians  the  story  of  their  past.  I 
want  the  world  to  know  that  we  did 
not  live  in  that  total  darkness  that 
western  historians  put  us  in." 

As  an  old  teacher  at  Waka,  who 
shares  his  student's  dream,  I  say, 
"Right  on,  Sulemanu!" — K..T. 


irfeufefh 


Bob  Noffsinger:  Takir 


For  years,  when  educational  or       j 
church  leaders  around  Dayton,  Ohi,| 
needed  a  man  of  quiet  wisdom,  ab  - 
ty,  and  commitment.  Bob  Noffsina 
of  the  Mack  Memorial  congregatic 
would  invariably  be  mentioned. 

When  Bob  retired  as  a  junior  hi; 
school  and  elementary  principal  in 
1973,  he  was  set  to  relax  and  enjo\ 
the  new  travel  trailer  he  and  his  \\  i 
Alma  had  acquired.  Instead  he  spe 
the  next  year  recovering  from  cane 
and  a  colostomy.  During  that  time 
he  kept  active  physically  and  social . 
He  got  back  into  activities  at  the 
church  and  worked  as  a  volunteer 
the  Red  Cross.  With  the  summer 
coming,  and  his  strength  rapidly 
returning,  the  Noffsingers  laid  plan 
for  a  long,  leisurely  motor  trip. 

Then  the  tornado  struck  in  late     , 
afternoon  of  April  3,  1974,  and       | 
leveled  nearby  Xenia.  Next  mornim 
Bob  drove  his  station  wagon  to  Re 
Cross  headquarters  where  it  was 
quickly  loaded  with  relief  supplies. 
Could  he  deliver  them  to  a  school ) 
Xenia  and  take  charge  of  the  relief 
center  that  had  been  quickly 
assembled  there?  He  worked  all  da; 
and  sometime  during  that  night  the 
feeling  grew  to  an  urgency.  "The 
Brethren  belonged  here — and  I  mu 
do  all  I  can  to  help,"  Bob  recalls.  Ti 
next  morning  he  telephoned  district 
executive  Chester  Harley  and  offen 
his  help.  Wilbur  Mullen  was 
Southern  Ohio's  disaster  director, 
but,  Harley  asked,  would  Bob  be  ir 
terested  in  serving  as  the  Xenia  coo 
dinator? 

He  didn't  get  home  to  stay  for  fi 


2  MESSENGER  May  1975 


' 


inadoes 

jnths.  The  Beavercreek  Church 
'came  the  Brethren  disaster  center, 
'klls  were  constant.  "For  the  first  ten 
■'lys  I  wasn't  sure  I'd  be  able  to  take 
'physically.  The  work  to  be  done 
erwhelmed  me.  But  I  had  felt  so 
Slongly  that  first  night  that  if  this  is 
lere  God  wanted  me,  then  he'd  see 
fit  I  had  the  strength  to  do  the  job," 
"(says  simply. 

''With  the  immediate  emergency 
>|ks  and  cleanup  done.  Bob  and  the 
■aster  committee  talked  about 
'lonstruction.  By  the  end  of  the 
nmer,  one  new  house  was  built  for 
amily  whose  home  had  been 
itroyed.  Four  families'  resettlement 
s  financed  and  a  crippled  woman, 
alone,  was  helped  to  buy  a  small 
me. 

September — and  Bob  was  home 
iin  feeling  wonderful.  Life  was 
tling  down  again.  Then  came  that 
ter  from  Hubert  Newcomer,  An- 
al Conference  manager. 
Vow  Bob  is  busy  again  as  Dayton's 
^nual  Conference  local  coor- 
lator,  and  when  the  Brethren  start 
I  gather  at  their  annual  meeting  in 
le.  he  will  be  there  to  greet  them. 
0  many  things  to  do  to  think  of 
laself.  A  friend  of  Bob's  says  "I  see 
i're  taking  on  another  tornado." 
t  Bob's  like  that— storms  of  health 
i  circumstances  break  over  him — 
'■y  may  wear  him  down,  but  they 
n't  wash  him  away. — L.T.P. 

B 


Juanita  M.  Whisler:  At  work  for  temperance 


From  her  staccato  walk  to  her  new 
bright  red  rug,  Juanita  M.  Whisler 
has  brought  splashes  of  sound  and 
color  to  her  new  job  with  the 
National  Woman's  Christian 
Temperance  Union  in  Evanston,  111. 
Her  first  six  months  in  Evanston 
found  her  rising  at  5:30  a.m.  to  paint 
in  her  new  apartment  and  still  arriv- 
ing at  work  an  hour  ahead  of  most  of 
the  employees. 

Although  elected  National  Promo- 
tion Secretary  in  1974  at  the  100th 
birthday  convention  of  the  National 
WCTU,  Juanita  enlisted  in  the 
temperance  cause  some  thirty  years 
ago. 

Asked  why  she  is  still  active  in  the 
WCTU,  Juanita  replied,  "For  the 
same  reason  that  my  mother  first 
joined.  I  believe  that  every  Christian 
should  be  involved  in  temperance 
work  and  every  Christian  should  be 
at  work  in  it.  I  am  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  children,  the  family,  and 
the  home." 

Juanita  has  found  many  places  to 
work  in  the  temperance  family.  She 
has  served  on  the  local,  county,  state, 
national,  and  world  level.  As  the 
World  Superintendent  of  Leadership 
Training  and  Workshops,  she  con- 
ducted training  sessions  for  Spanish- 
speaking  delegates  to  a  world  con- 
vention held  in  Chicago  in  1971.  Act- 
ing as  a  special  representative  of  the 
World  WCTU,  she  visited  four 
islands  of  the  Caribbean  to  promote 
their  work. 

Illinois  conventions,  under  her 
presidency  from  1965-1974,  reflected 


much  of  Juanita's  philosophy  and 
style.  Always  punctual  herself,  she 
expected  delegates  to  be  in  their  seats 
ten  minutes  prior  to  scheduled  ac- 
tivities. She  saw  the  Illinois  Youth 
Temperance  Council,  in  competition 
with  other  states,  move  into  first 
place  in  the  nation  under  her 
presidency.  Always  listening  for 
God's  direction  in  her  life  and  work, 
she  was  quick  to  share  with  others 
the  ways  in  which  he  had  led  and 
quick  to  respond  when  called  to  new 
duties. 

When  it  comes  to  church  activities 
Juanita  says  she  has  tried  "most 
everything."  She  still  travels  back  to 
Lowpoint,  111.,  every  weekend  to  sup- 
port her  home  congregation  of  Oak 
Grove.  In  addition  to  standard  roles 
such  as  Sunday  school  teacher,  board 
member,  and  secretary-treasurer,  she 
has  served  the  district  as  a  represen- 
tative to  the  Illinois  Council  on 
Alcohol  Problems  and  has  worked 
with  missions  and  temperance  in 
women's  work. 

Promoting  a  theme  of  "New 
Horizons"  in  the  second  century  of 
the  WCTU,  Juanita  expressed  her 
own  view  of  her  continued  involve- 
ment in  church  and  temperance  work 
by  stating,  "As  long  as  I  see  families 
victimized  by  alcoholic  beverages,  I 
will  continue  to  dedicate  myself  to 
this  fight." — RosALiTA  Leonard 


May  1975  messenger  3 


Conference  to  choose 
lay  delegate  to  WCC 

Among  the  750  delegates  to  the  World 
Council  of  Churches  Assembly  late  this 
year  in  Kenya  will  be  two  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  One  is  S.  Loren 
Bowman,  general  secretary  of  the  General 
Board;  the  second  is  to  be  named  by  An- 
nual Conference. 

In  accord  with  World  Council 
guidelines,  the  second  delegate  is  to  be  a 
lay  person.  Better  yet,  so  far  as  WCC 
guidelines  go,  if  the  delegate  is  from  an 
ethnic  background,  female  and  young  as 
well  as  a  lay  member. 

Quotas  being  rigidly  enforced  by  the 
World  Council  are  aimed  at  achieving  for 
the  Fifth  Assembly  a  fairer  balance  in 
terms  of  clergy/lay,  men/women, 
youth/older,  and  confessional  and 
geographical  factors.  At  the  last  assembly 
in  1968  only  9  percent  of  the  delegates  were 
women  and  only  4  percent  under  35. 

Tentative  registration  of  delegates  from 
the  271  member  churches  indicates  this 
year  women  will  number  at  least  20  percent 
and  under-30s  10  percent. 

To  be  held  in  Nairobi  Nov.  23  —  Dec.  10, 
the  Fifth  Assembly  will  involve  2,500  par- 
ticipants all  told,  including  advisers  and 
journalists,  the  latter  including  a 
Messenger  representative. 

A  study  booklet  on  the  assembly  theme, 
Jesus  Christ  Frees  and  Unites,  is  available 
in  some  30  translations.  In  addition  to  Bi- 
ble studies,  major  sections  of  the  booklet 
parallel  the  six  key  topics  to  come  before 
the  assembly;  Confessing  Christ  Today, 
What  Unity  Requires,  Seeking  Communi- 
ty, Education  for  Liberation  and  Com- 
munity, Structures  of  Injustice  and 
Struggles  for  Liberation,  and  Human 
Development. 

The  Nairobi  gathering  will  be  the  first 
assembly  of  the  World  Council  to  con- 
vene in  Africa.  The  host  country  is  com- 
prised of  13  million  persons,  67  percent  of 
whom  are  Christians.  Kenya's  Christian 
roots  date  back  to  the  coming  of  Portu- 
guese travelers  at  the  end  of  the  15th  cen- 
tury and  to  the  penetration  of  mission- 
aries in  the  1840s. 

The  WCC  Assembly  is  a  forum  for  the 
churches  of  the  Protestant,  Anglican, 
Orthodox,  and  Old  Catholic  confessions  to 
chart  joint  efforts  in  the  fields  of  Christian 
unity,  witness,  and  service. 

4  MESSENGER  May  1975 


November  23-December  10,  the  World  Council  of  Churches  will  hold  its  Fifth  Assembl) 
at  Kenyatta  Center,  an  ultra-modern  complex  of  buildings  in  Nairobi,  Kenya.  The  centei 
is  named  for  Jomo  Kenyatta,  founding  father  and  president  of  the  republic. 


Brethren  impressed 
by  Chinese  virtues 

"In  many  ways  the  Chinese  exemplify 
Christianity  more  than  we  do  in  our 
society!"  Christian  virtue  in  communist 
China?  That,  indeed,  is  the  case,  according 
to  Helen  Grossnickle  and  three  other 
Brethren  farmers  back  from  an  eye- 
opening  tour  of  that  formerly  forbidden 
peoples  republic. 

Guests  of  the  China  Travel  Bureau  on  a 
farmers  tour  arranged  by  the  newspaper. 
The  Guardian,  Helen  and  Max  Grossnickle 
of  Curlew,  Iowa,  Charles  Sheller  of  Eldora, 
Iowa,  and  Harley  Kline  of  Manassas,  Va., 
spent  three  weeks  in  January  and  February 
gathering  impressions  of  farm  and  family 
life  in  China. 

Chinese  farming  they  found  primitive 
but  efficient.  Almost  all  labor  is  manual, 
but  all  available  land  is  tilled,  animals  feed 
on  by-products — leaving  precious  grain  for 
people,  everything  is  recycled,  nothing  is 
wasted.  The  result;  a  spartan  existence,  but 
a  secure  one — well-fed,  well-clothed,  cheer- 


ful, hard-working,  honest  people. 

Particularly  impressive  to  the  Brethren 
visitors  was  the  way  Chinese  are  involved 
in  economic  and  political  life.  They  saw  thf 
average  Chinese  as  well-educated  and 
knowledgeable,  recognizing  their  place  in 
the  economic  and  political  structure,  and 
participating  as  qualified  members  of  theii 
society.  "There  are  no  leeches,  no  parasites 
in  Chinese  society.  If  you  don't  work,  ther 
forget  it!" 

The  Brethren  party  saw  no  overt 
Christianity  and  were  unable  to  arrange  tc 
attend  church  services.  However,  they  left 
China  with  the  feeling  that  the  essence  of 
Christianity — selflessness  and  service — 
permeates  Chinese  society  today. 
Everything  is  to  be  gained,  and  nothing 
lost,  by  Chinese-American  friendship,  they 
stated.  The  Chinese  have  so  much  to  offer 
a  hungry  world,  that  for  the  four  Brethren, 
their  greatest  hope  would  be  for  cultural 
exchanges  of  all  kinds  to  be  developed. 

The  Brethren  involvement  in  the  tour 
was  coordinated  by  Lamar  Gibble,  World 
Ministries  peace  and  international  affairs 
consultant. 


New  Windsor  setting  for 
On  Earth  Peace  l^iclcoff 


"If  war  is  to  be  replaced  by  peace  as  a  way 
of  settling  differences,  then  it  is  the  church 
that  has  to  do  it."  Keynote-addressing  the 
On  Earth  Peace"  consultation  at  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  on  March  7,  actor  Don 
Murray  called  the  Brethren  to  a  task  that 
the  secular  world  is  unable  to  accomplish. 
The  secular  world  cannot  spearhead  the 
peace  movement,  the  former  BVSer  said, 
because,  having  no  center  to  turn  to,  it 
always  presents  an  inconsistent  front.  For 
Brethren,  he  went  on,  that  center  is  Christ. 
The  "On  Earth  Peace"  consultation,  con- 
ened  by  M.  R.  Zigler,  was  but  the  over- 
ure  for  a  whole  series  of  peace  conferences 
0  be  orchestrated  this  year  by  the  veteran 
jBrethren  peace  activist.  New  Windsor  will 
ijbe  the  setting  for  all  the  conferences,  which 
ill  bring  together  a  variety  of  groups  from 
he  Brethren  and  other  historic  peace 
hurches.  The  first  conference,  convened 
r  the  Easter  weekend  by  Bethany 
Seminary  professor  Don  Miller,  brought 
together  representatives  of  the  seminary 
and  the  six  Brethren  colleges. 

Explaining  the  purpose  of  the  "On  Earth 
Peace"  conferences  when  he  successfully 
petitioned  for  General  Board  authorization 
in  February,  Zigler  said: 

"The  aim  of  'On  Earth  Peace'  con- 
ferences is  to  clarify  the  issues  that  the 
Christian  church  must  face  regarding 
violence  with  specific  reference  to  war  as  a 
method  of  peacemaking,  and  to  promote 


Old  man,  clear-cut  trail:  M. 
R.  Zigler  has  had  a  dream 
of  New  Windsor  being  the 
focal  point  of  such  a  move- 
ment as  "On  Earth  Peace" 
for  a  long  time.  "New 
Windsor  is  a  sacred  spot  for 
many  people.  The  program 
here  is  a  good  example  of 
what  we  Brethren  can  do — 
a  program  rooted  in 
Brethren  beginnings  but 
branching  out  to  become 
interdenominational.  This 
is  why  'On  Earth  Peace' 
belongs  at  New  Windsor. " 


conferences  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  search  of  a  better  way  to  settle  human 
conflicts. 

"This  movement  does  not  intend  to  solve 
all  problems  in  this  area  of  present-day 
human  living.  It  can  do  something  in  the 
name  of  Christ  through  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  by  endeavoring  to  implement  the 
message  that  came  when  Christ  was  born: 
'On  earth  peace  and  good  will  among 
men.'" 

The  conference  series  is  related  to  the 
World  Ministries  Commission  through  the 


office  of  Kenneth  McDowell.  Self- 
supporting  with  a  budget  of  $30,000,  it  is 
designated  a  special  project  beyond  the 
current  budget  of  the  General  Board. 

Summing  up  the  March  7-8  consulta- 
tion, which  brought  together  Brethren 
peace  activists  to  form  a  "think  tank"  for 
peace  ideas,  the  83-year-old  Zigler  declared 
that  for  the  first  time  since  becoming 
Home  Mission  Secretary  in  1919  he  was 
"on  a  clear-cut  trail  into  the  future  with  a 
great  potential,  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  and  outside,  for  peace  on  earth." 


Left:  Don  Murray,  tv 
and  film  actor,  was 
the  keynote  speaker 
for  the  consultation. 
He  is  appearing  in  "A 
Girl  Named  Sooner" 
on  NBC-TV  in  June. 
Murray  served  in 
BVS  in  Europe  from 
1952  to  1955. 

Right:  A  small-group 
discussion  zeros  in  on 
ideas  for  replacing 
war  with  peace  in 
settling  disputes. 


May  1975  messenger  5 


New  Cuban  ties  hoped  for 
after  Brethren  overture 

Since  the  Cuban  revolution  in  the  early  60s  a 
cold  wall  of  separation  has  kept  Cuba 
isolated  from  the  United  States  and  other 
countries  of  the  hemisphere.  Now,  over  a 
decade  later,  human  warmth  and  contact 
from  both  sides  has  begun  to  melt  this  frozen 
relationship. 

Merle  Crouse,  World  Ministries  staff 
member  with  responsibilities  for  Latin 
America,  is  hopeful  that  Brethren  can 
become  involved  in  reconstructing  healthy 
relationships  with  Cubans.  "Brethren  have 
had  a  traditional  concern  for  peoples 
separated  by  wars  or  governmental  policies," 
observed  the  Latin  American  representative. 
"Just  as  Brethren  are  beginning  to  get  into 
China,  I'm  hoping  Brethren  can  find  ways  of 
getting  into  Cuba  and  becoming  reconciled 
to  the  Cubans  of  today." 


At  the  1974  fall  General  Board  meetings 
the  World  Ministries  Commission  granted 
$1,100  to  cover  expenses  of  a  trip  to  Cuba 
made  by  Panamanian  Hacinto  Ordoniez, 
executive  secretary  of  the  Latin  American 
Association  of  Theological  Schools.  At  the 
invitation  of  the  Association  of  Evangelical 
Churches  of  Cuba,  Ordoniez  participated 
in  the  association's  annual  assembly  and 
afterwards  toured  Protestant  seminaries. 
He  reported  the  seminaries  lacking  in 
current  books  and  new  ideas  as  they 
struggled  on  with  the  task  of  theological 
training.  To  aid  in  the  advancement  of 
three  of  the  seminaries  WMC  provided 
$400  for  the  purchase  of  new  library  books. 

As  an  outgrowth  of  his  trip,  Ordoniez 
has  begun  to  set  up  contacts  that  may 
enable  more  Cuban  Christians  to  come  out 
and  participate  in  church  life  elsewhere.  He 
hopes  these  contacts  will  encourage  and 
make  possible  the  invitation  of  other 
church  leaders  from  the  western 


hemisphere  into  Cuba. 

In  a  further  effort  to  undergird  the  move 
toward  reconciliation.  World  Ministries 
granted  $2,500  in  support  of  the  Cuba 
Resource  Center  in  New  York  City.  An 
ecumenical  organization,  its  purpose  is  to 
gather  timely,  accurate  information  about 
Cuba  today  and  distribute  it  as  widely  as 
possible  among  church  people  and  others 
in  the  United  States.  It  is  the  hope  of  the 
center  that  upon  receiving  this  new 
knowledge.  North  Americans  will  begin  to 
reassess  their  attitudes  about  Cuba  and 
find  ways  of  developing  more  wholesome 
relationships. 

Commenting  on  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren's  role  in  this  new  effort  of  recon- 
ciliation. Merle  Crouse  says,  "It  is  my  feel- 
ing that  Brethren  should  become  more  ac- 
tive in  influencing  the  US  government  to 
begin  to  dismantle  the  isolation  that  we 
have  helped  to  develop — the  isolation  of 
Cuba  today." 


Irish  Catholic  parish 
puts  minibus  to  use 

While  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  has  been 
represented  in  Belfast  with  volunteer 
workers  in  either  Catholic  or  Protestant 
sectors  for  several  years,  the  church's 
presence  there  earlier  this  year  took  still 


another  form:  That  of  a  bright  red 
minibus. 

The  17-passenger  vehicle  was  presented 
by  European  Brethren  Service  director 
Dale  Ott  to  St.  Vincent  de  Paul's 
Presbytery,  for  use  in  outreach  programs 
to  the  Ligoniel  community.  "Life  for 
youngsters  and  senior  citizens  of  Ligoniel 
should  prove  a  lot  more  cheerful  in  the 


days  ahead,"  asserted  The  Irish  News,  a 
Belfast  periodical  which  covered  the 
"turning  over  of  the  keys"  with  a  front- 
page treatment. 

One  of  the  early  uses  slated  for  the  van 
was  to  drive  the  Youth  Club's  three  foot- 
ball teams  to  their  Saturday  matches.  It 
was  booked  also  for  outings  and  excur- 
sions by  senior  citizens. 

In  accepting  the  gift,  St.  Vincent's 
chaplain  Fr.  H.  Rooney  expressed  thanks 
to  Mr.  Ott  and  to  Marguerite  Earhart,  a 
BVS  worker  in  the  Ligoniel  parish  for 
more  than  a  year.  Without  the  help  of 
Brethren  Service,  said  Fr.  Rooney,  the 
parish  could  never  have  had  the  minibus 
which  he  said  will  prove  an  asset  both  to 
the  Youth  Club  and  the  community. 

Fr.  Rooney  also  commended  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  for  sending  such  a 
volunteer  as  Marguerite  to  the  parish.  "Shci 
is  a  real  credit  and  wonderful  ambassador 
of  your  organization." 


Dale  Ott  (second  right),  director  of. 
Brethren  Service  in  Europe,  hands  oven 
kevs  to  the  new  minibus  to  Mr.  E.  Smith,^ 
chairman  of  the  Ligoniel  Youth  Club.k 
Marguerite  Earhart  (third  left)  has  beerff, 
working  with  the  youth  of  the  Ligonie^ 
Parish  for  the  past  year  as  a  BVSer. 


6  MESSENGER  May  1975 


ansas  CROP  leader 
ins  'bucket'  award 

in  D.  Frantz,  director  of  the  CROP 
gram  in  Kansas,  is  the  1975  winner  of 
OP's  annual  Order  of  the  Bucket 
ird.  The  recognition  is  given  to  the 
OP  director  who  has  given  most  un- 


in   Frantz  (left)  accepts  CROP  award 

ishly  to  help  the  hungry  people  of  the 

rid. 

"or  Mr.  Frantz,  a  member  of  the  Church 

ihe  Brethren,  the  award  was  based  on  21 

[rs  of  service  with  CROP  and  the 

[lership  he  gave  in  1974  in  making  Kan- 

'top  state  in  CROP  contributions. 

ie  began  his  work  with  CROP  in  1954, 

jlUinois  director.  From  1963-67  he  was 

d  representative  and  clothing  coordi- 

ijor  for  CROP  nationally.  In  1967  he  was 

,ed  special  projects  director,  during 
,ch  time  he  was  interim  business 
jnager  of  Korea  Church  World  Service 

supervisor  for  the  construction  of  the 
fional  CROP  office  building  at  Elkhart, 

pon  taking  the  directorship  in  Kansas 
ntz  returned  to  his  native  state.  His  of- 
is  located  at  Topeka,  Kansas, 
ansas  donations  to  CROP,  the  Com- 
lity  Hunger  Appeal  of  Church  World 
vice,  totaled  $381,557  last  year, 
he  "Order  of  the  Bucket"  originated  in 
;ar.  Neb.,  in  1966,  when  a  Methodist, 
li  Springer,  brought  an  old,  empty 
ket  to  church  one  evening  and  chal- 
;ed  her  friends  to  fill  it  with  grain  for 
OP.  By  Thanksgiving  a  month  later  the 
nspeople  of  Edgar  had  given  enough 
n  to  fill  a  boxcar. 

Worsened  hunger  situations  in  many 
:s  of  the  world  and  heightened 
reness  by  Americans  netted  CROP  a  25 
;ent  gain  in  1974  receipts  over  the  year 
ire. 


[uiDDdlSLrDDinK 


SUBSCRIPTION  RATES 


for  Messenger  effective  Aug.  1  will 


be  $4.80  yearly  on  the  Every  Family  Plan  and  $6  on  the  indi- 
vidual basis.   The  mounting  cost  of  postage,  paper,  and 
labor  are  factors  v?hich  prompt  the  rate  adjustment. 


PEOPLE   YOU  KNOW 


The  return  to  South  Vietnam  of  Breth- 


ren Service  workers  Lynn  and  H'Wiet  Cabbage   and  son  Dawson 
was  canceled  by  military  developments  in  tihe  central  high- 
lands, where  Lynn  had  instituted  an  agricultural  program  at 
Bam  Me  Thuot.   The  Cabbages  had  planned  a  second  term  with 
Vietnam  Christian  Service. 

Honored  by  the  Federal  Republic  of  Germany  for  his  long- 
term  leadership  in  German-American  cooperation  was  Andrew 
W_.    Cordier.      He  is  the  recipient  of  the  Commander's  Cross 
of  the  German  Order  of  Merit. 

John   J.  Cassel ,    pastor  of  the  Curryville  church  in  Mid- 
dle Pennsylvania,  will  become  director  of  church  relations 
with  responsibilities  in  field  education  and  recruitment 
for  Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  beginning  June  15. 

On  short  term  assignments  at  Puerto  Rico's  Castaner 
Hospital  are  Dr.  and  Mrs .    Homer  Burke,    from  mid-March  to 
May  1,  and  Dr_.    and  Mrs.    Daryl   Parker,   May  1  to  mid- July. 

McPherson  College  football  star  Glenn  Anderson ,   Chest- 
er, Pa.,  has  signed  a  contract  with  the  Cleveland  Browns. 

John  D_.    Toml onson ,    executive  secretary  of  the  Michigan 
District  and  pastor  at  Kalamazoo  (see  article,  p.  20),  is 
president  of  the  Michigan  Council  of  Churches.  .  .  .  David 
L_.   Rogers ,   pastor.  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  is  vice  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  the  Indiana  State  Pastors  Conference. 

John  H.    B lough,    11,    died  Feb.  17  at  La  Verne,  Calif. 
He  was  chaplain  at  Hillcrest  Homes,  former  pastor  of  sever- 
al Brethren  and  Congregational  churches,  and  one-time  di- 
rector of  evangelism  for  the  Illinois  Council  of  Churches. 


CONTEMPORARY  PERSPECTIVES 


on  the  Christian  faith 


will  be  offered  in  a  workshop  at  Manchester  College  June 
9 — July  2.   Lecturers  for  a  series  of  minicourses  will  be 
Phyllis  Carter,    June  12-13;  Gray don  F.    Snyder ,   June  16-17; 
Russell   Bixler,    June  19-20;  Dale  W.    Brown ,   June  23-24;  and 
John  Wolf,   June  30 — July  1.   Open  to  laity,  clergy,  and 
students,  the  workshop  may  be  taken  on  a  full-  or  part- 
time  basis.   Write  Department  of  Religion  and  Philosophy, 
Manchester  College,  North  Manchester,  Ind.  46962. 

Western  Pennsylvania  District  on  May  11  plans  to  rally 
5,000  Brethren  at  Johnstown's  War  Memorial  to  hear  guest 
leaders  Donald  E_.   Rowe   and  Alvin   F.  Brightbill . 

A  work/talk  simmer  conference  of  the  Brethren  Action 
Movement  June  18-23  will  involve  construction  at  the  home 
of  Bob  and  Rachel   Gross,   Rt.  2.,  Churubusco,  Ind.  46723. 
Bible  study  and  discussions  on  land  and  nutrition  will  be 
a  part  of  the  interchange  on  Christian  discipleship. 


PATCHWORK 


A  heritage  quilt  or  quilts  will  be  pro- 


duced at  Annual  Conference  and  auctioned  by  the  Association 
for  the  Arts.   Each  congregation  is  invited  to  provide  one 
piece  representative  of  local  church  history.   For  details, 
contact  Mary  Ann  Hylton,    Braddock  Heights,  Md.   21714. 

May  1975  messenger  7 


i^pdmt(B 


NEW  CONGREGATIONS   -   NEW  BEGINNINGS .      A  new  congregation  in 
Fredericksburg    (Iowa)  has  as  its  parents  the  Hillcrest 
Baptist   and  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.      The  former  congre- 
gations are  selling  their  church  properties  and  planning 
toward  a  new  facility  in  the  Hillcrest  area. 

The  James  Creek   congregation  (Pa.)  is  finding  new  life 
in  its  new  church  home.   Since  vacating  the  113-year-old 
building  north  of  Marklesburg  in  197  3,  the  church  has  pur- 
chased and  is  renovating  the  three-building  plant  of  a 
former  Methodist  congregation  in  Marklesburg. 

Shenandoah  rejoices  in  the  congregational  status  of 
Walker  Chapel    at  Mt.  Jackson.   The  80-year-old  meeting 
place  for  the  Pleasant  View   congregation  is  now  a  church  of 
108  members  with  William  Zirk  as  pastor. 

The  Degan  chimes,  once  a  part  of  the  Cedar  Rapids 
church  will  continue  to  aid  in  the  worship  of  a  Church  of 
the  Brethi'en.   They  have  been  installed  in  the  Fairview 
church  in  Udell,  Iowa.   The  Chimes  were  a  memorial  to  the 
Virgil  Speer  family  that  died  in  an  accident  in  1957 . 

Organist  Diane  Rist,  in  recital,  dedicated  the  new 
organ  at  the  Martinsburg    (Pa.)  church  in  November.  ... 
Lanark    (111.)  church  dedicated  a  new  parsonage  at  a  pre- 
Christmas  Sunday  afternoon  fellowship  on  Dec.  22.  ...  Up- 
date  apologies  for  reporting  in  January  that  Union  City 
(Ind.)  church  had  a  new  parsonage.   It's  a  new  parsonage 
family ,    not  house. 

CONGREGATIONAL  COMMEMORATIONS :      Three  churches  recently 
joined  the  Golden   50th  anniversary   circle.   They  are  the 
Keyser    (W.  Va . )  church  in  January,  Midland    (Mich.)  in  No- 
vember and  Winter  Park,     (Fla.)  with  a  year- long  emphasis  in 
'75.  ...  San  Diego    (Calif.)  marked  62   years   as  a  congre- 
gation in  November.  ...  The  Lynchburg   church  (Va.)  pre- 
sented a  daylong  Christmas  celebration  commemorating  the 
congregation's  10   years.    ...  Scalp  Level    (Pa.)  church  mem- 
bers enjoyed  pictures  of  the  ground  breaking  ceremony  18 
years   earlier  at  the  January  observance.  ...  When  the  Lynn- 
haven    (Ariz.)  church  commemorated  its  20th  anniversary , 
members  of  the  Glendale   church  joined  in  the  event  by  send- 
ing a  $100  gift  as  part  of  its  own  homecoming  festivities. 
. . .  25_  years   in  the  present  building  was  occasion  for  a 
month- long  church  emphasis  during  April  at  Long  Beach 
(Calif.) .  ...  Heritage   was  the  75th  anniversary   keynote  of 
the  Nampa    (Idaho)  church  and  the  First  Church ,   York,  (Pa.) 
observances  both  in  October,  and  of  the  Trotwood    (Ohio) 
congregation's  six-month  celebration  now  underway.   The 
Trotwood  church  invites  Annual  Conferencegoers  and  others 
to  a  homecoming  worship  hour,  fellowship  meal,  and  after- 
noon celebration  June  22. 

The  wel come  smoke  of   a_  burning  mortgage   was  raised  at  the 
Madison  Avenue   church,  York  (Pa.)  on  Jan.  19  when  the  sanctu- 
ary was  declared  debt  free.  ...  Sebring    (Fla.)  celebrated 
liquidation  of  the  debt  on  the  Blough  Social/Educational 
building  on  Feb.  2.  ...  Jan.  26  was  open  house  mortgage  burn- 
ing day  for  the  parsonage  at  Garden  City    (Kans.).  ...  On  Dec. 
8  the  Peters  Creek    (Va.)  church  burned  its  mortgage  and  en- 
gaged in  special  devotionals  and  a  musical  program. 

8  MESSENGER  May  1975 


Poetry,  music,  service: 
Arab  youth  camping 

Seemingly  one  of  the  least  inspiring  plao 
for  a  young  poet  would  be  a  refugee  can 
However,  for  one  13-year-old  who  wroU 
excellent  verse  in  Arabic,  life  as  a  refuge 
youngster  was  the  subject  to  which  she 
turned  most  frequently. 

And  often  gathered  around  her  were 
other  refugee  youth  intent  on  experienci 
the  recital  of  fresh,  flowing  lines.  At  tim 
it  was  difficult  to  break  up  the  group  fo 
other  activities. 

The  setting  was  the  1974  Summer  Cat 
Program  for  Palestine  Arab  refugees  hel 
at  Deir  Ammar  Refugee  Camp  on  the  W 
Bank  of  Jordan.  It  was  an  event  organiz 
principally  by  UNRWA  (United  Nations 
Relief  and  Works  Agency  for  Palestine 
Refugees)  and  assisted  both  with 
volunteers  and  funds  from  the  Church  o 
the  Brethren. 

Two  camps  were  conducted  last  year, 
one  for  boys  and  one  for  girls,  all  depriv 
youngsters  from  the  Arab  refugee  com- 
munity. Since  the  Summer  Camp  Progn 
was  begun  in  1969,  a  total  of  500  boys  a 
31 1  girls  ages  10-16  have  benefited  from 
the  three-week  experiences. 

The  camps  have  been  designed  to  en- 
courage cooperation,  develop  simple  ski 
engage  children  in  cultural  activities  (fol 
dancing,  plays,  poetry  reading),  and  to 
relieve  boys  and  girls  temporarily  from 
crowded  refugee  camp  living  conditions. 

Over  the  past  six  years  179  Palestiniai 
Arab  refugee  volunteers  and  28  inter- 
national foreign  volunteers  have  con- 
tributed their  knowledge  and  skills  to  th 
camps.  Brethren  volunteers  on  project  ir 
Europe  have  been  involved  each  year  sir! 
the  program's  beginning,  and  Brethren 
funds  have  been  donated  since  1971. 

Aside  from  volunteer  support, 
organizations  from  numerous  foreign 
countries  have  given  moral  and  material 
support  to  help  make  the  camps  a  realit- 

Along  with  activities  ranging  from  socj 
studies  to  physical  training,  the  camps 
feature  short  term  projects.  Last  season  t 
boy  campers  adapted  a  stone  basement  t 
a  full  sized  basketball  court  for  the  refuj 
girls  school  in  the  area.  Later,  the  girl 
campers  mixed  mortar  and  surfaced  the 
basketball  court. 

To  encourage  the  youth  to  help  other; 
experience  something  of  what  was  being 


Brethren  funds  and  volunteers  assist  a  summer  camp  program  that  helps  Palestinean  children  find  relief  from  life  in  refugee  camps. 


done  for  them,  the  girls  hosted  elderly 
refugee  women  for  a  day — one  to  each 
house  in  which  the  campers  were  grouped. 
The  girls  trained  in  advance  on  how  to 
prepare  food  and  entertainment  and  how 
to  offer  care  and  affection.  Some  70 
women  thus  were  enabled  to  break  away 
from  the  drabness  of  refugee  camp  life  for 
a  special  treat  outside. 

As  an  outreach  project  in  the  boys' 
camp,  a  set  of  furniture  was  produced  for  a 
kindergarten  to  be  established  at  Deir  Am- 
mar.  The  girl  campers  prepared  teaching 
aids  and  toys  for  the  kindergarten. 

Another  activity  emphasized  at  the  girls' 
camp  was  a  music  program,  with  Brethren 
volunteer  Jim  Leasure  of  Modesto,  Calif., 
providing  leadership.  The  camp's  closing 
day  ceremonies  were  highlighted  by  40  of 
the  87  campers  giving  a  program  in  which 
the  girls  sang  and  accompanied  themselves 
with  musical  instruments. 

Coming  to  that  point  took  some  do- 
ing, however,  as  Jim  recalls.  Many  of  the 
girls  had  no  idea  what  to  do  with  the 
instruments  for  they  had  never  had  any 
form  of  music  before.  The  recorder  was 
hardest  to  get  pleasant  sounds  out  of;  if 
one  blew  too  hard,  only  squeaks  came — 
and  all  wanted  to  play  the  loudest.  The 
first  tune  was  "Are  You  Sleeping,  Brother 
JohnT' 


But  the  instruments  were  only  part  of  the 
problem;  language  was  another.  The  girls 
could  handle  20  words  of  English,  Jim. 
even  fewer  of  Arabic.  Nonetheless, 
progress  was  made  in  the  21  days  of 
classes,  enough  so  that  some  of  the  girls 
learned  to  read  and  write  rhythms  and  to 
perform  reasonably  well  together. 

"The  happiness  and  the  joy  the  girls  had 
in  their  faces  at  the  closing  ceremony  will 
be  memories  for  a  life  time:  eighty  very 
affectionate  campers  joining  together  to 


sing  "Kumbayah." 

"I  want  to  thank  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  for  making  it  possible  for  me  to 
be  a  part  of  the  camp,  and  for  enabling  me 
to  share  my  special  God-given  talents  in 
music  so  that  these  girls  could  know  the 
excitement  and  joy  1  feel  from  musical  ex- 
periences," Jim  reflected.  "And  to  say  'Goc 
bless  you'  because  you  have  taken  interest 
in  these  people  who  are  working  to  raise 
and  give  new  opportunities  to  their  own 
people." 


June  conference  set 
on  believers'  church 

In  the  pattern  of  the  past  two  believers' 
church  conferences,  Pepperdine  University 
in  California  June  5-8  will  host  represen- 
tatives from  a  wide  segment  of  the  free 
church  tradition. 

To  be  featured  will  be  a  series  of  scholar- 
ly presentations  on  restitutionism,  or 
restorationism,  a  theme  that  has  related  to 
dissent  and  renewal  in  the  history  of 
Christianity  from  the  immediate  pre- 
Reformation  period  to  the  present. 

According  to  the  planners,  even  though 
the  theme  is  a  common  and  persistent  one 
for  many  church  bodies,  it  seldom  has  been 
explored  systematically.  The  conference  is 


expected  to  provide  a  foundation  for  ongo- 
ing investigation  especially  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  free  churches. 

In  the  lectures  various  speakers  will  ex- 
amine the  theme  as  experienced  by  the 
Waldensians,  Hussites,  Bohemian 
Brethren,  Puritans,  English  Baptists,  Dis- 
ciples of  Christ,  Churches  of  Christ,  Chris- 
tian Humanists,  and  communal  and  black 
groups. 

For  details  on  the  upcoming  event  the 
contact  person  is  Prof.  Richard  T.  Hughes, 
coordinator.  Believers'  Church  Conference, 
Pepperdine  University,  Malibu,  Calif. 
90265. 

Previous  believers'  church  conferences 
were  held  in  1967  at  Southern  Baptist 
Seminary,  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  in  1970  at 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary. 

May  1975  messenger  9 


)P©©osiD  [rsp©[rlt 


Impressions 
of 
Niger 


Niger  (pronounced  nee-ZHEER),  one  of  the  newest 
countries  that  the  Brethren  have  responded  to  in  serv 
ice,  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  terms  of  history.  Ancient  ro 
paintings  in  the  desert  bespeak  of  a  time  when  the 
Sahara  was  well-watered  and  large  animals  that  are 
now  restricted  to  the  southerly  grasslands  roamed  its 
verdant  plains.  In  Rome's  heyday  chariots  rumbled 
across  rocky  roads  to  the  Niger  river,  and  in  a  later  di 
merchants  with  camels  carried  on  a  lucrative  trade  in 
desert  salt,  gold,  ivory,  and  slaves.  Until  the  early  190 
the  slave  coffles  were  led  over  the  desert  to  Mediterri 
nean  markets,  and — what  is  less  known — not  a  few 
white  European  slaves  trudged  the  opposite  direction 

What  made  the  caravan  routes  unsafe,  aside  from 
climate,  were  the  fierce  bands  of  desert  brigands,  the 
Tuaregs,  who  made  their  living  by  preying  on  the  pas 
ing  traders. 

French  occupation  in  the  1900s  reduced  the  prouc 
Tuaregs  to  herdsmen,  and  the  recent  drought  reduced 
them  to  herdless  refugees.  Hopefully  the  Tuaregs  can 


<€:"^ 


^ 
■^'^v. 


-,M- 


'■*?(-?. 


*^ 


lapt  themselves  to  settled  farming  in  the  better- 
btered  regions  of  southern  Niger.  It  is  to  that  task  that 
)e  Brethren  have  addressed  themselves  by  recent 
Snerai  Board  action. 

;  This  summer  Ralph  and  Flossie  Royer,  long-term 
[geria  workers,  will  begin  service  in  Niger,  assessing 
Issibilities  for  projects  in  water  and  soil  conservation, 
torestation,  and  food  production.  Grayce  Brum- 
ugh,  serving  in  Nigeria  since  1937,  is  giving  short- 
rm  service  in  a  hospital  in  Agadez,  in  central  Niger. 

Southern  Niger  is  populated  by  subsistence 
■mers — mostly  Hausa  people  (as  in  northern 
geria) — whose  main  crops  are  guinea  corn  and  millet. 
le  nomadic  Fulani  people  herd  cattle,  goats,  and 
zep  on  the  open  grasslands.  The  camel  caravans  still 
rry  salt  from  Bilma  oasis  and  Lake  Chad  to  the  mud- 
illed  market  towns  of  the  country.  This  is  Niger,  a 
oud  African  country  that  asks  not  for  handouts  but  a 
nd.  The  Brethren  are  responding. 

—  Text  and  sketches  by  Kermon  Thomason 


■1?1^_ 


.# 


w^ 


^^. 


DON  ROWE 

Moderator 


in  a 


changing  role 


"P 


robably  no  Annual  Conference 
moderator  before  Don  Rowe  has 
come  to  the  position  with  as  varied 
behind-the-scenes  experience  as  he  has.  For 
nine  years  he  was  the  Brotherhood's  first 
Annual  Conference  manager,  and  in  that 
role  he  helped  shape  today's  Annual  Con- 
ferences. For  the  past  ten  months  he  has 
had  opportunity  to  test  the  role  he  helped 
to  mold  for  the  modern  moderator.  In  an 
interview  at  midterm  Moderator  Rowe 
reflected  on  the  moderatorship  past,  pres- 
ent, and  future  with  Messenger's  manag- 
ing editor: 

Don,  you  served  as  Annual  Conference 
manager  for  nine  years,  and  have  seen 
moderators  come  and  go.  We  have  had 
pastors,  a  layman,  college  presidents,  and 
professors.  What  do  we  look  for  when  we 
choose  a  moderator-elect? 

One  qualification  is  a  very  thorough  ac- 
quaintance with  the  Brotherhood.  The 
church  looks  for  someone  who  can  respond 
to  concerns  of  various  groups  within  the 
Brotherhood.  The  moderator  has  to  be 


open.  The  church  looks  for  a  person  with 
maturity  and  stability,  who  symbolizes  that 
in  the  church. 

In  my  own  case,  it  helped,  I  think,  to  be 
well  known.  I've  had  visibility  over  the 
years,  and  people  identify  with  someone 
they  know.  I  am  probably  identified  more 
with  the  structure  than  many  past 
moderators. 

Your  years  as  Annual  Conference 
manager  and  Brotherhood  staff  person  not 
only  gave  you  visibility,  but  valuable  ex- 
perience. 

Yes,  that's  right. 

I've  heard  you  say  that  the  role  of  An- 
nual Conference  manager  changes.  What 
are  some  of  the  "umbrellas"  of  present-day 
moderators? 

The  one  most  visible  and  understood  is 
the  moderating  of  the  Annual  Conference 
itself.  Prior  to  that  is  the  chairing  of  the 
Annual  Conference  Central  Committee 
that  plans  for  Conference.  Then  by  virtue 
of  position,  the  moderator  is  a  member  of 
the  General  Board  and  attends  its 


meetings.  The  moderator  is  called  upon  to 
represent  the  church  on  various  occa- 
sions— district  conferences,  for  example. 

I  have  attended  250th  anniversaries  of 
congregations,  and,  as  a  fraternal  represen- 
tative, conferences  of  other  denominations, 
such  as  the  Brethren  Church  and  the 
American  Baptist  Convention. 

Sometimes  the  moderator  is  sought  out 
as  a  mediator,  or  interpreter  of 
Brotherhood  program  policy.  The  other 
day  I  had  a  letter  from  someone  asking 
about  our  relation  to  the  National  Council 
of  Churches.  Apparently  the  person  felt  the 
moderator  would  be  a  more  impartial  per- 
son to  ask  than  a  staff  member. 

In  another  capacity  1  am  attending  brief- 
ing sessions  for  Conference  delegates  this 
spring.  I  have  to  keep  a  neutral  stance,  but 
I  do  try  to  help  delegates  have  a  feel  for  the 
issues  in  the  business  of  Conference. 

Do  you  have  any  function  as  a  represen- 
tative of  the  Brethren  to  agencies  like  the 
National  Council  of  Churches'? 

There  is  no  assigned  function.  I  have 


I   I   !  '  ^;^ 


engaged  in  several  fraternal  visits.  I  attend- 
ed the  World  Conference  on  Peace  and 
Religion  in  Leuven,  Belgium,  at  the  invita- 
tion of  our  World  Ministries  Commission. 
But  I  am  not  automatically  involved  with 
any  ecumenical  structure. 

At  Annual  Conference  we  see  you  up 
there  on  the  rostrum,  moderating,  but 
there  are  other  facets  to  that  function,  no 
doubt. 

The  moderator  needs  an  overview  of  the 
business  that  is  to  be  dealt  with.  He  works 
in  advance  with  the  conference  manager 
and  conference  secretary  in  scheduling  the 
business  and  seeing  that  the  appropriate 
representatives  are  there  to  introduce  and 
interpret  various  items  of  business.  But  the 
conference  manager  does  a  lot  of  the 
detailed  work,  and  the  moderator  acts  as  a 
consultant  for  him. 

Every  moderator  feels  the  need  to  review 
parliamentary  procedure  and  have  a  fair 
understanding  of  it. 

Although  you  do  have  a  parliamentarian 
there  to  assist  you? 

Sure,  but  you  need  to  have  a  feel  for  it 
yourself,  so  you  can  get  things  moving 
when  you  are  in  a  jam. 

I've  been  seeing  you  at  General  Board 
meetings.  What  is  your  function  there? 

As  I  said,  1  am  a  board  member.  But  I 
am  a  non-voting  member.  1  participate  in 
the  business  as  a  regular  member,  but 
without  vote. 

Then  what  do  you  do  when  the  board 
divides  into  commission  meetings? 

Oh,  I  just  float  around. 

You  mean  you  act  as  a  sort  of  con- 
sultant? 

To  some  degree,  but  1  don't  think  the 
moderator  is  ever  seen  much  as  a  consul- 
tant. 1  find  my  interest  and  involvement 
comes  more  from  my  regular  job  as  a  dis- 
trict executive. 

/  suppose  that  at  General  Board  meeting 
you  are  actually  educating  yourself  for  An- 
nual Conference. 

At  Board  meeting  you  see  the  develop- 
ment of  papers  and  issues  that  will  be  Con- 
ference business.  You  see  their  beginnings 
and  get  a  feel  for  them.  It  is  a  helpful 
background  for  the  moderator. 

In  addition  to  General  Board  meetings, 
does  the  moderator  also  attend  district 
conferences? 

Only  by  invitation.  In  most  cases  it  is  to 
bring  greetings,  but  occasionally  1  address 
a  conference.  In  a  sense  my  attending  a  dis- 

As  Conference  manager 
moderator  he  hopes  to 


trict  conference  is  a  means  of  taking  the 
pulse  of  the  church  in  that  geographical 
area:  what  is  happening,  what  concerns  are 
they  working  at,  what  directions  are  they 
taking.  It  is  to  get  a  feel  of  what  is  happen- 
ing in  the  Brotherhood,  and  to  bring  sup- 
port and  affirmation  to  the  people  in  what 
they  are  doing. 

What  happens  when  you  go  as  a  frater- 
nal visitor  to  another  denomination's  con- 
ference? 

I  had  a  good  experience  at  the  Brethren 
Church's  General  Conference  at  Ashland. 
We  had  been  making  these  fraternal  visits 
for  so  many  years,  and  I  was  wondering  if 
we  would  always  make  them  and  what 
their  value  was.  So  I  decided  to  raise  my 
concern  with  the  Brethren.  After  the 
traditional  greetings  I  observed  that  we  had 
been  separated  for  some  ninety  years  and 
that  maybe  the  time  had  come  when  we 
should  find  a  closer  working  relationship. 

So  1  sort  of  laid  it  out  there,  and  the 
response  was  tremendous.  They  applauded 
until  I  had  gone  to  my  seat  in  the 
auditorium.  I  felt  very  warmly  received. 
Afterwards  they  arranged  a  luncheon  ses- 
sion to  begin  conversations.  Since  then  I 
have  learned  that  DeWitt  L.  Miller,  ex- 
ecutive for  our  Committee  on  Interchurch 
Relations,  has  had  opportunity  to  meet 
with  them  and  there  is  some  interest  in  ex- 
ploring a  closer  working  relationship 
between  our  two  denominations. 

In  fact  the  day  I  was  there,  they 
suggested  we  ought  to  work  together  in  a 
disaster  network,  so  I  am  sure  they  have 
real  interest  in  exploring  ways  to 
cooperate.  I  felt  good  about  that  kind  of 
experience,  because  it  was  more  than  just 
an  exchange  of  greetings.  It  was  something 
that  began  to  raise  some  important 
questions  of  what  is  our  uniqueness;  what 
it  is  that  we  can  affirm  in  each  other 
through  our  common  heritage. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  hear  what  the 
Brethren  moderator  says  at  our  Annual 
Conference. 

Yes,  they  have  a  layman  this  year,  Virgil 
Barnhart,  who  lives  near  Dayton.  He  plans 
to  attend  our  entire  conference. 

You  have  alluded  to  ceremonial  func- 
tions of  the  moderator.  Would  you  cite  a 
particular  instance  in  your  case? 

I  had  a  good  experience  last  fall  at  the 
Conestoga  church.  It  was  their  250th  an- 
niversary. I  was  invited  to  come  and  to 
speak.  It  was  a  celebrative  day,  recognizing 


their  being  a  part  of  the  Brotherhood  and 
affirming  that.  It  was  an  exciting  thing  for 
me  to  be  a  part  of,  and  I  enjoyed  it. 

Would  you  say  a  bit  more  about  the 
moderator  as  mediator  or  interpreter? 

People  are  concerned  about  the  direction 
the  church  takes.  Some  ask  if  it  is  becom- 
ing too  modern,  or  if  it  is  too  identified 
with  agencies  like  the  World  Council  of 
Churches  or  the  National  Council.  They 
hear  things  on  the  radio  or  tv  and  write  to 
the  moderator  to  find  out  his  position  on 
the  question.  People  see  the  moderator  as 
an  interpreter  for  the  church  and  its 
program. 

Things  are  calm  in  the  Brotherhood 
now.  There  is  not  much  unrest,  in  my  judg- 
ment. There  have  been  times  when  the 
moderator  has  been  appealed  to  for  inter- 
pretation and  to  give  support  to  certain 
concerns  that  people  have.  But  1  think  too 
there  is  an  increasing  affirmation  of  our 
Brotherhood  staff  There  is  a  lot  of 
credibility  there,  and  from  my  vantage 
point  1  see  good  support  of  the  church's 
work  represented  through  our  Brotherhood 
program.  So  I  don't  get  a  lot  of  calls  to  be 
an  interpreter. 

Tell  me  some  more  about  the  briefing 
sessions  for  Conference  delegates. 

They  are  done  in  the  spring,  before  Con- 
ference. The  districts  set  them  up  for  their 


77?^  \ear  begms  with  la\ing  on  of  hands 


delegates,   to   give   them   a    better   under- 
standing of  the  issues  to  be  dealt  with  at 
Conference. 

Do  you  attend  one  for  each  district? 

I  am  scheduled  for  three.  There  may  be 
more.  But  it  is  left  to  the  initiative  of  each 
district. 

To  what  extent  does  the  moderator 
shape  Annual  Conference? 

That  depends  on  the  moderator.  This 


Don  Rowe  introduced  innovative  ideas.  As  the 
make  Conference  this  year  a  celebrative  event. 


May  1975  messenger  13 


year's  moderator  has  had  his  finger  into 
things  already!  For  instance  1  have  had  a 
concern  about  the  evening  sessions.  People 
have  suggested  that  the  evening  sessions  be 
more  inspirational  and  less  issue-oriented. 
It  seemed  to  me  we  ought  to  give  the 
general  evening  sessions  for  celebration 
and  inspiration.  The  planning  committee 
picked  up  on  that  and  decided  to  use  the 
Bible  Hour  periods  for  focus  or  issue 
oriented  sessions.  Then  we  will  have  Bible 
study  in  the  morning,  in  six  or  eight 
different  types  of  groups. 

I  am  hoping  that  Conference  will  be  a 
celebrative  kind  of  experience.  In  that  con- 
nection, instead  of  having  appointed 
worship  leaders,  1  proposed  that  we  have  a 
worship  committee.  So  there  will  be  central 
planning,  but  still  room  for  spontaneity. 

In  another  area  where  1  hope  to  shape 
Conference,  I  am  concerned  that  we  spend 
so  much  time  in  business  sessions  on 
editorial  detail,  taking  time  that  could  be 
used  to  debate  issues.  So  1  have  proposed 
that  report  committees  be  available  for 
people  to  see  and  work  out  editorial  details 


General  Board  meetings  give  opportunity 
to   hear  out   members  on  current   issues. 

prior  to  their  reports  being  presented.  Then 
when  the  report  gets  to  the  floor  we  won't 
spend  as  much  time  on  editorial  amend- 
ments. Central  Committee  and  Conference 
officers  support  me  in  this. 

What  will  be  one  of  the  major  business 
items  on  this  year's  Conference  agenda? 

A  very  significant  item  will  be  the  paper 


on  "The  Ministry;  Ordination  and  Family 
Life."  It  is  very  important  that  from  time 
to  time  we  deal  with  our  internal  life  as  a 
church.  The  query  on  the  ministry  is  one 
that  1  originated  some  years  back  as  a  dis- 
trict executive,  which  was  taken  to  the 
Standing  Committee  by  the  district  ex- 
ecutives who  authorized  the  study. 

Have  you  found  that  being  a  district  ex- 
ecutive is  helpful  in  preparing  you  for  the 
moderator's  position? 

It  helps  me  in  that  I  work  very  closely  at 
the  grass-roots  level  of  the  church.  My  own 
district  has  a  variety  of  operation  styles,  so 
1  feel  1  have  a  good  idea  of  what  the  church 
is,  Brotherhoodwise. 

What  have  been  other  positions  you 
have  held  in  the  Brotherhood? 

After  seminary  I  was  a  pastor  at  Dixon, 
111.,  and  at  Pasadena,  Calif.  Then  I  was 
secretary  of  the  Western  Region.  After 
three  years  in  that  job  I  was  the  Anniver- 
sary Call  director  from  1957  to  1959.  Later 
I  was  director  of  interpretation,  field  direc- 
tor, and  Annual  Conference  manager. 

There  had  been  no  Annual  Conference 


1975  Annual  Conference  Business 


Atems  that  Moderator  Donald  E.  Rowe 
and  delegates  to  the  Dayton  Annual  Con- 
ference will  deliberate  on  June  24-29  are  as 
follows; 

Unfinished  business 

The  Ministry:  Ordination  and  Family 
Life.  The  meaning  of  a  "set-apart," 
professional  ministry  and  counseling  for 
ministers  engulfed  in  personal  crisis  are  con- 
cerns raised  in  a  query  originated  by  Stand- 
ing Committee  in  1972.  The  committee's 
1975  report,  which  stresses  an  evolving  con- 
cept of  the  ministerial  calling  as  seen  in  the 
Bible  and  in  church  history,  interprets  or- 
dination largely  in  functional  terms.  It  also 
deals  with  the  place  of  a  support  system  and 
disciplinary  procedures  for  responding  to 
ministers  in  special  need. 

The  report  was  published  in  its  entirety  in 
the  March  Messenger. 

Life-Stewardship.  How  Christian 
stewardship  relates  to  death,  funerals,  and 
the  handling  of  estates  was  the  subject  of  a 
1973  query  from  the  Panther  Creek  church 
and  the  Iowa-Minnesota  District.  A  seven- 
member  study  committee  this  year  presents  a 
wide-ranging  report  dealing  with  five  major 
areas  and  advancing  ten  recommendations. 

The  recommendations  encourage  "a  sim- 


ple, dignified  funeral  or  memorial  service 
with  no  public  viewing";  commend  con- 
gregational workshops  on  dying  and  grief 
and  annual  emphases  on  Christian  wills;  lift 
up  consideration  of  alternatives  to  burial, 
and  suggest  individuals  talk  with  families 
and  pastors  about  their  wishes  in  regard  to 
funeral  plans  and  prolonged  medical  treat- 
ment should  they  become  unable  to  make 
such  decisions  on  their  own. 

Alcohol.  A  query  last  year  from  the  Atlan- 
tic Northeast  District  called  for  a  study  of 
ways  in  which  Brethren  could  strengthen  the 
historic  ideal  of  abstinence  from  beverage 
alcohol.  A  five-member  committee  reports 
that  its  work  is  in  process,  but  requests  ad- 
ditional time  to  complete  its  report. 

Criminal  Justice  Reform.  A  report  on  op- 
tions in  criminal  justice  reform  for  Brethren 
to  consider  is  being  presented  by  the  General 
Board,  based  upon  the  work  of  a  six-member 
task  force.  The  full  text  of  the  report  appears 
in  this  issue  on  pages  35-36. 

The  query  seeking  such  a  study  was 
presented  last  year  by  the  North  Manchester, 
Ind.,  church  and  the  South/Central  District. 

Pastor's  Salary  and  Benefits  Plan.  Based 
on  the  work  of  a  seven-member  committee 
over  the  past  two  years,  the  General  Board 
is  recommending  a  plan  that  puts  perform- 


ance review  alongside  education  and  ex- 
perience as  factors  for  determining  a  pastor's 
salary.  The  plan  also  details  guidelines  on 
housing,  professional  growth,  pension,  vaca- 
tion, and  expense  allowance. 

World  Hunger  Concern.  In  adopting  the 
1974  Statement  on  World  Hunger,  the 
delegate  body  requested  that  priority  status 
be  given  to  the  hunger  concern  in  the  current 
biennium  of  the  General  Board,  and  that  a 
further  statement  reflecting  on  the 
Brotherhood's  discussion  of  and  experience 
with  the  paper  be  submitted  in  1975.  The  new 
statement  is  to  be  completed  in  June. 

New  Business 

Brotherhood  Goal  Setting.  The  General 
Board  and  district  executives  recommend 
policies  and  procedures  for  establishing  five- 
year  priorities  for  the  entire  church — 
Brotherhood,  district,  local— for  the  1980s. 
Consultations  across  all  units  of  the  church 
are  proposed  for  gathering  input  and  foster- 
ing unity. 

1976-77  Brotherhood  Priorities.  In  es- 
sence the  proposal  calls  for  a  two-year  exten- 
sion of  the  current  priorities  plus  the  addi- 
tion of  one  new  goal — theological  education 
through  Bethany  Seminary. 

Brethren- Mennonite  Relationship.  The 


14  MESSENGER  May  1975 


manager  before  you? 

I  was  the  first.  I  continued  in  that  job 
until  "restructure"  in  1968,  when  I  went 
over  to  World  Ministries  and  became 
director  of  recruitment  and  professional 
growth.  While  I  was  Annual  Conference 
manager  and  field  director  I  also  helped 
restructure  a  number  of  districts,  reducing 
the  number  through  mergers.  I  recruited 
personnel,  helped  establish  district  offices, 
and  designed  professional  growth  ex- 
periences for  district  executives. 

How  did  we  happen  to  create  the  posi- 
tion of  Moderator-elect'' 

1  was  responsible  for  introducing  the 
idea  of  having  a  moderator-elect.  When  1 
became  the  first  Annual  Conference 
manager,  we  had  an  assistant  moderator, 
but  sometimes  he  didn't  become  the 
moderator.  So  the  moderator  might  be 
elected  and  begin  serving  his  term  on  the 
spot,  with  no  previous  experience. 

Do  you  think  our  moderators  should 
serve  longer  terms?  By  the  time  the 
Brethren  get  to  know  the  moderator,  it  is 
in  the  last  week  of  the  term  of  office. 


At  General  Board  meetings  the  moderator 
sees    development    of  papers    and   issues 

I  don't  know.  In  some  churches  a 
moderator  serves  for  two  years,  but  then 
those  churches  have  their  conference  only 
once  in  two  years. 

As  it  is,  the  year  comes  quickly  and  goes 
quickly.  Mine  will  soon  be  over.  1  have 
mixed  feelings  about  it.  Our  system  allows 
a  lot  of  different  people  to  have  the  oppor- 


tunity of  serving  and  prevents  people  from 
becoming  entrenched  in  office.  But  it 
causes  a  fast  turnover  and  doesn't  allow  for 
much  continuity.  Two  years,  though,  is  a 
big  burden  for  a  person  to  carry. 

Does  the  moderator  get  any  kind  of 
compensation  in  terms  of  salary? 

No,  just  basic  expenses.  And  often 
whatever  secretarial  staff  is  available. 

Finally,  Don,  you  mentioned  that  the 
moderator's  role  has  changed  and  enlarged 
in  the  time  since  you  first  served  as  Annual 
Conference  manager.  Do  you  foresee  a 
time  when  the  moderator  will  be  even  more 
involved  than  now?  Is  there  a  trend  toward 
more  involveiyient  until  the  moderator  has 
an  office  and  staff 

It's  leveling  off,  I  think.  There  may  be 
some  more  change,  but  I  see  the  es- 
tablishing of  a  Conference  manager  tak- 
ing some  of  the  burden  off  the  moder- 
ator. Bringing  all  the  planning  for  An- 
nual Conference  under  one  central  com- 
mittee and  a  manager  was  a  good  develop- 
ment. 

Thank  you.  Brother  Moderator!    [] 


Lincoln,  Neb.,  congregation  and  Western 
Plains  District  urge  conversations  with  Men- 
nonite  churches  to  explore  broadening 
fellowship  and  cooperation. 

Basic  Life  Support.  Support  for  the  act 
of  basic  life  support,  which  enables  a  per- 
son to  restore  and  maintain  life  in  certain 
emergency  situations,  is  called  for  by  the 
Monroeville  church  and  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania District. 

Change  of  Rules.  An  addition  to  the  con- 
ference rules  is  proposed  by  the  Berkey 
church,  Windber,  Pa.,  and  Western  Penn- 
sylvania District  to  isolate  items  needing 
business  action  from  board  or  committee 
reports. 

Christian  Ethics  and  Law  and  Order. 
Citing  data  that  the  rate  of  crime  in  the  US 
has  tripled  since  I960,  and  lifting  up  biblical 
teachings  dealing  with  law,  the  Spindale, 
N.C.,  church  and  Southeastern  District  ask 
the  General  Board  to  establish  a  task  force 
on  the  relation  of  Christian  ethics  to  the 
system  of  law  and  order  and  to  examine  how 
the  system  might  be  improved  by  the 
application  of  Christian  teachings. 

Political  Endorsement.  A  resolution  from 
the  Nampa,  Idaho,  church  and  Idaho- 
Western  Montana  District  recommends  the 
denomination  refrain  from  endorsing 
political  parties,  secular  organizations,  can- 
didates, and  foreign  governments,  though 
encouraging  expression  by  individuals  on 


Reports 

Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board.  In 
the  framework  of  the  1 974-75  biennial  goals, 
the  General  Board  interprets  program  ac- 
tivities centered  on  four  major  tasks:  Offer- 
ing good  news  to  the  world,  building  up  the 
body  of  Christ,  living  the  life  of  the  Gospel 
through  shared  relationships  and  ministries, 
and  pointing  to  the  Gospel's  challenges  for 
life  together. 

World  Council  of  Churches.  Develop- 
ments in  membership,  studies,  and  service 
are  cited  in  a  report  that  sees  the  World 
Council  as  extending  its  ministry  in  an 
atmosphere  of  emotional  and  spiritual  in- 
tensity. 

National  Council  of  Churches.  Pointed  up 
are  the  role  of  Brethren  in  the  NCC  and  the 
council's  engagement  in  national,  inter- 
national, and  ecumenical  concerns. 

Annual  Conference  Central  Committee. 
Noted  are  a  listing  of  committee  tasks, 
references  to  evaluations  of  last  year's  con- 
ference, and  data  on  the  time  and  places  of 
future  conferences:  July  27 — Aug.  1,  1976, 
Wichita,  Kansas;  June  21-26,  1977,  Rich- 
mond, Va.;  June  20-25,  1978,  Dayton,  Ohio; 
July  3-8,  1979,  Seattle,  Wash. 

Committee  on  Interchurch  Relations.  Set 
forth  are  a  biblical  perspective  on  oneness 
and  a  listing  of  recent  ecumenical  contacts. 

Bethany  Theological  Seminary.  Devel- 
opments in  the  student  body  and  faculty 
and  data  on  contributions  by  the  churches 


are  lifted  up.  Explorations  continue  on  the 
prospect  of  generating  additional  income 
through  the  commercial  development  of 
some  campus  acreage,  on  which  a 
supplemental  report  is  to  be  forthcoming. 

Brethren  Health  Education  Foundation. 
Scholarship  grants  of  $37,382,  the  awarding 
of  ten  scholarships  for  training  Nigerian  per- 
sonnel through  the  Lafiya  program,  and 
donations  of  $17,198  are  among  items 
reported  by  the  Bethany  Brethren  Hospital 
Nursing  Education  Council. 

Committee  on  Health  and  Welfare.  In  its 
third  report  to  Annual  Conference  the  corn- 
mittee  describes  its  new  part-time  executive's 
first  year,  offers  an  overview  of  health  care 
ministries  in  the  denomination,  and  reports 
on  testimony  presented  on  national  health 
care  legislation.  The  committee  also  is  sub- 
mitting to  Standing  Committee  a  new  item 
on  a  development  program  for  Bethany 
Brethren-Garfield  Park  Community 
Hospital  in  Chicago. 

Pension  Board.  Cited  are  membership  of 
1 ,204  and  assets  of  nearly  $  1 3,000,000.  The 
increase  in  employer  contributions  to  10  per- 
cent beginning  this  year  has  been  well  re- 
ceived. From  the  Ministerial  and  Missionary 
Service  Fund,  nearly  $40,000  was  granted 
in  1974  to  50  long-time  workers  of  the 
church. 

Auditor's  Report.  The  annual  audit  covers 
accounts  of  the  General  Board,  Pension 
Board,  and  Bethany  Seminary. — h.e.r. 


May  1975  messenger  15 


by  Ralph  G.  McFadden 


Becoming  a  global  citizen 


India!  I  had  not  really  anticipated  that  I 
would  ever  get  to  India.  Perhaps  European 
countries  or  a  few  Latin  American 
possibilities,  but  never  India.  And  even 
after  many  months  of  planning  for  the  trip, 
as  I  sat  in  the  living  room  of  some  friends 
spinning  their  globe,  I  still  did  not  be- 
lieve that  I  would  be  in  India  in  just  ten 
days. 

And  then,  suddenly,  there  I  was  in  New 
Delhi.  At  the  invitation  of  the  Church  of 
North  India,  Joel  Thompson,  Shantilal 
Bhagat,  and  I  conducted  a  Bishops' 
Management  Seminar.  The  seminar  was  a 
helpful  experience  to  us  and  to  the  bishops. 
With  a  focus  that  was  primarily  "pastoral," 
they  were  glad  to  probe  ways  to  carry  out 
administrative  responsibilities  in  order  that 
their  primary  goal  could  be  more  readily 
accomplished.  After  the  seminar,  Shantilal 
and  I  traveled  to  Bombay  and  north  into 
Gujarat  where  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
had  started  its  India  mission  history  80 
years  earlier. 


M, 


^y  expectations  of  India  were  much 
like  that  of  any  other  Western  non-global 
traveler.  I  was  nurtured  on  Kipling's  Kim, 
Ernie  and  Lois  Shull's  missionary  stories  of 
India,  and  a  few  movies,  factual  and  fic- 
tional, that  may  have  come  my  way.  And 
more  recently,  in  my  adult  life,  I  read 
Messenger  articles  and  visited  with  Bob 
and  Carolyn  Parker,  who  very  recently  had 
completed  several  years  in  that  country. 
Just  before  the  trip  I  had  been  supplied 
with  books,  photos,  pamphlets,  and 
magazine  articles.  Most  significantly,  as  I 
had  confided  to  a  few  friends,  I  was  quite 
uncertain  as  to  how  I  would  handle  the 
cultural  shock. 

Out  of  that  expectancy,  1  and  my  camera 
recorded  a  great  many  perceptions  and  im- 
pressions. ...  1  being  the  chief  cataloguer  of 
that  which  was  perceived.  The  impressions 


are  still  vivid — the  grandiose,  gleaming  Taj 
Mahal;  the  immense  red  stone  forts;  village 
streets  crowded  with  hundreds  of  bikes  and 
bikers;  carts  pulled  by  oxen,  water  buf- 
faloes, camels,  and  horses;  goat  and  cattle 
herders;  women  on  road  construction 
crews;  villagers  brushing  their  teeth  with 
Babol  twigs;  the  persistent,  soft,  pleading 
voice  and  reaching  hand  of  a  tiny  begging 
girl  as  she  held  a  tinier  baby:  labor- 
intensive  construction  (use  of  people,  not 
machines);  very  small  tent-shack  homes  . . . 
beside  tall,  white,  affluent  office  buildings; 
a  man  urinating  against  a  wall  on  a  busy 
city  street;  drought-stricken  farm  areas 
where  normally  flowing  rivers  now  cradle 
only  an  occasional  stagnant  pool;  the 
scattered  nomads;  the  landless  laborers — 
and  always  the  constant  companion,  the 
clicking  camera. 

And  then  one  day,  as  a  passing  thought 
and  as  a  later  reality,  1  began  to  see  that  1 
could  respond  to  India  in  one  of  two 
different  ways.  I  and  my  camera  could 
record  all  of  the  differences  ...  all  of  the 
dissimilarities  . . .  and  then  declare  to 
friends  and  family,  "This  is  the  strange  and 
enchanted  land  of  India."  Or  it  might  be 
possible  not  to  be  overpowered  by  the  dis- 
similar; . . .  rather  perhaps  1  could  also  see 
the  similar,  that  which  is  lived  in  common 
with  all  others  on  the  globe.  Therefore  my 
awareness  began  to  be  struck  with  our 
common  ground,  our  parallel  practices, 
our  mutual  humanness. 


We 


e  are,  after  all,  persons.  Yes,  the  skin 
and  the  hair  in  India  is  often  darker  and 
blacker.  But  we  are  persons;  Shoukat — a 
teenager  who  traveled  next  to  me  on  a  tour 
bus.  Noel — the  college-age  waiter.  Bina — a 
girl  majoring  in  English  literature.  Mrs. 
Dharmaraj — a  lovely  woman  urging  us  to 
"eat  more"  (and  we  did)  of  a  very  excellent 
variety  of  homecooking.  Vijay — a  15-year- 


old  boy  beautifully  playing  the  satir  for  us. 

And  there  were  others  whose  names  I 
did  not  learn  but  nevertheless  were  persons 
I  could  identify  with — a  young  woman 
studying  physical  therapy.  A  guide  with  a 
fascinating  sense  of  history.  A  taxi  driver 
who  could  have  put  a  New  York  City  cab- 
bie to  shame.  A  retired  archbishop  speak- 
ing eloquently  about  the  church  and  the 
state.  A  village  politician  answering 
questions  about  his  town  and  the  town 
council's  business.  One  church  member 
stating  that  they  needed  a  different  pastor 
and  another  worrying  about  church 
finances.  An  irritated  airline  clerk.  A  girl 
selling  newspapers. 


A„ 


Lnd  of  course,  there  were  the  endless 
similarities  of  things  and  places  and 
situations. 

I  do  not  want  to  play  down  the  distinc- 
tive and  historical  character  of  the  dis- 
similar or  the  inordinate  suffering  of  the 
hungry  and  poverty-stricken.  However, 
that  which  caused  me  to  hesitate  and  then 
gradually  embrace  the  people  and  the  place 
of  India  was  the  familiar. 

What  helped  to  bring  me  to  the  perspec- 
tive that  I  am,  after  all,  a  global  citizen  was 
the  willingness  on  "their"  part  and  the 
willingness  on  "my"  part  to  freely  par- 
ticipate in  the  reality  of  "we."  My  feelings 
are  now  best  caught  up  in  the  words  of  the 
venerated  Indian  Mahatma  Gandhi,  "1  do 
not  want  my  house  to  be  walled  on  all  sides 
and  my  windows  stuffed.  I  want  the 
cultures  of  all  the  lands  to  be  blown  about 
my  house  as  freely  as  possible.  But  I  refuse 
to  be  blown  off  my  feet  by  any."  D 


16  MESSENGER  May  1975 


All  In  the  ecumenical  family 

It  is  in  the  best  interest  of  the  church  of 
Jesus  Christ  for  mission  to  be 
an  ecumenical  venture — 
a  partnership  venture — 
a  cooperative  work 


by  Joel  K.  Thompson 

Let  me  share  with  you  that  I  am  the  hus- 
band of  a  third-grade  teacher;  and  there  is 
a  tenth-grade  basketball  player,  a  twelve- 
year-old  pianist  and  a  ten-year-old  cub 
scout  who  call  me  father.  My  father  was  a 
machinist  most  of  his  working  life  for  a 
company  that  makes  kitchen  aid 
equipment — dishwashers,  scales,  grinders. 
He  was  a  strong  union  man,  an  earlier  ad- 
vocate of  credit  union,  Quaker  by  birth, 
and  Church  of  the  Brethren  by  marriage. 

My  mother  is  a  staunch  Republican.  She 
was  a  country  party  official  and  has  never 
voted  Democratic  in  her  life.  She  sees  no 
inconsistency  in  making  apple  butter  at  the 
church  to  sell  to  buy  heifers  to  send  "for 
relief,"  and  voting  into  Congress  a  man 
who  would  not  vote  for  a  foreign  aid  bill.  I 
have  a  brother  who  served  in  Nigeria  with 
blacks,  a  sister-in-law  in  social  work  in 
Chicago,  while  one  of  my  family  voted  for 
Wallace  in  1968  and  another  believes  the 
way  to  solve  the  black  problem  in  America 
is  to  sterilize  the  black  women  in  the  slums 
of  our  cities. 

One  brother-in-law  is  a  General  Motors 
executive.  To  make  life  more  interesting,  a 
sister-in-law  was  married  to  the  son  of  a 
management  official  of  Ford  Motor  Com- 
pany. 1  have  one  brother  who  is  an  electri- 


cian and  another  who  is  an  engineer.  As 
you  can  see  there  are  both  management 
and  blue  collar  who  are  a  part  of  my  life.  1 
voted  for  Jack  Kennedy,  and  his  brother 
Bob  was  my  choice  for  President  until  he 
was  shot  in  1968.  From  the  very  first  I  was 
not  a  Richard  Nixon  fan. 

1  have  been  strongly  influenced  by  a 
Quaker  1  married,  but  also  find  myself  not 
allowing  my  unbaptized  children  to  par- 
ticipate in  our  local  congregation  commu- 
nion service  even  though  anyone  who 
wishes  to  participate  may  do  so.  So  you  see 
I  am  a  liberal  and  I  am  a  conservative.  I 
think  it  depends  on  the  issue  that  is  being 
discussed.  I  also  must  confess  that  while  1 
am  Brethren  1  am  very  ecumenical.  And  I 
have  been  influenced  more  than  I  care  to 
admit  by  three  years  in  Indonesia  and  the 
persons  that  I  talked  to  there  who  lived  out 
their  faith  of  Islam  and  Hinduism.  I  believe 
in  God  as  Creator  and  Sustainer  of  the 
Universe  and  as  the  one  who  is  best  un- 
derstood by  me  as  one  who  shares  with 
persons  the  gift  of  Love  as  well  as  the  gift 
of  Life. 

Can  you  imagine  what  Thanksgiving  and 
Christmas  discussions  are  like  at  our  family 
get-togethers?  Sometimes  they  are  hot, 
sometimes  they  are  cold,  but  always  there 
is  a  discussion.  But  with  the  discussion, 
there  continues  to  remain  a  sense  of 


fellowship  which  is  maintained  because  we 
are  a  family.  Like  it  or  not,  we  were  placed 
together  by  accident  of  birth  and  marriage. 
In  spite  of  our  differences,  we  retain  the 
fellowship  which  we  have  together. 

D.  T.  Niles,  the  great  Christian 
statesman  of  Ceylon,  loved  by  almost 
everyone  in  the  ecumenical  church, 
reflected  on  American  Christianity  a  few 
months  before  his  death.  He  suggested  that 
we  tend  to  think  of  the  word  fellowship  as 
a  verb.  We  like  to  fellowship  with  persons. 
We  choose  those  who  are  like  us  in  order 
to  fellowship  with  them.  Rightly  or  wrong- 
ly he  sensed  the  American  church  tends  to 
be  clannish,  sectarian,  seeking  uniformity 
in  order  to  maintain  fellowship,  in  order  to 
make  us  fee!  comfortable  one  with  another. 
Yet  the  New  Testament  community  of 
fellowship  was  both  Jew  and  Gentile, 
Greek  and  Roman,  slave  and  free  man, 
Arab  and  Ethiopian.  The  members  of  the 
early  Christian  fellowship  spoke  in  many 
tongues.  They  recognized  that  they  had 
been  called  by  God  into  the  fellowship  (a 
noun).  They  realized  that  they  did  not 
choose  those  with  whom  they  wanted 
fellowship.  The  community,  the  fellowship, 
was  God-made  and  they  rejoiced  in  their 
fellowship  together.  I  am  glad  to  have  been 
called  to  be  a  part  of  the  Christian 
fellowship  called  the  church.  1  did  not 


May  1975  messenger  17 


Relying  on  the  Holy  Spirit,  churches 
are  making  common  witness  in  word  and  deed 


choose  other  members  of  the  church.  They 
did  not  choose  me.  but  day  by  day  1  con- 
tinue to  rejoice  in  the  meaning  1  find  in 
being  a  part  of  such  a  fellowship.  Some- 
times we  disagree  on  issues,  on  priorities, 
on  the  way  things  should  be  done  within 
the  life  of  the  church.  It  is  not  unlike  the 
family.  But  the  fact  is  I  have  been  called 
to  live  out  my  faith  with  others  within  my 
denomination. 

Now  let  us  move  one  more  step.  The 
National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
Constitution's  Preamble  states:  "The 
National  Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ 
in  the  United  States  of  America  is  a 
cooperative  agency  of  Christian  com- 
munions seeking  to  fulfill  the  unity  and 
mission  to  which  God  calls  them.  The 
member  communions,  responding  to  the 
gospel  revealed  in  the  scriptures,  confess 
Jesus,  the  incarnate  Son  of  God,  as  Savior 
and  Lord.  Relying  on  the  transforming 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  council  works 
to  bring  churches  into  a  life-giving 
fellowship  and  into  common  witness,  study 
and  action  to  the  glory  of  God  and  in 
service  to  all  creation." 

The  first  thing  I  am  sharing  with  you  to- 
day is  I  believe  Christian  communions  are 
called  into  cooperation  and  fellowship  by 
God.  That  in  itself  is  important!  The 
NCCC's  31  member  communions  are 
called  to  bring  their  pluralism  into  a  com- 
mon witness.  They  have  been  able  to  sit 
together  in  fellowship,  to  argue  and  debate, 
to  come  to  agree  on  a  common  task 
together.  This  is  a  very  important 
achievement! 

Second,  it  is  significant  to  me  that  the 
NCCC  is  structured  so  that  its  member 
churches  can  do  things  through  the  Coun- 
cil. It  has  three  divisions:  the  Division  of 
Church  and  Society;  the  Division  of 
Education  and  Ministry;  and  the  Division 


Joint  ecumenical  aid  for 
the  needy  of  southern 
Sudan.  Churches  achieve 
when       they      cooperate. 


of  Overseas  IVlinistries.  It  also  has  five 
commissions:  Broadcasting  and  Film, 
Faith  and  Order.  Regional  and  Local 
Ecumenism,  Stewardship  and  Justice, 
Liberation  and  Human  Fulfillment. 

All  this  organization.  Why?  Well,  I 
believe  it  is  in  the  best  interest  of  the 
church  of  Jesus  Christ  and  in  the  best  in- 
terest of  stewardship  of  resources  and  in 
the  best  interest  of  those  who  are  served  for 
mission  to  be  an  ecumenical  venture — a 
partnership  venture — a  cooperative  work 
which  pools  resources,  personnel,  skills,  ex- 
pertise, dedication,  and  know-how. 


Bhere  are  some  who  do  not  agree.  They 
believe  the  Brethren  should  do  it  alone. 
There  should  be  a  IVlennonite  program,  a 
Presbyterian  program,  a  IVlethodist  ven- 
ture, a  United  Church  of  Christ  emphasis. 
But  look,  a  flood  hits  West  Virginia.  The 
Church  of  the  Brethren  kicks  in  $15,000 
and  becomes  a  part  of  a  $100,000  program 
of  rebuilding  both  homes  and  people.  We 
provided  dollars  and  personnel  to  under- 
write a  counseling/ pastoral  ministry  to 
those  who  lost  their  loved  ones  and  who 
could  not  cope.  Together  we  saved  those 
who  were  having  psychosomatic  illnesses 
because  they  survived  the  devastation  of 
the  flood. 

Or  again — The  Church  of  the  Brethren 
puts  $24,000  into  Nigeria  after  the  end  of 
the  Nigerian  civil  war  and  one  Brethren 
missionary  distributes  in  three  months 
$434,000  worth  of  yam  seedlings,  and  1,473 
bags  of  seed  corn  in  two  or  three  cupfuls  at 
a  time.  He  shared  peanut  seeds,  melon 


seeds,  and  tapioca  root  cuttings.  How  can 
it  be?  It's  done  by  working  together  in 
Christ's  name.  The  Baptists,  Presbyterians, 
United  IVlethodists,  Lutherans,  Medical 
Mission  Sisters — all  of  us  can  be — and 
are — in  programs  together  around  the 
world,  through  the  NCCC. 

But  we  do  things  which  are  more  than 
just  "after  the  earthquake,  wind,  and  fire." 
There  is  a  program  which  we  in  the  Coun- 
cil call  SERRV,  related  to  Church  World 
Service.  It  operates  out  of  New  Windsor, 
Md.  It  is  the  program  which  allows  an 
artist  or  a  craftsperson  in  India,  Indonesia, 
Ecuador,  New  Mexico,  Appalachia, 
Kenya,  or  in  some  other  part  of  the  world 
to  borrow  some  money,  to  purchase  some 
supplies,  and  then  after  creating  a  carving 
or  a  garment  or  some  jewelry,  to  ship  those 
goods  to  New  Windsor  where  the  staff  has 
established  a  sales  sytem  across  the  United 
States  where  persons  can  purchase  the 
products  through  International  Gift  Shops. 
The  past  year  that  self-development 
program  was  a  $900,000  program.  We  en- 
vision that  it  will  be  a  million  dollar 
program  in  1974.  A  million  dollars,  50  per- 
cent of  which  goes  directly  to  the  persons  it 
is  making  productive. 

I  noted  earlier  that  the  NCCC  has  a 
Commission  on  Local  and  Regional 
Ecumenism.  It  works  with  denominations 
at  their  grass  roots  problems  and  concerns. 
When  the  Boeing  plant  in  Seattle  decreased 
its  work  force  because  of  the  termination 
of  the  supersonic  airplane  contracts,  there 
were  many  other  persons  also  affected  by 


18  MESSENGER  May  1975 


the  Boeing  layoff.  For  every  person  cut 
from  the  Boeing  force,  two  other  persons 
in  Seattle  lost  their  jobs  as  well.  You  may 
recall  reading  that  the  State  Council  of 
Churches  in  Washington  helped  establish 
food  banks  for  those  families  in  need.  But 
interestingly  enough,  agricultural  surpluses 
were  untouchable.  The  Department  of 
Agriculture  said  a  firm  NO  to  the  request 
for  aid.  When  senators  and  representatives 
were  asked  for  help  to  discuss  the  matter 
with  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  they 
responded  by  indicating,  "The  law  is  the 
law"  and  the  surpluses  cannot  be  used  for 
such  emergency  situations.  It  was  then  that 
an  enterprising  person  in  the  State  Council 
of  Churches  contacted  a  Japanese 
businessman  to  begin  to  raise  funds  in 
Japanese  churches  to  help  the  unemployed 
of  Seattle.  The  Japanese  began  to  send 
"care"  packages  (food  parcels)  to  be  dis- 
tributed to  those  in  need.  Can  you  imagine 
what  happened  when  the  word  got  out? 
Speeches  were  made  in  Congress.  Laws 
were  changed.  The  surplus  was  available. 

The  point  1  want  to  make — a  skilled  per- 
son had  used  organization  intelligently, 
purposefully,  deliberately,  responsibly,  and 
the  churches — together — had  made  a 
difference  for  persons  in  Seattle. 

Together  in  the  council  we  have  enabled 
700  graduate  students  of  theology  from 
abroad  to  study  in  this  country  over  the 
last  10  years.  We  have  enabled  a  task  force 
of  40  scientists,  technologists,  and 
theologians  to  study  "the  Future  of 
Mankind  and  the  Role  of  the  Christian 
Churches  in  a  World  of  Science-based 
Technology."  A  family  physician  from 
Bamberg,  S.  Car.,  has  headed  hearings 
which  have  been  designed  to  raise  ethical 
questions  about  drug  production,  promo- 
tion, and  government  regulation  in  a  socie- 
ty that  is  fast  becoming  a  "drug  culture" 
that  expects  "a  pill  for  every  ill."  We  have 
debated  the  abortion  issue;  attempted  to 
mobilize  our  local  congregations  to  the 
plight  of  prisoners  and  prisons  in  this  na- 
tion; provided  pastoral  service  to  draft-age 
emigrants  and  their  families;  received  more 
than  $50,000  in  a  Fund  for  Due  Process 
which  benefited  Chaplain  William  Sloane 
Coffin,  Father  Philip  Berrigan,  and  the 
parents  of  students  killed  at  Kent  State 
University.  We  have  also  filed  "friend  of 
the  court"  briefs  on  a  number  of  critical  is- 
sues including  our  support  for  Billy  James 
Hargis,  an  outspoken  opponent  of  the 
NCCC.  Name  almost  any  so-called  "con- 


troversial" issues  and  the  communions  of 
the  NCCC  have  been  in  debate  on  them. 
The  situation  at  Wounded  Knee,  the  Con- 
stitutional amendment  on  prayer — even 
our  ecumenical  production  of  updating  the 
translation  of  the  Bible. 

I  do  not  apologize  for  this.  If  it  is  true, 
as  Peter  Drucker  says  in  Management, 
Tasks,  Responsibilities,  Practices,  that 
"none  of  our  institutions  exists  by  itself 
and  is  an  end  in  itself,"  and  every  institu- 
tion "is  an  organ  of  society  and  exists  for 
the  sake  of  society,"  then  certainly  the 
Church  must  have  as  its  fundamental  task 
a  concern  for  the  quality  of  life.  In  an 
earlier  book.  The  Age  of  Discontinuity. 
Drucker  noted  that  "whenever  an  institu- 
tion shrinks  back,  pleading  the  public 
won't  let  us  or  the  industry  won't  let  us,  it 
pays  a  heavy  price  in  the  end.  The  public 
will  forgive  blindness.  It  will  not  forgive 
failure  to  act  on  one's  own  best  knowledge. 
This  is  rightly  considered  cowardice." 


w 


hat  do  you  do  as  a  leader  in  the  church 
when  you  read  the  following  statement  by 
a  California  judge,  "Mexican  people,  after 
13  years  of  age,  think  it  is  perfectly  all  right 
to  go  out  and  act  like  an  animal  . . .  You 
are  lower  than  the  animals  and  haven't  the 
right  to  live  in  organized  society — just  mis- 
erable, lousy,  rotten  people.  Maybe  Hitler 
was  right.  The  animals  in  our  society 
probably  ought  to  be  destroyed  because 
they  have  no  right  to  live  among  human 
beings."  It  might  have  been  forgivable  for 
the  judge  to  speak  of  one  person  in  those 
terms  but  if  you  note  carefully  his  quote  in- 
dicted a  total  people  as  he  spoke  to  one 
person. 

What  is  the  responsible  thing  for  a 
denomination  to  do  when  it  learns  the  life 
expectancy  of  American  Indians  is  44 
years,  that  their  infant  death  rate  is  258  out 
of  every  1 ,000?  These  are  tragic  statistics 
for  American  citizens  living  among  the 
most  affluent  people  that  the  world  has 
ever  produced. 

Does  the  NCCC  have  any  responsibility 
to  join  together  to  speak  out  for  the  people 
of  Mozambique  who  after  some  400  years 
of  Portuguese  rule  are  demanding  their  in- 
dependence? Should  we  have  said  anything 
when  we  learned  Portugal's  military  expen- 
ditures to  prosecute  the  war  in  Mozam- 
bique accounted  for  more  than  45  percent 
of  its  national  budget?  Troop  strength  in 
Mozambique  was  over  150,000  soldiers; 


napalm,  phosphorus,  and  fragmentation 
bombs  were  dropped  regularly  on  the 
villages;  fighter  planes  strafed  wide  areas; 
and  in  1969  Portugal  asked  the  United 
States  for  200  million  dollars  in  aid  over  a 
five-year  period  for  a  weapons  moderniza- 
tion program. 

Is  it  any  wonder  a  young  Nigerian  with 
advanced  degrees  in  economics  and  law 
says,  "Nigerians  as  well  as  Africans 
generally  are  going  through  a  period  of 
traumatic  stress.  They  are  bewildered  by  a 
religion  which  extols  individualism,  equali- 
ty, and  freedom  for  all  peoples,  but  which 
is  suspect  of  being  allied  with  the  economic 
and  power  structures  that  deprive  them  of 
their  rights  of  free  choice  and  emancipa- 
tion. They  are  disturbed  by  the  rationality 
of  the  religion  which  invites  hellfire  for  the 
sin  and  immorality  of  the  oppressed,  but 
shies  away  from  the  forceful  condemnation 
of  the  sin,  immorality,  and  injustice  of 
powerful  individuals,  corporations,  and 
states  that  claim  allegiance  to  the  Christian 
faith  as  the  basis  of  their  oppressive  acts." 

Do  you  remember  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in 
1960?  The  General  Board  of  the  NCCC 
called  for  a  detente  between  our  nation  and 
another  world  power,  the  Peoples' 
Republic  of  China.  Today  those  who 
labeled  such  a  statement  as  subversive  now 
tell  us  over  and  over  again  that  detente 
with  mainland  China  represents  a  great 
leap  forward  in  international  cooperation. 
Before  Nixon  and  Kissinger  did  the  "right 
thing,"  the  NCCC  was  out  front,  20  years 
earlier,  advocating  it.  That  is  where  the 
church  ought  to  be! 

Elsewhere  on  the  global  scene,  I  would 
applaud  the  leadership  of  the  World  Coun- 
cil of  Churches  which  quietly,  skillfully 
worked  out  an  agreement  that  ended  the 
terrible  conflict  in  Sudan,  and  express  joy 
that  one  of  its  agencies.  The  Christian 
Medical  Commission,  has  helped  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  to  put  together 
with  the  Nigerian  government  and  the 
West  German  churches  the  multimillion 
dollar  preventive  and  paramedic  health 
care  plan,  Lafiya,  which  might  become  a 
model  for  major  sections  of  the  African 
continent. 

So — the  churches  have  achieved  because 
they  have  cooperated.  Because,  like  the 
family  they  are,  they  differ;  they  dialogue; 
they  discuss;  but  fortunately  they  also  con- 
fess Jesus  as  Lord;  they  rely  on  the  Holy 
Spirit;  and  they  make  common  witness  in 
the  world  in  word  and  deed.  □ 


May  1975  messenger  19 


How  can  a  small  church  •  •  • 

An  ecumenically  shared  program  is  no 
cure-all  for  the  problems  of  the 
small  church  but  it  does  provide 
more  opportunities  for  nurture 
than  is  possible  otherwise 


by  John  D.Tomlonson 

How  can  a  small  church  provide  more 
opportunities  for  nurture?  Where  can 
it  discover  additional  leadership  resources? 
What  can  it  do  to  assure  adequate  atten- 
dance for  special  interest  study  groups? 
When  can  the  small  congregation  hope  to 
have  persons  with  new  ideas  enter  into  the 
adult  church  school  discussions? 

Three  small  congregations  in 
Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  are  discovering  some 
answers  to  these  questions  as  they  par- 
ticipate in  an  associated  relationship.  The 
Skyridge  Church  of  the  Brethren,  the  Jud- 
son  Baptist  Church,  and  the  Kalamazoo 
Mennonite  Church,  with  a  total  average 
attendance  of  90  to  100,  are  joined  in  this 
common  venture.  Through  cooperative 
planning  the  congregations  have  multiplied 
the  opportunities  for  nurture  open  to  their 
members  and  tripled  the  number  of 
available  leaders  for  specific  activities. 

The  shared  programs  serve  three  specific 
roles.  First,  the  sharing  complements  the 
activities  of  each  church  as  Christian 
education  committees  select  themes  for  the 
joint  church  school  classes  that  relate  to 
the  overall  educational  plan  of  the  separate 
congregation.  Second,  the  shared  programs 
replace  some  events  that  formerly  were 
scheduled  separately,  such  as  a  family 

20  MESSENGER  May  1975 


fellowship  night.  Third,  the  shared 
programming  brings  more  persons  to 
events  planned  by  one  congregation  but 
open  to  individuals  from  all  three. 

These  three  roles  are  illustrated  in  the 
listing  of  the  programs  shared  in  1974,  a 
few  between  two  of  the  congregations  but 
most  for  all  three  congregations.  Included 
were  church  school  class  sessions;  a 
women's  weekday  study  and  sharing  group; 
youth  fellowship  activities;  love  feast  and 
communion;  hymn  sings;  a  weekend  study 
seminar  on  the  "Authority  of  the  Bible"; 
twelve  weeks  of  summer  worship  services 
with  a  sermon/ talk-back  series  on  the  Holy 
Spirit;  two  discussion  meetings  on 
denominational  and  congregational 
traditions;  joint  Brethren-Baptist  ad- 
ministrative board  meetings;  carry-in 
Thanksgiving  dinner;  Christmas  party  with 
caroling;  Christmas  and  New  Year's  Sun- 
day services.  Planned  to  occur  soon  is  a 
family  life  emphasis  with  a  marriage 
enrichment  retreat  and  sessions  for  single 
adults. 

This  sharing  evolved  through  about  eight 
years  of  occasional  joint  programs  and  the 
building  of  a  network  of  trust.  The  move- 
ment toward  a  mutually  planned  program 
began  in  1969  when  the  Baptist  and 
Brethren  junior  high  youth  scheduled 
several  fellowship  activities.  The  first  union 


worship  services  came  during  July  and 
August,  1970,  when  changing  summer 
attendance  patterns  in  the  Baptist  and 
Brethren  churches  created  a  mutual  feeling 
of  need.  This  first  effort  grew,  with  the 
Mennonites  joining  two  years  later,  until 
the  twelve  weeks  of  summer  in  union 
worship  services  are  now  a  tradition.  Each 
congregation  is  host  for  four  Sundays;  each 
pastor  preaches  four  Sundays;  and  teachers 
lead  junior  church  four  Sundays.  A  team 
ministry  has  developed  so  that  one  con- 
gregation feels  free  to  ask  for  help  from 
another  if  there  is  need  for  additional 
leaders.  The  pervading  sense  of  oneness 
was  expressed  by  a  four-year-old  Baptist 
boy  who  was  riding  past  the  Mennonite 
meeting  house  and  told  his  mother,  "There 
is  our  Mennonite  church." 

Programs  like  this  cannot  happen 
without  a  means  for  sharing,  dreaming, 
brainstorming,  and  testing  ideas.  To 
provide  for  this,  each  congregation  names 
two  laypersons  and  the  pastor  to  an  inter- 
church  relations  committee.  At  first,  the 
committee's  role  was  to  provide  a  setting 
for  dialogue  and  discussion  of  possible 
program  ideas — now  the  interchurch 
relations  committee  is  the  planning  group 
for  programs  shared  by  the  tri-church 
cluster.  The  committee  plans  programs 
shared  by  the  cluster  and  coordinates  the 


congregational  calendars  when  separately 
planned  activities  are  open  to  anyone  in  the 
three  congregations.  To  be  effective  the 
committee  needs  to  be  involved  in  long- 
term  planning  and  to  have  the  commitment 
from  the  congregations  to  the  continuation 
of  the  shared  program.  A  second  structure 
which  supports  the  joint  planning  is  the 
regular  meetings,  often  weekly,  of  the  three 
pastors. 

Several  attitudes  must  either  already  ex- 
ist in  congregations  or  be  learned  by  con- 
gregations before  shared  programming  can 
be  successful.  First,  the  congregation  must 
have  a  positive  self-image  so  that  it  will  not 
be  threatened  by  outsiders  who  make 
program  decisions  that  affect  its  life.  Sec- 
ond, the  congregation  must  have  a 


transdenominational  concept  of  the 
church.  Third,  the  congregation  needs  to 
sit  loose  on  its  traditional  activities  and  be 
willing  to  experiment  with  new  or  different 
forms  of  programming.  Fourth,  the  con- 
gregation needs  to  discover  that  its 
building  can  be  left  locked  on  Sunday 
morning  with  a  note  on  the  door  telling 
where  the  "church"  is  meeting  that  day. 
Sixth,  and  most  important  of  all.  the  con- 
gregation needs  to  learn  to  trust  members 
of  other  congregations  as  fellow  seekers 
after  truth. 

Two  important  changes  in  the  Skyridge 
congregation  allowed  them  to  become  open 
to  the  possibilities  of  shared  programming. 
The  congregation  decided  that  its  purpose 
was  in  ministering  to  persons  —  not  in  gain- 


irri  III. 
Mil 


Above:  Pastors  involved 
in  Kalamazoo's  ecumen- 
ical clustering  are  (left 
to  right)  John  D.  Tom- 
lonson  of  the  Sky- 
ridge Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Glen  Horner 
of  Kalamazoo  Menno- 
nite  Church,  and  Paul 
Hardwick  of  Judson 
Baptist  Church. 


Left:  Programs  like  the 
Kalamazoo  cluster  can't 
happen  without  sharing, 
dreaming,  brainstorm- 
ing, and  testing  of  ideas. 


ing  strength  to  build  a  building.  Second, 
the  congregation  developed  a  strong  self- 
image  as  a  gathered  community  of  faith.  In 
the  strength  of  this  self-image,  and  to  fulfill 
its  purpose,  the  congregation  began  to  test 
ideas  and  explore  options  that  would  in- 
crease the  variety  of  learning,  fellowship, 
and  service  opportunities  open  to  each 
member.  The  small  congregation  of  about 
twenty-five  families  needed  to  have  some 
experiences  in  the  congregation's  calendar 
where  more  than  the  usual  people  were  in- 
volved. Also,  even  as  families  continued  to 
attend  and  be  supportive,  they  seemed  to 
want  to  bring  more  meaning  to  their  ex- 
perience as  the  church.  Among  the  ideas 
and  options  tested  was  the  possibility  of  a 
more  intensive,  shared  program  with  the 
congregation's  Baptist  and  Mennonite 
friends.  As  the  Brethren  learned  to  like  and 
to  trust  these  friends,  the  number  and  fre- 
quency of  the  shared  programs  increased. 

Some  problems  have  occurred  within  the 
congregations  as  they  have  had  to  deal 
with  their  own  agendas  in  relation  to  the 
concept  of  shared  programming.  However, 
the  effect  upon  the  joint  activities  has  been 
kept  at  a  minimum  because  each  congrega- 
tion has  the  freedom  to  opt  out  of  any  or 
all  activities  as  the  planning  begins.  Two 
possible  problems  which  are  yet  to  be  faced 
include  what  might  happen  with  a  change 
of  pastors  and  what  might  happen  if  a 
family  changed  its  membership  to  one  of 
the  other  congregations. 

After  several  years  experience,  the 
members  and  pastors  of  these  three 
Kalamazoo  congregations  agree  that  their 
corporate  religious  experience  has  taken  on 
more  meaning  because  of  what  they  do 
together.  Those  involved  in  the  venture 
view  the  shared  programming  as  an  exten- 
sion of  the  separate  congregational 
program.  Greater  meaning  is  expected 
from  the  experience  in  the  twelve  weeks  of 
summer  1975  when  a  sermon/talk-back 
series  will  consider  four  "faith  and  order" 
themes:  "Salvation,"  "The  Church,"  "Giv- 
ing an  Account  of  the  Faith  That  Is  in  Us," 
and  "Baptism,  Eucharist,  and  Ministry." 

In  no  way  is  this  shared  program  seen  as 
a  cure-all  for  the  problems  of  the  small 
church — but  it  is  one  way  to  provide  more 
varied  opportunities  for  nurture  than 
was  previously  possible.     D 


May  1975  messenger  21 


U/alking  the  other  paths 

After  diligently  endeavoring  to  walk 
the  other  faith  paths,  I  see 
with  increasing  power 
that  Christ  is  the  way, 
the  truth,  and  the  life 


by  Olden  D.  IVIitcheii 

"If  the  rate  of  growth  of  the  past  ten  years 
continues  for  another  fifty,  by  that  time  the 
predominant  religion  in  our  country  will 
not  be  Christianity!"  So  stated  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  study  conference  on 
"Celebrating  the  Experience  of  Salvation 
Today,"  sponsored  by  the  World  Council 
of  Churches  at  Evanston,  III.,  last 
November.  We  learned  at  the  conference 
that  there  is  a  very  rapid  growth  of  non- 
Christian  religions  in  our  country,  and 
some  of  them  are  experiencing  phenomenal 
growth.  At  the  same  time  there  is  a  decline 
in  both  membership  and  attendance  in  the 
Christian  church. 

It  seems  evident  that  many  people  in 
America  are  not  finding  in  the  Christian 
faith  what  they  are  wanting  and  seeking, 
and  thus  they  turn  to  some  other  faith 
path,  or  to  none.  Christianity  may  not  have 
what  they  feel  they  need.  It  could  be  that 
the  Christian  faith  has  what  they  want  and 
need,  but  for  some  reason  they  do  not  find 
or  experience  it.  One  of  the  basic  reasons 
why  the  WCC  sponsored  this  conference 
on  "Salvation  Today"  was  to  seek  some 
answers  to  these  deep  concerns. 

This  conference  was  a  follow-up  to  a 
similar  conference  on  "Salvation  Today" 
sponsored  by  the  WCC  in  Bangkok, 
Thailand,  in  December,  1972.  Both  the 
Evanston  and  Bangkok  gatherings  were 
designed  to  give  helpful  input  for  the 
General  Assembly  meeting  of  the  WCC  at 

22  MESSENGER  May  1975 


Nairobi,  Kenya,  this  coming  November, 

Nine  religious  groups  or  faith  paths 
in  our  country  were  invited  to  make 
presentations  in  the  conference  so  all 
those  present  could  see,  feel,  under- 
stand, and  experience  something  of 
the  faith  journey  of  each  group.  Four  of 
the  groups  had  a  Christian  orientation, 
and  five  did  not:  Christananda;  Radical 
Christian  Liberation;  Liberation  Prot- 
estantism; the  House  Church  Movement; 
Za-Zen  (a  branch  of  Buddhism  usually 
known  as  Zen  Buddhism);  Hare 
Krishna  (a  form  of  Hinduism);  Uranus; 
Psychosynthesis;  and  Foundation 
Church  of  the  New  Millenium.  In  addition 
to  the  representatives  of  these  faith 
paths,  a  number  of  other  leaders  from 
various  religious  groups  in  our  country 
were  invited  to  be  present  to  respond  to  the 
presentations  of  the  nine  paths.  I  was 
privileged  to  be  among  the  70  full-time  par- 
ticipants, serving  as  a  representative  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 


■  he  presentations  of  each  of  the  nine 
faith  groups  included  these  four  assigned 
areas;  salvaiion  —of  persons  and  the  world; 
iranscenJence  -ihe  God  concept  and  the 
God-person  relationship;  celebration  — 
ways  of  worship  and  celebration  of  the 
faith;  and  Social  Justice — ways  the  faith 
issues  in  or  contributes  to  the  meeting  of 
deep,  human  need  and  bringing  forth  a 
more  just  society.  Throughout  the  con- 


ference It  became  increasingly  evident  thai 
only  the  Christian  paths  or  groups  had 
anything  much  to  say  about  social 
justice — and  some  Christians  manifest  little 
concern  for  Christian  social  action. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  conference,  and 
throughout  the  four  days,  each  person  was 
strongly  encouraged  to  listen,  hear,  under- 
stand, feel,  and  experience,  insofar  as 
possible,  the  basic  faith  of  each  of  the  nine 
paths  being  presented.  And  we  were  en- 
couraged to  make  a  continuous  effort  to 
relate  what  we  were  hearing,  seeing,  and 
experiencing  to  our  own  path  and  our  own 
spiritual  pilgrimage.  At  the  end  of  the  con- 
ference most  of  the  participants  felt  they 
knew  far  better  than  before  the  essence  of 
the  faith  of  the  other  paths,  and  had 
developed  a  deep  appreciation  for  some  of 
the  values  in  the  other  faiths. 

Very  early  in  the  conference  it  was 
observed  that  most  of  the  leaders  of  the 
non-Christian  faith  groups  had  previously 
been  members  of  some  Christian  church, 
often  of  a  conservative  or  evangelical 
denomination.  The  new  faith  to  which  they 
turned  seemed  to  me,  in  most  instances,  to 
be  strongly  legalistic,  rigid,  a  party  line 
with  little  or  no  room  for  variation  or  dis- 
sent. What  this  is  saying  to  the  Christian 
church  in  America  needs  to  be  explored  in 
every  congregation. 

I  came  away  from  this  conference  with  a 
much  greater  awareness  of  and  apprecia- 
tion for  some  other  religious  faiths,  and  I 
feel  a  very  close  personal  relationship  with 


the  leaders  of  these  faiths  that  I  met  at 
Evanston.  But  1  also  came  away  with  a 
stronger  assurance,  a  more  profound  con- 
viction than  ever  before  that  Christ  is  The 
Way. 

Some  convictions  that  were  sharpened 
up  and  re-focused  for  me  at  the  conference 
are: 

—There  is  in  America  a  real  hunger  for 
a  religious  faith,  and  especially  among  the 
younger  adults. 

-Many  want  an  authoritarian  religion. 
an  absolute  authority  not  to  be  questioned. 

—  Part  of  the  search  for  religious  faith  is 
also  a  search  for  escape  from  the  hard 
realities  of  life  today — war,  world  hunger. 


poverty  and  wealth,  over-population, 
ecology,  exploitation. 

—Christians  are  often  divided  and  com- 
peting because  of  disagreement  over  the 
center  of  faith  and  authority,  or  over  some 
doctrine  of  the  faith. 

— There  is  increasing  evidence  of  many 
in  America  who  turn  from  Christianity  to 
other  religions,  and  few  who  turn  from 
other  religions  to  Christianity. 

—  In  many  of  the  faith  groups  at  the 
conference  the  chief  concern,  the  main 
business,  of  each  member  is  to  win  new 
converts,  new  members.  Not  many 
Christians  seem  personally  to  give  this  a 
very  high  priority. 


—  Christians  need  a  new  sense  of,  and 
responsiveness  to.  authority  in  their  faith. 
And  Christ  is  and  must  be  that  authority. 
We  need  to  take  seriously  the  Matthew  28 
statement  of  the  Living  Lord:  "All  authori- 
ty has  been  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  on 
earth  . . .  therefore  ..." 

After  a  diligent  endeavor  to  see  all  the 
good  points  possible  in  other  faith  paths.  I 
see  with  increasing  power  that  Christ  is  the 
way,  the  truth,  and  the  life.  Any  way  con- 
trary to  his  is  not  the  way  God  made  per- 
sons to  live.  Any  truth  contrary  to  his  is 
only  partial  truth.  Any  life  contrary  to  his 
is  not  God's  life  being  lived  in  human  ex- 
perience!   G 


( 


One  vine  •  •  •  many  branches 


We  must  make  visible  before  the  world 
the  oneness  we  share  in  Christ 
with  all  who  acknowledge 
Jesus  as  divine  Lord 
and  Savior 


by  DeWitt  L.  IVIiller 

We  are  faced  with  four  inescapable  facts. 
One.  human,  relational,  and  religious 
problems  are  now  global  and  cosmic  in 
scope.  Two,  entrenched  selfishness,  both 
personal  and  corporate,  is  becoming  in- 
reasingly  demonic.  Three,  adequate  nur- 
ure  and  service  opportunities  for  the 
enrichment  of  the  committed  believer  and 
he  fulfillment  of  the  world  mission  and  the 


redemptive  and  reconciling  purposes  of 
Christ's  church  call  for  greater  human  and 
material  resources  than  any  one  group  at 
whatever  level  can  possibly  provide.  Four, 
Jesus  himself  asserted  that  the  success  of 
the  Christian  witness  depends  upon  the 
unity — the  oneness — of  his  followers. 

Therefore  there  is  scarcely  a  more  urgent 
demand  before  any  branch  of  the  church 
than  the  problem  of  making  more  visible 
before  the  world  the  oneness  we  share  in 


Christ  with  all  who  acknowledge  Jesus  as 
divine  Lord  and  Savior. 

As  a  first  step  in  meeting  this  demand 
the  Committee  on  Interchurch  Relations, 
under  the  perceptive  interim  leadership  of 
Loren  Bowman,  asked  Warren  Groff  to 
help  prepare  a  statement  defining  the 
Brethren  ecumenical  stance. 

Dr.  Groff  has  made  us  aware  that  the 
Brethren  became  involved  in  the 
ecumenical  movement  because  of  our  in- 


May  1975  messenger  23 


To  fulfill  our  commitment  to  our  Lorcq 
we  must  be  flexible  enough  in  our  response 
to  the  Holy  Spirit  to  follow  where  we  are  led 


terest  in  "life  and  work"  and  that  we  have 
neglected  involvement  in  "faith  and  order." 
We  need  to  seek  a  biblical  and  theological 
approach  that  will  lift  up  for  our  branch  of 
the  church  the  oneness  of  the  people  of 
God.  Accordingly  he  has  written  a 
preliminary  paper  having  to  do  with 
collegiality  and  accountability  that  sets 
forth  the  way  in  which  all  Christians  and 
Christian  groups  are  inseparably  bound  to 
each  other.  In  our  discussions  we  have  also 
used  the  figure  of  the  family  in  which  we 
are  bound  "for  better  or  for  worse."  In 
other  relationships  we  can  shut  our  eyes  to 
our  differences  but  in  the  family  we  have  to 
stay  and  face  the  music  and  resolve  the  dif- 
ficulties and  the  differences.  Another 
analogy  is  that  of  the  vine  with  many 
branches. 


w 


e  are  aware  that  the  conciliar  move- 
ment began  with  the  assumption  that  no 
one  religious  group  can  do  everything  and 
so  we  will  do  together  the  things  we  cannot 
do  separately.  We  believe  that  basic  as- 
sumption has  outlived  its  usefulness  and 
that  its  limitations  are  partially  responsible 
for  much  of  the  ineffectiveness  that 
bedevils  cooperative  efforts.  The  time  has 
come  when  our  "modus  operandi"  must  be: 
No  longer  must  we  do  anything  separately 
that  can  be  done  together. 

The  church  today  is  faced  with  a  three- 
fold challenge: 

1)  It  needs  to  provide  adequate  nurture 
and  service  opportunities  (a)  for  being  and 
becoming,  and  also  (b)  opportunities  for 
effective  witnessing  and  for  serving  what- 
ever needs  there  are  wherever  they  are. 

2)  At  present  there  is  no  way  by  which 
this  can  be  done,  especially  by  small  con- 
gregations and  small  denominations,  for  it 
becomes  increasingly  evident  that  our 

24  MESSENGER  May  1975 


struggle  is  with  "principalities,  powers  and 
the  world  rulers  of  this  darkness." 

3)  We  may  as  well  admit  that  part  of  the 
ineffectiveness  of  our  witness,  especially 
overseas,  and  the  inadequacy  of  our  service 
is  due  to  the  fragmentation  within  the 
Body  of  Christ. 


DeWitt   L.    Miller  serves  as  executive  of 
the   Committee  on  Interchurch  Relations. 

At  present  we  do  not  see  "merger"  as  the 
answer.  Our  sectarianism  is  too  deeply  en- 
trenched and  involves  us  too  emotionally 
for  that.  We  believe  a  stop-gap  measure  is 
in  the  associated  relationship.  We  have  had 
a  little  experience  with  this  sort  of  thing. 
Since  1973  we  have  had  an  official 
associated  relationship  with  the  American 
Baptists  and  have  enjoyed  many  very 
meaningful  experiences  as  a  result.  We 
have  experienced  this  at  every  level  of  our 
denominational  life. 

At  the  same  time  we  are  unofficially 
related  to  many  other  denominations  in 
camping,  in  conferences,  in  curriculum 


building,  and  in  the  work  of  congregations. 
At  the  present,  approximately  four  percent 
of  all  our  congregations  are  dually  aligned 
in  one  way  or  another. 

In  order  to  encourage  and  broaden  this 
experience  we  are  actively  seeking  to  set  up 
conversations  with  other  denominations 
hoping  they  might  lead  to  associated 
relationships.  At  the  same  time  we  are  try- 
ing to  keep  abreast  of  major  ecumenical 
developments  such  as  the  Consultation  on 
Church  Union  and  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Evangelicals.  We  send  observers  to 
the  annual  meetings  of  both  of  these. 


Last  year  at  Annual  Conference  the 
response  to  the  ecumenical  luncheon  ex- 
ceeded the  most  optimistic  expectation  and 
so  this  year  we  are  planning  two  major  ac- 
tivities at  Dayton.  Again  we  will  have  an 
ecumenical  luncheon  where  Bishop 
Thomas  Malone  of  Youngstown,  Ohio  will 
be  the  featured  speaker  and  for  this  event 
we  will  be  inviting  many  fraternal  guests. 
We  will  also  be  sponsoring  an  Insight  Ses- 
sion with  the  theme,  "One  Vine — Many 
Branches,"  aimed  at  exploring  the 
possibilities  of  a  more  effective  witness 
through  united  action.  Participants  will  be 
Paul  W.  Kinsel,  who  chairs  the  Committee 
of  Interchurch  Relations,  Earle  W.  Fike 
Jr.,  Joseph  M.  Mason,  John  D.  Tomlon- 
son,  and  a  representative  of  the  Ohio 
Council  of  Churches.  This  will  be  a  very 
important  and  meaningful  session. 

Every  age  presents  a  new  and  different 
challenge  to  the  Christian  church.  If  we  are 
to  fulfill  our  commitment  to  our  Lord  we 
must  be  flexible  enough  in  our  response  to 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  follow  where  we  are  led. 
We  pray  that  you  will  join  us  in  an  effort 
to  find  the  way  for  now  and  to  follow 
that  way  faithfully  and  courageously.  D 


■(^[LairDDDDDg]  pcddddI^^ 


Licensing/Ordination         Deaths 


Glen  Daughlry.  licensed  July  14, 

1974,  Scalp  Level,  Western  Penn- 
sylvania 

Larry  Deffenbaugh,  licensed 
Nov.  10,  1974,  Tire  Hill.  Western 
Pennsylvania 

Jack  Keebaugh,  licensed  Jan.  26, 

1975,  Knobsville,   Southern   Penn- 
sylvania 

Robert  Miller,  ordained  Oct.  13, 
1974,  Markleysburg  and  Asher 
Glade,  Western  Pennsylvania 

Robert  P.  Walters,  licensed  Dec. 
29,  1974,  Pittsburgh,  Western 
Pennsylvania 

Kevin  A.  Wilkins,  licensed  Nov. 
13,  1974,  Mount  Joy,  Western 
Pennsylvania 

Mike  Zellers,  licensed  Dec.  29, 
1974,  Freeburg,  Northern  Ohio 

Pastoral  Placements 

Arden  K.  Ball,  from  Roann, 
South/Central  Indiana,  to  resident 
director.  Camp  Mack,  Northern  In- 
diana 

Louis  Bloom,  from  Monroeville, 
Western  Pennsylvania,  to  Wiley 
Ford,  West  Marva 

Patrick  Chaffin,  to  Flint, 
Michigan 

Ronald  L.  Clark,  from  Old  Fur- 
nace, West  Marva,  to  Sipesville, 
Western  Pennsylvania 

Ira  W.  Gibbel,  from  New  Enter- 
prise, Middle  Pennsylvania,  to 
assistant  administrator,  Morrisons 
Cove  Home,  Middle  Pennsylvania 

John  F.  Growth,  continues  at 
Tucson,  Pacific  Southwest 

John  Keiper,  from  Aughwick, 
Middle  Pennsylvania,  to  Buffalo, 
Southern  Pennsylvania 

Alan  G.  Miller,  from  secular,  to 
Silver  Creek,  Northern  Ohio 

Martin  Waite  Jr.,  from  student, 
Vennard  University  Park,  Iowa,  to 
Panther  Creek/ Oak  Grove,  Illinois- 
Wisconsin,  (interim,  part-time) 

Wedding  Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ralph  Alexander, 
Cabool,  Mo.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cline  Bassetl, 
Sebring,  Fla.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  Bishop,  Sun- 
field,  Minn..  61 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright  Butter- 
baugh.  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tom  Davis,  Wind- 
fall, Ind..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  Fidler, 
Brookville,  Ohio,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dale  Figg,  Sun- 
field,  Minn.,  63 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jack  Jamison, 
Santa  Ana,  Calif.,  50 

Ir.  and  Mrs.  Fred  O. 
Holderread,  Cushing,  Okla.,  62 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Keller, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  65 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clyde  Smith,  Hart- 
ford City,  Ind.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Landis  Stehman, 
Lititz,  Pa.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  Teeter,  New 
Enterprise,  Pa.,  54 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sam  Young, 
Ashland,  Ohio,  50 


Debbie  Akers.  19,  Fresno,  Calif., 
Jan.  10.  1975 

Maranda  Anderson,  74,  Quinter, 
Kans.  Jan.  12.  1975 

Mrs.     Joe     Armev.     84.     Sedro 
Wooley,  Wash.,  Jan.' 20,  1975 

Flora    Armstrong,    89,    Eureka, 
111.,  Jan.  14,  1975 

Mae     Bagwell,     79,     Greenville, 
Ohio,  Jan.  18,  1975 

Pearl    I.    Bailev,    69.    Anaheim, 
Calif,  Jan.  28,  1975 

Camilla     Replogle    Bechtel,    79, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa..  Oct.  30,  1973 

Clara  Beckler,  81,  Dayton,  Ohio, 
Dec.  14,  1974 

Amos    Bewley,   76,    East   Peters- 
burg, Pa.,  Jan.  13,  1975 

Dwight  Blough.  40,  Farmington. 
Pa..  Dec.  30,  1974 

Elnora      Bollinger,      La     Verne, 
Calif..  Dec.  10,  1975 

Orpha    V.    Bollinger,    65,    Lititz, 
Pa.,  Sept.  23,  1974 

Emmert  Bowman,  71.  Greenville, 
Ohio,  Jan.  24,  1975 

Charles     O.      Bottomfield,      83. 
Hollidaysburg.  Pa.,  Jan.  10,  1975 

Dallas     Bowling.    34.     Marcum, 
Ky.,  Nov.  14,  1974 

Annie  Brandt,  84,  Cinnaminson, 
N.J.,  Dec.  7,  1974 

William  Brock,  89,  Marcum,  Ky., 
Dec.  9,  1974 

Junie  Brunk.  80,  Dayton,  Ohio. 
Jan.  16,  1975 

Arthur      Buckridge,      Waterloo. 
Iowa.  Dec.  31,  1974 

Richard     Burket,     47,     Roaring 
Spring,  Pa..  Jan.  9,  1975 

Bertha   Butterbaugh,  75,   Dixon. 
111..  Jan.  17,  1975 

Grace  B.  Christison,  74,  Decatur, 
111.,  Dec.  16,  1974 

Ernest  B.  Clark,  Pomona,  Calif. 
Dec.  7.  1974 

Maude   Whitmore  Coffman.  84, 
Harrisonburg.  Va..  Feb.  9,  1975 

Pharon    Denlinger.   69,   Dayton, 
Ohio,  Jan.  10,  1975 

D.  Saylor  Diehl,  95,  Nokesville, 
Va..  Aug.  15.  1974 

Howard     Duncan,    68,     Mound 
City,  Mo.,  Jan.  9,  1975 

Alverta    Eberly,    59,    Lititz,    Pa.. 
Nov.  27,  1974 

Violet    Everly,    52,  Cumberland, 
Md.,  Feb.  2,  1975 

Ray  Fackler,  75,  Ashland,  Ohio, 
Dec.  25,  1974 

Alvin  G.  Faust,  89,  Wilkinsburg, 
Pa.,  Oct.  6,  1974 

Judson  E.  Faust,  84.  Irwin,  Pa., 
Aug.  29.  1974 

Margaret     Felker,     43,     Mount 
Morris,  111..  Nov.  16,  1974 

John    B.    Fifer,    72,    Carrollton. 
Mo.,  Dec.  4,  1974 

Esther  Fink,  85,  White  Cottage, 
Ohio,  Oct.  15,  1974 

Emma   Fisher,   82,   Buck  Creek, 
Ind.,  Oct.  13,  1974 

Dan      Fitzgerald,     30,     Fresno, 
Calif,  Nov.  8,  1974 

Elizabeth    Forney,  85,   Modesto, 
Calif,  Feb.  4,  1975 

Margaret    Forsyth,    61.    Mount 
Morris,  III.,  Jan.  25.  1975 

Leland    C.    French,    86,   Clover- 
dale,  Va..  Jan.  7,  1975 

Florence    Fuhrman,    56,     Brod- 


becks.  Pa..  April  6.  1974 

Ellen  Ganger.  94,  Goshen,  Ind.. 
Nov.  29.  1974 

Georgia    Garvey,    90,    Modesto, 
Calif.  Nov.  22.  1974 

Frank  Gearhart,  82.  Gettysburg. 
Pa.,  Nov.  I.  1974 

Michael  Gebur,  62,  Calvin,  N.D., 
Oct.  6,  1974 

Ethel    Gehrett,    Pittsburgh,    Pa.. 
Jan.  1,  1971 

Clinton  1.  Getts,  78,  KendallviUe, 
Ind.,  Nov.  16,  1974 

John   Gibson,  20.  Moneta.  Va., 
Dec.  24,  1974 

Royal      Click,      63,      Riverside. 
Calif.  December  1974 

Hattie  A.  Glosser.  92.  Frederick. 
Md,,  Dec.  26,  1974 

Harper         A.         Good,         86, 
Waynesboro,  Pa..  Sept.  15,  1973 

Ramona     Reichard     Good,     84, 
Waynesboro.  Pa..  Dec.  8.  1974 

Anna    Gouker,    64,    Myersville, 
Md.,  June  21.  1974 

Mark    Crasser.    20,    Elton,    Pa.. 
Sept.  28,  1974 

Norma  Gray,  51.  Newport  News, 
Va.,  Nov.  4,  1974 

Robert  Green,  70,  West  Milton, 
Ohio,  Jan.  10,  1975 

Lester    Griffith,    82,   Johnstown, 
Pa.,  Nov.  20,  1974 

Edna   C.    Haag.   88.    Lititz.    Pa., 
Dec.  4,  1974 

William    Hall,    76,    Bent    Moun- 
tain, Va.,  Dec.  21,  1974 

Willie  Burton  Haynes.  69.  Eden. 
N.C..  Jan.  25.  1975 

Ora  Hendricks.  83,  Cando,  N.D.. 
Jan.  20,  1975 

Fannie  May  Henry,  84,  Goshen. 
Ind..  Jan.  9.  1975 

William        H.        Herring,       91, 
Nokesville,  Va.,  Dec.  28,  1974 

Ralph  Hoffman,  70,  Roann,  Ind., 
Jan.  5.  1975 

Harry  Hottle.  Akron,  Ohio,  Feb. 
1,  1975 

Mrs.     Avena     Huddleston,     88, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  Feb.  4,  1975 

Frank   W.  Johnson,  81,  Seattle, 
Wash.,  Dec.  27,  1974 

Allen   B.    Keller,  93,   Lititz,   Pa., 
Dec.  M.  1974 

James    R.    Kelley.    South    Bend. 
Ind.,  Jan.  28,  1975 

Percy     Klepinger,    76,    Sebring, 
Fla..  Jan.  5,  1975 

Ruth  Kongas.  71,  Cando,  N.D.. 
Jan.  13.  1975 

Ralph    Landes,    75.    North    Fort 
Myers.  Fla.,  Jan.  21.  1975 

Lois        Landis.        74.        North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  Dec.  10,  1974 

Jay    Latter,  90,   Ashland,   Ohio, 
Nov.  24,  1974 

Ruth     Eaton     Lau,     79,     Front 
Royal,  Va.,  Dec.  30,  1974 

Mary     Ellen     Lauver,     70,     La 
Verne,  Calif,  Dec.  13,  1974 

Marshall    Leiter,    66,    Ashland, 
Ohio,  Jan.  12.  1975 

Cora  Lindamood,  88.  Greenville. 
Ohio.  Jan.  12.  1975 

Ronald  J.  Lindower.  34.  Toledo, 
Ohio,  Nov.  29,  1974 

Daniel  W.  Long,  86,  Meyersdale, 
Pa.,  Oct.  23,  1974 

Raleigh  J.  Long,  77,  Catlett.  Va., 
Nov.  5,  1974 

W.    Newton    Long,    84.    Boons- 
boro,  Md.,  Jan.  25,  1975 


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May  1975  messenger  25 


Life  in  the  comnujni^v 


Read  Gal.  5:25—6:5  (NEB) 

In  the  first  five  chapters  of  Galatians  Paul 
discounts  the  law  as  a  basis  for  governing 
church  life  and  relationships.  He  scolds 
those  who  try  to  push  new  believers  into  a 
Jewish  uniform.  Christianity,  he  insists,  is  a 
radical  departure  demanding  the  new 
wineskins  described  by  Jesus.  Paul  says  it 
dramatically.  Those  who  accept  the  law  as 
a  framework  are  doomed.  To  be  measured 
by  those  demands  is  to  fail. 

In  contrast,  Paul  describes  life  together 
in  the  community  of  faith.  Gal.  5;28 
provides  a  vital  link.  The  Spirit,  not  the 
law,  is  to  be  the  source  of  life  and  the 
director  of  action.  With  that  base  we  judge 
ourselves.  Gal.  6:4  is  critical  to  the  entire 
section.  We  are  to  measure  ourselves  by 
taking  a  long  look  in  a  mirror.  We  do  not 
gather  points  by  making  comparisons  or 
tallying  a  list  of  the  positive  and  negative 
comments  received  from  others.  Because 
we  do  not  validate  our  virtue  by  docu- 
menting another's  comparative  vice, 
there  is  no  room  for  rivalry  or  jealousy. 
The  strength  of  the  body  is  not  sapped 
by  the  spiritual  erosion  of  envy  and 
fault-finding. 

Too  often,  even  in  the  church,  surface 
"loving"  is  only  a  mask.  We  Brethren  are 
always  so  nice  to  one  another.  We  smile, 
express  interest,  concern.  All  this  means 
nothing  if  it  is  only  a  cover  for  unresolved 
hostilities  and  destructive  competitiveness. 
Nancy  speaks  warmly  to  Jane  on  Sunday 
morning  and  on  Sunday  afternoon  calls 
Ruth  to  complain  about  the  way  Jane  is 
teaching  the  youth.  John  tells  his  pastor  he 
appreciates  his  willingness  to  take  a  stand 
then  steps  outside  to  suggest  to  Bob  that 
the  church  should  seek  a  minister  who  will 
stick  to  the  Bible.  Expectations  for  perfec- 
tion we  could  never  realize  ourselves  are 
laid  on  others.  Our  community  is  con- 
taminated. 

The  church  is  at  times  weakened  by 
those  who  serve  for  the  wrong  reasons. 


such  as  those  who  walk  in  front  to  draw 
attention  to  themselves,  using  church 
power  to  achieve  a  sense  of  importance. 
Paul  deals  with  this  problem  in  Gal.  6:3. 
But  the  most  sincere  leaders  carry  an  added 
burden  of  knowing  how  often  their  im- 
perfections become  a  topic  of  conversation 
among  others  in  the  church,  including 
other  leaders.  It  becomes  easier,  safer  to 
stay  in  the  shadows.  But  holding  back  or 
dropping  out  because  of  criticism  is  wrong. 
The  church  is  impoverished  if  talents  are 
hidden  out  of  fear. 

What  then?  Do  we  refrain  from  taking 
stands  or  expressing  opinions  in  order  not 
to  encourage  hostilities  or  rivalry?  That 
this  approach  is  foreign  to  Paul's  own  style 
is  abundantly  clear.  In  Gal.  2:4  Paul  con- 
fronts Peter.  And  the  letter  itself  is  a  plain 
speaking  expression  of  where  Paul  felt  the 
church  was  getting  on  the  wrong  track.  It  is 
directed  to  the  Galatians  about  the 
Galatians.  That  is  clearly  Paul's  style. 

Openness  with  love  is  obviously  the  stan- 
dard for  action  in  Gal.  6:1.  There  is  no 
place  for  allowing  hurts  to  fester  for  years, 
rubbing  salt  into  the  wounds  by  reciting 
bitter  memories.  The  church  is  the  place 
where  loving  community  that  destroys  all 
walls  is  possible.  But  it  will  only  happen  if 
we  are  honest  about  the  differences 
between  us  and  handle  them  in  a  creative 
way.  If  there  is  a  problem,  I  must  discuss  it 
face  to  face  with  the  person  involved. 
That's  a  tough  standard.  It  is  scary.  1  might 
get  hurt. 

It  is  easier  to  expect  the  pastor  to  do  any 
necessary  confronting.  Reported  sexual 
irregularities,  dishonest  business  dealings, 
heavy  drinking,  and  other  fascinating  tid- 
bits are  discussed  in  the  church  but  not 
often  with  the  persons  directly  involved. 
We  fail  to  be  redemptive  because  we  are 
afraid  to  be  confrontive.  Or  we  do  it  in  a 
destructive  way.  The  people  involved  often 
feel  alienated  and  drop  out.  They  are  lost 
in  more  than  one  sense.  New  generations  of 
Christians  know  them  only  as  a  name  on  a 


church  roll — either  to  be  meaninglessly 
retained  or  mechanically  discarded  by 
applying  legalistic  standards.  Do  we  care? 
Then  we  must  act  out  that  caring. 

This  same  spirit  of  loving  concern  moves 
us  to  support  those  who  are  carrying  heavy 
loads — special  burdens  of  hardships,  temp- 
tations, sorrow,  and  pain.  This  imperative 
in  Gal.  6:2  is  not  a  contradiction  to  Gal. 
6:5,  which  suggests  we  each  have  our 
proper  burden  to  bear.  We  are  responsible 
for  ourselves.  The  word  for  burden  in  verse 
5  is  the  word  used  for  a  ship's  cargo  or  a 
soldier's  kit.  The  focus  is  on  individual  ac- 
countability. I  reach  out  to  others  in  times 
of  stress,  but  I  can  not  solve  their  problems 
for  them.  I  cannot,  by  caring,  suffer  a 
friend's  arthritic  pain  in  her  place;  I  cannot 
remove  a  friend's  grief  over  the  death  of  a 
son  by  my  shared  grief.  These  friends  must 
still  bear  those  burdens.  I  can  only  hope  to 
make  that  load  seem  lighter  because  I  am 
there. 

Most  of  us  are  far  more  comfortable 
helping  to  bear  burdens  than  we  are  in  con- 
fronting. But  even  here  we  make  mistakes. 
1  have  a  memory  picture  of  myself  as  a  lit- 
tle girl,  eating  a  piece  of  watermelon  too 
big  for  me.  A  dear  aunt  offers  to  help.  I 
accept,  feeling  that  with  a  little  assistance  1 
can  enjoy  what  is  left.  Instead  she  takes  the 
piece  and  finishes  it.  Although  I  was  pre- 
school at  the  time,  I  still  remember  the  feel- 
ing of  disappointment.  I  had  to  redefine 
"help."  Our  help  is  too  often  like  my 
aunt's.  We  discount  the  individual  we  are 
helping.  We  try  to  take  over  completely, 
"knowing  what  is  best."  We  make  decisions 
about  what  is  needed  and  diminish  the  per- 
son's sense  of  worth. 

Our  churches  and  lives  would  be 
transformed  if  we  would  follow  the  advice 
Paul  gives  here.  Let  the  Spirit  direct  action. 
Eliminate  rivalry  and  jealousy  by  focusing 
on  ourselves.  Confront  lovingly,  directly, 
one  who  is  wrong.  Share  in  times  of  stress, 
but  always  preserve  individual  dignity  and 
responsibility.  □ 


isSp 


I 

»ffaAh 


Dq  joan  G.  DsG^r 


5/.  Paul,  hy  Rembrandt 


lot  Ih^  Lavy  must  te  Ih^  source  of  life 


May  1975  messenger  27 


\bice  of  Calvary 

Living  out  the  Gospel 

"The  Gospel  has  a  lot  to  offer  black  people  if 
they  can  begin  to  see  it  through  visible 
programs,"  says  John  Perkins.  '*It  is  our  love 
for  Jesus  Christ  that  helps  us  to  establish 
these  programs;  we  tell  the  people  that  what 
we  do  is  because  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  Gospel 
makes  us  aU  children  of  God,  and  that 
makes  us  all  significant." 


T, 


.he  trees  along  the  southern  Mississippi 
highway  radiated  full  autumn  brilliance.  It 
was  a  welcome  change  of  scenery  from  the 
stark,  silvery  limbs  I  had  left  in  northern  Il- 
linois. There,  Chicago  weather  had  already 
sunk  its  teeth  deep  into  early  winter.  But  in 
Mississippi  summer  seemed  to  cling  to  the 
autumn  months  long  into  November. 

The  late  afternoon  sun  felt  good  shining 
through  the  window  of  the  trusty  VW  Bee- 
tle as  Ervin  Huston,  Voice  of  Calvary's 
Health  Center  administrator,  Al  Oethinger, 
a  former  Mississippi  BVSer,  and  I  chugged 
along  from  the  airport  toward  Jackson. 

Since  its  birth  in  the  early  60s  the  Voice 
of  Calvary  Bible  Institute  had  grown  con- 
siderably. I  had  heard  about  it  from  friends 
who'd  been  there  and  from  an  occasional 
pamphlet  or  newsletter,  and  had  long  been 
eager  for  the  chance  to  one  day  see  the 
place  for  myself. 

We  drove  through  Jackson  to  a  residen- 
tial area  and  pulled  into  the  driveway  of  a 

28  MESSENGER  May  1975 


by  Randy  Miller 

simple,  white,  two-story  house.  It  appeared 
to  be  someone's  home.  That  deduction  was 
partially  right.  However,  the  family  did  not 
consist  of  just  Mom,  Dad  and  the  kids. 
The  house  and  renovated  garage  behind  it 
made  the  home  of  VOC's  most  recent 
ministry,  the  4-C  Center  (Center  for  Con- 
tinuous Christian  Community).  The  center 
is  directed  by  VOC's  founder  and  presi- 
dent, the  Reverend  John  M.  Perkins. 

The  center's  ministry  is  focused  in  three 
areas.  One  is  Jackson  Bible  Institute.  The 
primary  purpose  of  the  institute  is  to 
familiarize  young,  black  college  students 
with  Jesus  Christ  and  encourage  them  to 
use  their  skills  in  ministering  to  com- 
munities throughout  Mississippi.  Students 
from  nearby  colleges  attend  weekly 
sessions  taught  by  John  Perkins,  Ervin 
Huston,  and  other  VOC  staff  members. 
"The  black  student,  or  any  student  today, 
needs  more  than  an  education  to  be  a 
success,"  says  President  Perkins.  "What 


students  need  are  the  radical  values  that 
win  people  to  Jesus  Christ  and  make  a  per- 
son able  to  use  his  or  her  skills  in  ways  that 
creatively  deal  with  such  problems  as 
racism,  inflation,  and  poverty,  which 
threaten  our  nation  and  our  world.  Jesus 
Christ,  living  through  his  body  of  believers 
today,  represents  the  fleshing  out  of  these 
values — God's  strategy  of  hope  for  the 
world." 

A  second  emphasis  at  the  center  is  the 
hosting  of  work  study  groups  from 
churches  and  colleges  around  the  country. 
In  the  past,  the  center's  staff  had  met  with 
various  groups,  acquainting  them  with 
VOC's  strategy  for  delivering  the  gospel  in 
rural  Mississippi.  The  staff  hopes  to  con- 
tinue that  outreach  in  the  future. 

Finally,  VOC  has  created  a  non-profit 
investment  corporation  called  "People's 
Development  Corporation"  (PDC).  It  is  an 
effort  to  give  Christians  the  option  of  in- 
vesting their  money  in  a  way  that  will 


create  necessary  capital  to  send  children  to 
school,  educate  them  in  Christian  com- 
munity development,  and  allow  people  to 
develop  stable  ministries  and  businesses 
that  are  able  to  break  the  poverty  cycles  in 
which  many  are  caught. 


t  was  late  afternoon  on  a  Tuesday  at  the 
center,  and  students  would  be  arriving 
shortly  for  weekly  classes  at  the  Bible  In- 
stitute. Inside  the  house  a  few  people  had 
begun  some  cleanup  chores  in  preparation 
for  the  sessions.  The  humid  afternoon  air 
hung  like  a  damp  cloth,  causing  dust  on 
the  waxed,  wooden  floors  to  ball  up  under 
the  sweep  of  a  dust  mop.  Folding  metal 
chairs  lined  classroom  walls;  heavy,  woven 
rugs  were  shaken  outside.  If  a  house  can 
smell  well  used,  this  one  did. 

In  the  rehabilitated  garage  behind  the 
house,  staff  members  met  for  an  hour  to 
discuss  the  proposed  curriculum  for  the 


next  two  years  of  courses  at  the  Bible  in- 
stitute. Adjacent  to  the  small  meeting  area 
are  the  offices  of  John  Perkins  and  H. 
(Harold)  Spees.  H.  and  his  wife  Terri  are  a 
young  couple  who  joined  the  staff  nearly 
two  years  ago.  Among  other  tasks,  H.  is 


Voice  of  Calvary 
founder  and  presi- 
dent John  M. 
Perkins  (left)  and 
VOC  Health 
Center  ad- 
ministrator Ervin 
Huston.  Behind 
them,  Jackson's 
most  recent  VOC 
ministry:  the 
Center  for  Con- 
tinuous   Christian 
Community. 


responsible  for  editing  VOC's  bimonthly 
newsletter.  The  Voice. 

At  7  p.m.  the  classes  began.  In  one  room 
Ervin  Huston  led  a  small  class  in 
Deuteronomy.  Students  in  another  room 
focused  their  attention  on  John  Perkins  as 


May  1975  messenger  29 


he  spoke  to  them  of  the  importance  of 
Christians  being  involved  in  a  strong,  vital 
community  of  believers.  "The  Holy  Spirit 
comes  to  dwell  not  only  in  the  individual, 
but  also  in  the  church,  among  us!  We,  as 
individuals,  cannot  replace  Christ  on  earth; 
we  can  only  be  witnesses.  But  the  corporate 
body,  the  church,  as  Paul  spoke  of  it,  can 
be  that  replacement." 

John  Perkins  has  carried  on  the  dream 
of  developing  a  community  centered 
around  Christ  since  his  acceptance  of 
Christianity  in  1957.  At  the  time,  he  and 
his  family  lived  in  Los  Angeles,  having  left 
their  native  Mississippi  shortly  after  World 
War  II,  for  a  better  life.  He  had  succeeded 
in  the  business  world,  serving  as  supervisor 
in  a  welding  maintenance  business,  and  he 
likely  could  have  continued  in  a  rather 
comfortable  life-style  there  for  some  time. 
"But  the  Lord  had  other  plans  for  me." 

In  Los  Angeles  Perkins  and  some  friends 
had  visited  a  number  of  state  juvenile 
camps  for  young  offenders.  The  problems 
the  young  men  had  were  ones  John  could 
identify  with  for  they  stemmed  primarily 
from  being  young  and  black.  "I  did  not  feel 
the  church  was  doing  a  good  job  of 
reaching  those  young  men,  so  five  of  us 
formed  what  we  called  the  'Fisherman  Mis- 
sion' to  witness  to  other  blacks.  The  Lord 
blessed  me  with  skill  in  Bible  stories  and 
Bible  clubs,  and  I  would  have  been  con- 

Ninety-year-old  R.   A.    Buckly  is  a  local 
farmer,  one  of  VOC's  original  supporters 


Ariis   Fletcher,   a   Mendenhall  son,   left   the  state  for  higher  education  and  seminary 
training.    Returned  home,  he  provides  strong,   indigenous  leadership  as    VOC  pastor. 


sidered  a  'good  Christian'  if  I  had  remained 
in  California  in  this  sort  of  work. 

"But  the  discouragement  and  bitterness 
that  I  saw  really  had  a  lot  of  its  roots  back 
in  Mississippi.  If  people  with  ambition 
simply  continued  to  leave,  as  1  had,  the  life 
of  other  blacks  in  Mississippi  would  con- 
tinue to  crumble.  I  had  to  go  back,  even 
though  I  had  once  vowed  1  would  never 
return." 

When  John  returned  to  Mississippi  in 
1960  he  had  only  energy,  the  support  of 
$150  a  month  from  friends  in  Los  Angeles, 
and  his  own  sheer  will  power  to  go  on.  To- 
day he  has  energy,  financial  support  from  a 
common  treasury,  and  the  participation  of 
a  community  of  believers  in  the  perpetua- 
tion of  Christ's  ministry. 

Xhe  aroma  of  freshly  baked  doughnuts 
filtered  into  the  halls  as  classes  came  to  a 
close.  The  added  scent  of  hot  coffee  drew 
many  to  congregate  for  brief,  informal 
fellowship  and  conversation  in  the  kitchen. 
Outside,  car  engines  began  to  turn  and 
people  slowly  filtered  out  into  the  cool 
night  air.  I  boarded  the  VW  van  of  Erv  and 
Joan  Huston  that  was  headed  for 
Mendenhall,  Mississippi,  37  miles 
southeast  of  Jackson.  Mendenhall  is  the 
other  center  for  VOC  activity  and  is  actual- 
ly where  VOC  had  its  origins. 

Mendenhall  is  the  town  John  Perkins 
settled  in  when  he  returned  to  Mississippi 


from  Los  Angeles.  Upon  his  arrival  he 
began  setting  up  Bible  clubs  in  schools 
around  the  country.  By  1963  the  clubs  had 
grown  to  such  a  degree  that  he  and  a  few 
fellow  workers  built  a  house,  then  later 
classrooms  in  Mendenhall.  This  endeavor 
provided  the  basis  for  the  development  of 
many  other  programs  that  took  form  dur- 
ing the  60s  and  early  70s. 

An  early  undertaking  was  the  establish- 
ment of  a  housing  cooperative  with  about 
50  people  contributing.  The  co-op  attractedi 
the  first  black  Federal  Housing  Ad- 
ministration worker  in  the  county,  and 
with  an  FHA  loan  the  co-op  was  able  to 
construct  a  number  of  three-bedroom 
apartments  at  $50  per  month  rent.  Later,  a 
farmers'  buying  cooperative  was  formed, 
including  about  200  farmers.  This  proved 
to  be  a  helpful  move,  as  it  freed  many  poor 
blacks  from  having  to  continue  buying 
from  steeply-priced  local  stores  at  high  in- 
terest credit  rates. 

As  publicity  spread,  grants,  loans, 
donations,  and  volunteers  (including  manytj 
Brethren)  came  in,  enabling  the  expansion 
of  facilities.  Throughout  the  60s  and  close 
to  the  turn  of  the  decade,  a  number  of 
buildings  were  constructed,  including  a 
chapel,  tutorial  school,  gymnasium,  and  a 
health  center. 

Weekly  and  evening  services  are  held  in 
the  chapel,  with  Artis  Fletcher  serving  as 
pastor.  Artis,  originally  from  Mendenhall, 
left  the  state  at  one  time  to  receive  further 


30  MESSENGER  May  1975 


ej 


lucation  and  seminary  training.  Now 
turned,  he  provides  strong,  indigenous 
idership. 

The  tutorial  school  enables  approximate- 
35  youngsters  from  the  surrounding  area 
obtain  what  education  they  are  not  able 
receive  in  public  schools.  High  school 
niors  act  as  tutors  in  this  program  that 
ntinues  to  be  successful  in  its  outreach. 
VOC's  first  Health  Center  facility,  the 
ly  one  in  the  county  and  surrounding 
sas  where  there  were  not  separate  waiting 
oms  for  blacks  and  whites,  was  com- 
:ted  in  the  spring  of  1973.  During  the 
rly  years  of  that  center's  existence  there 
re  a  number  of  uphill  battles  that  were 
;t  and  dealt  with,  but  not  without  con- 
lerable  effort  on  the  part  of  VOC's  staff, 
cod  waters  once  warped  its  tile  floors 
d  created  thousands  of  dollars  in 
mages.  Immeasurable  energy  was  spent 
fund  raising  efforts  for  an  X-ray 
ichine.  Half  of  last  year  the  clinic's  doors 
re  closed  because  there  was  no  doctor. 
t  with  the  recent  move  to  a  new  facility 
low  appears  that  brighter  days  are  in 
ire. 
The  new  building,  situated  across  from 

county  court  house  in  downtown 
;ndenhall,  is  a  real  breakthrough  for 
al  blacks,  as  it  marks  the  first  time  a 
ok  enterprise  has  cracked  main  street. 
e  building  was  originally  constructed  as 
.ealth  center,  so  renovation  and 
onstruction  was  not  necessary.  "The  old 
Iding  likely  will  be  used  to  host  over- 
ht  groups  and  others  who  visit  VOC," 
's  H.  Spees. 

resently  two  doctors  are  on  hand  at  the 
V  facility.  Dr.  Eugene  McCarty,  who 
h  his  wife  arrived  this  past  January,  is 
rking  with  VOC  on  an  indefinite  basis. 
)m  the  Mennonite  Medical  Society  is 

Carl  Yoder  who  will  be  with  VOC  for 
ee  months,  the  first  of  what  VOC  staff 

es  will  be  a  continuing  progression  of 
;tors  who  serve  the  center  on  a  short 
Ti  basis.  Ervin  Huston  is  the  Health 

iter  administrator;  his  wife  Joan  is  a 
istered  nurse  there. 

recent  development  in  the  center's 
listry  is  the  Home  Health  program.  At 

present  time  it  involves  Home  Health 

se  Vera  Shertz  and  aid  Willa  Stevens 

/ehng  to  outlying  areas  locating  health 

ds  and  administering  remedies.  As  the 

igram  develops,  the  intent  is  that  heahh 

fiancils  in  various  villages  will  form  and 

b'vide  efficient  care  for  their  own  area. 

T;  Home  Health  program  is  the  recipient 


of  a  Church  of  the  Brethren  SHARE  grant 
of  $4,100  for  1974-75  year. 


T. 


.he  thrust  of  VOC's  ministry  continues 
to  grow  and  expand  along  many  different 
tangents.  In  Jackson  new  wheels  are  turn- 
ing toward  the  development  of  a  printing 
program.  It  is  presently  in  the  works,  and, 
"hopefully."  says  H.  Spees.  "will  be  in  full 
swing  within  a  year."  Sensing  a  lack  of 
printed  matter  directed  toward  proclaiming 
the  gospel  to  the  black  Christian,  H.  says 
the  ministry  will  have  its  forte  in  this  area. 

Also  in  the  media  vein  is  Voice  of 
Calvary's  Mendenhall-based  radio 
program.  Dolphus  Weary,  executive  direc- 
tor of  the  Mendenhall  VOC  ministry, 
prepares  a  15-minute  delivery  which  is  dis- 
tributed to  five  stations  around  the  area 
and  aired  on  Sunday  mornings. 

"The  Gospel  has  a  lot  to  offer  black 
people  if  they  can  begin  to  see  it  through 
visible  programs,"  says  John  Perkins.  "It 
is  our  love  for  Jesus  Christ  that  helps  us 
establish  these  programs;  we  tell  the  peo- 
ple that  what  we  do  is  because  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  Gospel  makes  us  all  chil- 
dren of  God,  and  that  makes  us  all  sig- 
nificant and  important." 


T. 


-  he  plane  rose  over  the  lush,  colorful 
Mississippi  foliage,  then  disappeared  into 
steel-gray  clouds,  which  kept  land  from 
view  until  our  descent  over  cold,  concrete 
Chicago.  1  reflected  on  my  experiences  at 
the  Voice  of  Calvary.  The  words  of  John 
Perkins  came  to  mind.  "It's  our  love  for 
Jesus  Christ  that  helps  us  establish  these 
programs."  During  my  childhood  years 
Sunday  school  teachers  had  spoken  to  me 
about  the  "power  of  God"  in  vague  and  un- 
certain terms.  I  had  received  notions  about 
the  power  of  God  as  being  something  high 
and  out  of  reach,  a  magic  force  that  no  one 
quite  understood  (especially  my  Sunday 
school  teachers). 

Over  the  years,  through  various  ex- 
periences, I  have  come  to  a  clearer  un- 
derstanding of  the  nature  of  the  power  of 
God.  My  understanding  was  refreshed  as  I 
witnessed  that  power  working  from  the 
grass  roots  up,  through  God's  community 
of  believers  at  VOC. 

I  would  encourage  not  only  a  few  of  my 
former  Sunday  school  teachers,  but  also 
others,  to  visit  VOC  and  witness  what  the 
power  of  God,  working  through  his  people, 
can  bring  about.    D 


Revelation 

in 
Two  Lives 


What  does  it  mean  to  live  and 
grow  every  day  through  Christ? 
Barry  L.  Johnson  found  that  answer 
...  he  knocked  holes  in  his 
ceiling,  the  frustrating  ceiling  of 
human  perception.  The  story  of  how 
he  discovered  the  answer  to  spiri- 
tual awareness  and  continuous  com- 
munication with  God  is  relived  in 

Sometimes  There's  a  Hole 
in  the  Ceiling. 

Paper,  $3.50 


Ernest  A. 

Fitzgerald  had  a  problem. 

He  tried  to  believe  too  much  at 

one  time  and  ended  up  in  thorough 

confusion.  How  he  came  to  grips 

with  the  controversial  doctrines  of 

Christianity  and  became  a  true 

believer  is  shared  in 

You  Can  Believe! 

Paper,  $3.25 

at  your  local  bookstore 

Qbingdon 

May  1975  messenger  31 


hBsrm  D 


On  fasting,  simple  living,  China 


George  G.  Hess 

So  little  can 
be  so  helpful 


SMALL  PROTESTANT  DENOMINATION 

CONTRIBITES  S5  MILLION 

FOR  WORLD  HUNGER! 

ELGIN,  ILL.— (WPl)— The  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  a  fellowship  of 
slightly  less  than  200,000  members, 
whose  origins  stem  from  the 
Anabaptist  movement  in  the  late 
Reformation  period,  has  dem- 
onstrated that  a  measure  of  Christian 
sacrificial  concern  for  "the  least  of 
these,  my  brethren,"  is  yet  alive  in 
today's  world. 

Taking  seriously  the  plight  of 
millions  of  people  starving  around 
the  world,  the  members  of  this 
denomination  fasted  for  one  meal  a 
week  during  the  past  year  and  ac- 
cumulated the  money  saved  in  this 
way.  In  Maundy  Thursday  Love 
Feasts  made  uniquely  appropriate  by 
the  giving  of  a  sacrificial  gift,  the 
Brethren  around  the  world  pooled 
their  combined  "fast  bucks"  to 
donate  a  total  of  $5,002,150  to 
Church  World  Service. 

Representatives  from  Church 
World  Service  noted  that  this  con- 
tribution was  $1  million  more  than 
the  total  contributions  to  CROP  by 
all  individuals  and  organizations  in 
1974.  Commenting  on  this  unusual 
achievement,  a  Brethren  spokesper- 
son said,  "Even  in  giving  this  amount 
of  money,  we  have  barely  begun  to 
follow  the  example  of  Jesus." 

The  preceding  news  release  was  taken 
from  the  wires  of  WPl,  "Wishful  Press  In- 


To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those  in 
the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or  disagree 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation  of  this 
value,  and  to  an  open  and  probing  forum, 
that  "Here  I  Stand"  responses  are  invited. 

32  MESSENGER  May  1975 


ternational."  But  does  it  have  to  be  WPl? 
Could  it  not  be  AP,  RNS,  or  UPI?  Cer- 
tainly it  could  be!  Think  how  easily  this 
result  could  be  realized. 

Let  each  Church  of  the  Brethren  member 
fast  for  one  meal  a  week  for  50  weeks  (ex- 
clude Thanksgiving  and  Christmas).  Let 
the  meal  given  up  be  a  minor  one — say, 
lunch.  Let  the  amount  saved  for  each 
lunch,  averaged  over  the  "bringers"  and  the 
"buyers,"  as  our  school  children  say, 
amount  to  50c.  A  small  enough  sum.  Then 
the  mathematics  produce  the  result:  (50c 
per  member)  X  (50  meals  per  year)x 
(200,000  members)  =  $5,000,000. 

Now  let  us  take  one  additional  action  to 
make  this  gift  worth  much  more  than  $5 
million.  Let  each  sister  and  brother  use  the 
time  that  would  be  spent  eating,  to  pray  for 
the  needy  and  to  meditate  on  creative 
solutions  to  their  problems.  Imagine  the 
impact — far  beyond  a  paltry  few  million 
dollars — when  200,000  of  the  people  of 
God  sacrificially  pray  each  week  that  his 
will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven!  Un- 
less we  have  completely  lost  our  concept  of 
the  vastness  of  God's  resources,  we  will 
have  to  acknowledge  that  the  working  of 
the  Spirit  will  produce  more  of  eternal 
value  in  the  lives  of  people  than  will  the 
dollars  we  give. 

Let  us  begin  now  to  let  His  Spirit  flow 
through  us:  "...  as  you  did  it  to  one  of  the 
least  of  these  my  brethren,  you  did  it  to 
me." 

Even  if  you  adopt  this  course  of  action 
yourself,  and  all  of  the  other  Brethren  do 
not  join  you,  your  efforts  will  be  significant 
because  so  little  is  so  helpful  to  the  starv- 
ing. Only  $2.00  will  feed  12  children  one 
bowl  of  high-protein  cereal  every  day  for  a 
month!    D 


James  and  Nancy  Poling 

Trying  preachin' 
and  farmin' 

We  are  involved  in  a  holy  experiment. 
Our  goal  is  to  live  a  simple  rural  life 
while  also  doing  Christian  service 
as  pastor  and  teacher. 


Some  things  have  worked. 

Jim  has  spent  five  years  as  a  pastor  of  a 
small  rural  congregation  which  cannot  af- 
ford full-time  professional  leadership. 
There  have  been  many  rewards,  although 
frustrations  are  also  many  because  every 
struggle  is  a  struggle  for  survival. 

Nancy  has  begun  teaching  in  the  same 
school  district  where  our  children  are 
students.  This  roots  us  down  in  the  local 
community.  Fortunately  Nancy  likes 
teaching,  and  Christie  (8)  and  Nathan  (6) 
like  school  and  will  probably  survive  the 
public  educational  system. 

Our  farm  provides  the  greatest  joy.  Our 
four  acres  is  the  center  of  our  family  life.  In 
the  summer,  the  garden  keeps  us  busy  as 
we  work  to  preserve  enough  vegetables  for 
the  year.  Last  year  we  bought  very  few 
vegetables,  and  had  white  and  sweet 
potatoes  most  of  the  winter.  Fruit  trees  are 
coming  and  will  supply  us  abundantly  in 
two  or  three  years. 

When  our  garden  is  not  central,  we  dote 
over  the  animals.  Our  favorites  are  the 
goats,  which  take  the  most  care,  but  return 
us  with  milk  and,  hopefully,  someday, 
butter,  cheese,  yogurt,  ice  cream,  and  meat. 
More  practical  are  the  chickens  and  rabbits 
which  supply  meat  and  eggs  to  share  and 
sell.  The  bees  are  not  pets,  but  important 
because  of  the  honey. 

When  we  take  each  day  as  it  comes,  our 
life-style  is  marvelous,  our  family  life  is 
centered,  our  marriage  is  enriched,  our 
food  is  wholesome  and  organic,  and  our 
combination  of  farmin'  and  preachin'  is  a 
witness  to  the  wholistic  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

BUT,  there  are  problems  and 
frustrations. 

One,  schedule.  With  two  adults  working  j 
almost  full  time,  two  children  in  school  full 
time,  and  hours  of  chores  to  do,  it  is  easy 
to  be  too  busy.  Add  to  this  the  insane 
schedules  of  many  others  who  make 
demands  on  us,  and  sometimes  our 
schedule  is  also  insane.  Keeping  a  relaxed 
pace  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  parts. 

Two,  money.  Even  with  two  of  us  work- 
ing, maintaining  a  farm  is  expensive.  Do- 
ing things  ourselves,  instead  of  buying 
things  ready-made,  is  not  the  simplest  way 
to  live.  It  takes  tools  and  machines.  And 


inflation  has  hit  us  like  everyone  else.  We 
have  concluded  that  it  would  be  cheaper  to 
live  in  an  apartment  and  buy  our  food, 
than  to  farm.  And  we  have  not  found  any 
shortcut  to  living  cheaper.  Our  style  costs 
I  money,  and  that  was  a  shocker. 

Three,  community.  Much  of  the  church 
today  talks  about  community — the 
presence  of  other  Christians  who  support 
and  even  correct  one  another. We  had 
hopes  of  being  a  part  of  a  loosely  struc- 
tured intentional  Christian  community,  but 
we  have  found  ourselves  more  isolated  here 
than  we  had  hoped.  Many  things  seem  to 
interfere  to  prevent  the  intimate 
relationships  we  crave.  At  the  same  time, 
we  have  been  surprised  by  the  support  we 
do  feel  from  those  Christians  around  us. 
especially  in  the  congregation,  and  it  is  that 
support  which  sustains  us. 

In  conclusion,  we  are  committed  to  our 
style  of  life,  and  believe  that  God  has  called 
us  to  our  careers  and  to  our  farm,  at  least 
for  the  present.  We  pray  that  he  will  bring 
solutions  to  our  problems,  and  that  he  will 
lead  us  into  service,  and  into  a  style  of  life 
which  is  family-centered,  ecologically 
sound,  generous  toward  those  who  suffer, 
and  which  witnesses  to  the  love  of  Christ 
for  creation  and  all  persons.     [J 

Ron  Beachley 

Doing  deeds  that 
others  can  see 

As  Christians  we  must  continue  to  be  con- 
cerned about  those  who  are  hungry  and 
struggling  to  live  from  day  to  day.  The 
writer  of  I  John  says,  "But  if  a  man  has 
enough  to  live  on,  and  yet  when  he  sees  his 
brother  in  need  shuts  up  his  heart  against 
him,  how  can  it  be  said  that  the  divine  love 
dwells  in  him?  My  children,  love  must  not 
be  a  matter  of  words  or  talk;  it  must  be 
genuine,  and  show  itself  in  action"  (I  John 
3:17,  18,  NEB).  Because  we  have  (physical 
necessities)  we  must  be  willing  to  share 
with  those  who  do  not  have  enough  to  eat 
and  live. 

Alma  Long's  article,  "Fasting" 
(Messenger,  January  1975,  page  18),  was 
especially  interesting  to  me  since  I  too  have 
been  fasting  one  day  per  week  since  last 
July.  The  motives  1  have  for  fasting  are 


LOOKING  FOR  A  PEACE-ORIENTED  PORTFOUO? 
CONSIDER 

PAX  WORLD  FUND 

(a  no-load  mutual  fund) 

"The  Fund  endeavors  through  its  investment 
objectives  to  ma/<e  a  contribution  to  v\/or/d 
peace  . . .  " — from  the  Prospectus.  (At  the  same 
time,  the  Fund  seeks  to  provide  a  reasonable 
return  to  shareholders.) 

Pax  World  is  a  no-load,  diversified  income  fund  de- 
signed primarily  for  those  who  wish  to  invest  in  life  sup- 
portive products  and  services. 

The  policies  of  Pax  World  include  investing  in: 
— non  war-related  industries. 
— firms  with  fair  employment  practices. 
— some  companies  abroad  which  contribute  to  the 
standard  of  living  of  developing  nations. 

Securities  are  available  for  sale  in:  California,  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  Illinois,  Maryland,  Massachusetts, 
Pennsylvania,  New  Hampshire,  New  Jersey,  New  York, 
and  Washington.   Minimum  initial  investment  is  $250. 


To:  PAX  WORLD  FUND.  INC. 

224  State  Street 

Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire  03801 

"A  prospectus  containing  more  complete  information  about 
Pax  World  Fund,  including  all  charges  and  expenses  will  be 
sent  upon  receipt  of  this  coupon.  Read  it  carefully  before 
you  invest.  Send  no  money. " 

Please  send  me  a  free  prospectus  and  other  information 
on  Pax  World  Fund. 

Name    


Address 
City 


State 


Zip  code 


Occupation 


May  1975  messenger  33 


ANNUAL  CONFERENCE  BULLETINS 

WANTED  — Rhodesian  exchange  student 
(white)  would  like  leisurely  ride  to  west  coast 
after  Conference.  She  would  share  expenses. 
Contact:  3  McKinley  St.,  Brookville,  Ohio 
45309.  Phone  (513)  833-2539. 

HERITAGE  TOUR-Brethren  Heritage  Tour 
June  24,  12:30-4:30  p.m.  To  places  of 
special  interest  to  Brethren  in  the  Miami 
Valley,  Air-conditioned  bus  leaves  from  and 
returns  to  Dayton  Convention  Center.  $2.00 
per  person.  Reservations:  Vinna  Helstern, 
425  Arlington  Road,  Apt.  19,  Brookville,  Ohio 
45309. 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 

INVITATION  — If  you  are  planning  a  trip  to 
Florida,  why  not  worship  with  us?  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  7040-38th  Ave.  No,, 
St.  Petersburg,  Fla.  33710.  Phone  341-3561. 
Sunday  School  9:15  A.M.  Morning  Worship 
10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor 

FREE— An  inspiring  sermon  from  the  book, 
"The  Carpenter's  Way  to  Build  Dynamic  Ser- 
mons." Included  with  your  sermon  will  be  in- 
formation about  this  book.  Send  for  your  free 
sermon  today  from  The  Seaboard  Press,  153 
Blanchard  Road,  D18,  Drexel  Hill,  Pa.  19026. 


NO  KING 
BUT  CAESAR? 


"The  Christian  faith  is  not 
based  only  on  the  philosophical 
concept  of  justice  or  only  on  the 
philosophy  of  utilitarianism  but 
rather  on  the  virtue  of  love  and 
the  authority  of  Jesus,"  Author: 
William  R,  Durland 

Durland,  a  lawyer,  makes  a 
rediscovery  of  forgotten  and  dis- 
torted truths.  He  reviews  the 
authority  of  Jesus  and  of  Caesar 
as  reviewed  in  the  Bible  and  in  the 
historical  relationship  between 
government  and  the  church. 

The  author  wrestles  with  the 
violence  of  the  church  through 
the  centuries  and  then  shares  his 
newly  found  Christian  viewpoint. 
Cloth,  $5.95. 

Order  from: 

BRETHREN  PRESS 

Elgin,  i'l  60120 


different  and  present  a  contrast  to  the 
spiritual  values  expressed  by  Ms.  Long. 

The  reason  I  choose  to  fast  has  to  do 
with  the  world  food  crisis  and  the  need  1 
feel  to  do  something  about  it.  1  have  heard 
the  plight  of  the  hungry  mentioned  mul- 
titudinous times,  but  very  few  persons  are 
offering  concrete  ways  of  solving  the 
problem.  "Let  someone  else  do  it."  "The 
problem  is  too  large  for  me  to  do  anything 
about  it."  "Let  the  government  solve  it." 
These  are  some  of  the  excuses  Christians 
are  giving  for  not  doing  anything,  rather 
than  looking  for  little  things  they  could  do 
to  consume  less  so  others  might  have  a 
chance  to  live. 

I  decided  that  I  would  fast.  I  felt  the 
food  1  did  not  eat  one  day  per  week  would 
be  available  for  someone  else:  and  then  I 
also  give  a  donation  to  a  reputable 
organization  to  help  meet  the  immediate 
needs  of  those  millions  who  are  starving 
every  day. 

Incidentally,  my  family  participates 
in  the  sharing  of  money,  to  help  the 
hungry,  by  placing  a  penny  per  meal  in  a 
cup;  this  is  then  included  in  the  amount 
we  send  to  help  feed  the  hungry  each 
month.  The  amount  we  give  each 
month  is  not  much — but  1  do  not  believe 
the  Lord  demands  what  we  do  to  be 
sensational.  The  only  thing  he  requires 
from  each  of  us  is  that  we  are  faithful  and 
do  something.  In  Matt.  25:31-46,  those 
who  receive  the  Father's  blessing  and 
are  invited  to  enter  the  kingdom  are 
those  who  have  done  little  things  for 
those  in  need.  Likewise,  those  who  are 
rejected  are  those  who  do  nothing  for 
their  sisters  and  brothers  in  need. 

If  every  Christian  would  be  willing  to  do 
a  small  amount  the  world  food  crisis  could 
be  alleviated.  The  thing  that  bothers  me  is 
that  so  much  time  and  energy  is  being  put 
into  talking  and  writing  and  nothing  is  be- 
ing done.  We  must  be  willing  to  get  in- 
volved with  more  than  just  words.  The 
writer  of  James  said,  "For  as  the  body 
apart  from  the  spirit  is  dead,  so  faith  apart 
from  works  is  dead"  (Jas.  2:26). 

I  believe  fasting  is  a  good  discipline, 
and  one  1  need  to  continue  in  order  to 
challenge  myself  and  point  out  the  needs 
of  the  millions  that  are  starving  in  the 
world.  I  would  not  deny  that  fasting  has 
other  spiritual  values,  as  Ms.  Long 
points  out.  However,  1  believe  these 
spiritual  values  will  be  lost,  if  they  do 
not  lead  us  to  some  form  of  action.  The 
good  news  which  Jesus  shared  with  others 
was  not  only  words,  but  deeds  that  others 
could  see  and  benefit  from.    D 


Bernice  Hoover  Cook 

Past  and  present 
China  lessons 

The  March  Messenger  article  on  China 
really  got  me  excited  for  I  have  been 
reading  about  China,  too. 

In  my  preschool  days  B.  F.  Heckman 
came  to  Plattsburg  during  the  Christmas 
holidays  to  hold  a  Bible  Study  (imagine 
that,  giving  the  holidays  over  to  such  a 
thing).  He  came  down  out  of  the  pulpit 
with  a  blackboard  and  a  Bible  and  taugh 
Though  I  do  not  know  what  he  said, 
something  rubbed  off  on  me  that  is  with 
me  to  this  day.  I  still  prefer  that  kind  of 
thing  in  church. 

He  must  have  transmitted  much  love  t( 
us  all,  for  when  he  soon  died  of  smallpo> 
in  China,  our  household — every  member 
grieved;  I  can  still  feel  it. 

Dr.  Dimond,  provost  of  the  new  Unive 
sity  of  Missouri  hospitals  being  built  in 
Kansas  City,  went  to  China  a  few  years 
back  as  part  of  a  prestigious  delegation. 
Excerpts  from  Dr.  Dimond's  book  have 
been  printed  in  our  paper.  They  are 
remarkable  articles.  Some  of  what  he 
describes  in  China  sounds  Brethren.  How 
God  works  in  history  we  do  not  know,  bil 
some  very  strange  things  have  happened  ii 
my  lifetime. 

He  speaks  of  the  equality  of  the  people 
their  simplicity,  their  commitment,  es- 
pecially their  caring  for  one  another.  On  i 
hourlong  tv  speech  he  said  American 
hospitals  are  too  fine;  in  China,  patients  ■ 
care  for  one  another,  a  remarkable 
relationship. 

He  tells  of  a  doctor  who  left  the  city  fc 
several  months  each  year  to  tend  farmer  : 
patients  and  to  work  in  the  fields  alongsit 
the  farmers.  He  found  out  he  was  losing  h 
common  touch.  He  learned  more  from 
them  than  he  did  for  them.  Sound 
Brethren? 

Dr.  Dimond  has  nothing  good  to  say 
about  missionaries,  which  is  very  dis- 
illusioning to  me.  They  were  regarded  as 
representatives  of  imperialism.  They  rnigt 
have  been  okay,  but  their  children  had  a 
way  of  learning  the  language  and  returnir 
as  CIA  people.  I  remember  reading  in  U 
that  mission  work  done  with  gun  boats  ii 
the  harbor  had  not  succeeded. 

His  closing  chapter,  "Childhood's  End" 
a  critique  of  America.  He  has  plenty  to  say 
about  the  history  of  US  and  China  rela- 
tions, and  it  is  nothing  to  be  proud  of.  This 
chapter  should  be  required  reading.  □ 


34  MESSENGER  May  1975 


CRIMINAL 

JUSTICE 

REFORM 


The  New  Testament  symbol 

of  the  towel 

impels  Brethren 

to  reach  out  to  those 

who  have  been  made 

outcasts  and  scapegoats 


X. 


Several  factors  combine  to  make  prisons 
and  the  imprisoned  a  special  concern  for 
Christians,  according  to  a  query  accepted 
by  the  1974  Annual  Conference  delegates. 
Cited  were  a  series  of  biblical  injunctions 
to  remember  those  in  prison,  to  proclaim 
release  to  the  captives  and  to  free  the  op- 
pressed, to  identify  with  the  poor  and  the 
helpless  of  society,  to  associate  as  did  Jesus 
with  the  outcasts,  and  to  show  compassion 
for  the  unlovable. 

This,  coupled  with  the  concern  that 
prisons,  jails  and  lock-ups  dehumanize  and 
brutalize  persons,  prompted  the  North 
Manchester  congregation  and  South/  Cen- 
tral Indiana  District  Conference  to  petition 
Annual  Conference  for  a  study  of  the 
criminal  justice  system.  A  five-member  task 
force,  along  with  a  staff  consultant,  was 
named  by  the  General  Board  to  report,  as 
the  query  requested,  "to  the  1975  Annual 
Conference  appropriate  means  by  which 


churches  can  address  themselves  to  the 
issue  of  criminal  justice  reform." 

Named  to  the  task  force  were  David  Eis, 
North  Manchester.  Ind.,  who  works  with 
Indiana's  Public  Action  for  Correctional 
Effort;  Robert  Gross,  Churubusco,  Ind.,  an 
ex-prisoner  due  to  nonregistration  under 
Selective  Service:  George  Petsock, 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  involved  in  his  slate's 
community  efforts  for  prison  rehabilita- 
tion; Marianne  Rhoades  Pittman,  Cham- 
paign, III.,  on  the  campus  ministry  staff  at 
the  University  of  Illinois;  and  Guy 
Wampler  Jr.,  chairperson.  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  pastor  involved  in  a  local  jail  reform 
program.  Staff  consultant  was  Ralph  E. 
Smeltzer  of  the  World  Ministries  staff;  ex- 
officio  member  was  S.  Loren  Bowman, 
general  secretary. 

Following  is  the  committee's  report  as 
amended  and  adopted  by  the  General 
Board  in  February: 


-he  imprisoned  are  perhaps  the  most 
neglected  and  abused  group  in  our  society. 
Ironically,  when  these  offenders  are 
neglected  and  abused,  not  only  they  but 
society  as  well  is  victimized.  The  New 
Testament  symbol  of  the  towel  impels 
Brethren  to  reach  out  to  those  who  have 
been  made  outcasts  and  scapegoats. 
Whenever  this  effort  is  fruitful,  society 
itself  becomes  healthier  and  more  secure. 

Some  Areas  of  Concern 

The  failures  of  our  present  criminal 
justice  system  are  widely  apparent.  The  ris- 
ing crime  rate  is  one  evidence  that  the 
system  neither  deters  nor  rehabilitates. 

There  are  many  specific  areas  of  con- 
cern. 

1.  The  system  tends  to  serve  the  powerful 
segments  of  the  society  and  to  protect 
property  at  the  expense  of  persons. 

2.  The  arbitrary  use  of  discretionary 
power  in  dealing  with  offenders  often 
punishes  the  poor  and  powerless,  frees  the 
rich  and  powerful,  and  allows  the  prej- 
udices of  society  to  run  unchallenged. 

3.  Our  social  institutions,  including 
families,  schools,  welfare  agencies,  and 
churches  share  a  responsibility  for  creating 
or  permitting  the  conditions  which  result  in 
criminal  behavior. 

4.  Racial,  ethnic  and  sexual  discrimina- 
tion is  prevalent,  and  damaging  to  persons. 

5.  The  public  has  come  to  accept  many 
misconceptions; 

•  that  prisons  protect  us  from  crime. 

•  that  reformatories  reform,  correctional 
centers  correct,  penitentiaries  teach 
penitence. 

•  that  incarceration  rehabilitates. 

•  that  most  people  in  prison  are 
dangerous. 

•  that  one  must  be  an  expert  in 
criminology  to  help  a  law  offender. 

•  that  poor  people  and  minority  groups 
are  more  inclined  to  commit  crimes 
than  others. 

•  that  more  money  for  police,  police 
hardware,  judges,  and  jails  will  make 
our  society  safer. 

•  that  "model  prison  behavior"  signifies 
rehabilitation. 

•  that  most  law  breakers  are  in  jail  or 
prison. 

•  that  all  persons  in  jail  are  guilty. 

6.  The  education,  training,  and  salaries 
of  police,  correctional  officers,  and  keepers 

May  1975  messenger  35 


of  the  jail  frequently  are  not  commensurate 
with  their  job  requirements. 

7.  Jails,  prisons,  and  lock-ups  are  at  best 
human  warehouses  and  at  worst  brutal,  un- 
sanitary dens.  Incarceration  itself  is 
dehumanizing  and  takes  away  from  per- 
sons their  economic  base,  breaks  down 
their  family  ties,  and  separates  them  from 
helpful  community  resources. 

8.  Many  alleged  offenders  are  kept  in  jail 
solely  because  of  inability  to  pay  bail 
money. 

9.  Too  much  money,  effort,  and  time  are 
spent  on  security  and  far  too  little  on  help- 
ing prisoners  develop  skills  and  attitudes 
for  re-integration  into  society. 

10.  Offenders  are  limited  to  "doing  time" 
as  punishment  rather  than  using  time  for 
personal  growth  or  direct  and  meaningful 
restitution  to  the  offended. 

1 1.  The  carrot-stick  philosophy  in  which 
the  promise  of  release  is  conditional  upon 
"model"  prison  behavior  is  one  of  the  most 
cruel  aspects  of  incarceration. 

12.  Parole  boards  often  base  their 
decisions  about  the  amount  of  time  to  be 
served  on  insufficient  and  inaccurate  infor- 
mation which  is  not  subject  to  public 
scrutiny  or  due  process. 

Acting  Out  God's  Justice  and  Love 

The  following  recommendations  are 
offered  for  guidance  as  Brethren  seek  to 
follow  Jesus"  example  of  active  concern  for 
the  oppressed  and  powerless.  It  is  un- 
derstood, of  course,  that  all  members  may 
not  agree  with  all  of  these  alternatives  and 
suggestions. 

A.  Working  with  Individual  Offenders 
Those  who  make  direct  contact  with 
prisoners  and  their  families  touch  one  of 
the  bitterest  aspects  of  incarceration — 
isolation.  This  ministry  can  be  a 
demonstration  of  agape  love,  and  might  be 
expressed  in  a  variety  of  ways: 

1.  Visiting  incarcerated  persons  as  a 
friend  and  advocate.  (Because  of 
differences  in  social,  economic,  and 
religious  backgrounds.  Brethren  need  to 
avoid  being  judgmental,  condescending,  or 
paternalistic.) 

2.  Assisting  prisoners  in  obtaining  an  at- 
torney, in  securing  reading  material  and  in 
purchasing  items  from  the  commissary. 

3.  Helping  to  preserve  family  ties  by 
bringing  prisoners  information  about  their 
families,  assisting  family  members  in  ob- 
taining transportation  to  and  from  the 
prison,  and  seeing  that  dependents  are 

36  MESSENGER  May  1975 


cared  for. 

4.  Offering  to  teach  academic  subjects, 
crafts,  music,  drama,  and  to  lead  group 
counseling  and  recreation. 

5.  Providing  worship  opportunities  and 
counseling  where  desired. 

6.  Helping  ex-offenders  find  meaningful 
employment  and,  if  necessary,  suitable 
lodging.  (According  to  authorities,  the 
highest  percentage  of  parole  failures  occur 
within  the  first  six  months  after  release, 
with  the  greater  number  occurring  within 
the  first  sixty  days.) 

7.  Helping  to  provide  bail  money,  thus 
enabling  prisoners  to  take  a  larger  role  in 
preparing  for  their  own  defense  and  to 
return  to  their  families,  jobs,  and  other 
supporting  relationships. 

8.  Standing  up  with  defendants  in  court, 
thus  increasing  their  chances  of  avoiding 
incarceration. 

B,  Reforming  the  System 
Some  Brethren  show  an  increasing  interest 
in  systemic  change.  A  strength  of  this  ap- 
proach is  that  it  can  multiply  the  number 
of  beneficiaries.  These  Brethren  are  en- 
couraged to  work  for  the  following 
changes: 

1.  That  alternatives  to  incarceration  and 
diversion  programs  (detoxification  centers 
for  the  care  of  alcohol  and  drug  abusers, 
half-way  houses,  release  on  recognizance, 
bail  reform,  trial  diversion  to  allow  for 
resolution  before  charges  are  filed,  proba- 
tion, work/study  releases,  and  weekend 
sentences)  be  used  whenever  applicable. 

2.  That  paying  bail  bond  for  release 
pending  trial  be  replaced  by  a  more  just 
system  which  might  include  release  to  the 
supervision  of  a  responsible  person,  a  non- 
profit agency,  a  probation  or  parole  of- 
ficer, or  as  a  last  resort,  detention  with 
release  during  certain  hours. 

3.  That  prison  populations  be  reduced 
instead  of  building  new  prisons. 

4.  That  more  community-based  correc- 
tional centers  be  established  in  order  to 
keep  offenders  close  to  home  and  utilize 
existing  community  resources  for 
rehabilitation. 

5.  That  offenders  to  be  incarcerated  be 
given  a  choice  between  a  sentence  which  is 
automatically  completed  when  contracted 
objectives  are  achieved  and  a  sentence 
which  is  completed  at  the  end  of  a  fixed 
period. 

6.  That  more  appropriate  and  helpful 
means  be  found  to  deal  with  offenses  such 
as  vagrancy,  drug  use,  drunkenness,  gam- 


bling, and  prostitution.  (At  present,  half  of 
those  arrested  and  half  of  those  in  local 
jails  are  charged  with  these  offenses.) 

7.  That  appropriate  legislation  be 
enacted  and  enforced  to  guarantee 
minimum  standards  for  all  jails  and  prisons 
and  to  safeguard  the  right  of  prisoners  to 
due  process. 

8.  That  behavior  modification  methods 
such  as  shock  and  drug  therapy  never  be 
administered  unless  freely  chosen  by  a 
prisoner  under  no  threat  or  coercion. 

9.  That  the  use  of  capital  punishment  be 
abolished. 

10.  That  all  incarcerated  defendants  be 
guaranteed  the  right  to  trial  within  sixty 
days. 

C.  Living  an  Alternative 
Some  Brethren  believe  that  Christians  are 
especially  called  and  uniquely  enabled  to 
offer  a  response  wholly  different  from  that 
of  the  criminal  justice  system.  These 
members  are  encouraged  to: 

1.  Actively  seek  relationships  with 
offenders,  and  those  in  danger  of  becoming 
offenders,  in  an  effort  to  provide  a  con- 
structive and  supportive  influence. 

2.  Be  open  to  accepting  offenders  into 
their  communities,  homes  and  businesses, 
and  to  invite  judges  and  probation 
authorities  to  place  accused  or  convicted 
persons  in  their  care  rather  than  in  prison. 

3.  Consider  carefully  whether  they  can 
overcome  evil  with  good  by  reporting  to 
police  authorities  wrongs  done  against 
them. 

4.  Avoid  employment  or  direct  participa- 
tion in  the  operation  of  the  criminal  justice 
system,  and  urge  others  to  consider  their 
own  participation  in  light  of  New  Testa- 
ment teaching. 

Implementation 

To  affirm  and  implement  the  goals  of  this 
statement,  the  1975  Annual  Conference: 

1.  Asks  the  General  Board  to  make 
criminal  justice  reform  and  ministry  to 
offenders  and  to  the  victims  of  crimes  a 
1976-77  program  priority  with  appropriate 
staffing  and  funding.  This  would  include 
providing  continuing  motivation,  guidance 
and  assistance,  and  the  use  of  a  com- 
munications network. 

2.  Calls  upon  the  church,  especially  dis- 
tricts, to  initiate  and  develop  creative 
ministries  and  constructive  action,  and  to 
mobilize  for  an  intensive  effort  in  key  areas 
where  opportunity,  resources,  and  need 
seem  greatest.   □ 


[rs©(Q)[La[r©s^ 


BIBLE  STUDY 
FOR  GROUPS 


"Our  church  is  interested  in  doing  Bible 
study.  What  resources  can  you 
recommend?" 

The  request  is  a  famihar  one — and  a  fre- 
quent one.  There  seems  to  be  a  growing  in- 
terest in  study  of  the  Bible,  a  desire  to  dig 
afresh  into  the  biblical  roots  of  our  faith. 

One  resource,  of  course,  is  A  Guide  for 


Biblical  Studies,  the  Brethren  adult 
quarterly  based  on  the  Uniform  Lessons. 
Through  regular  use  of  the  Guide,  church 
school  classes  and  other  groups  have  a 
chance  to  become  part  of  an  ongoing 
Brethren  forum  on  the  meaning  of 
the  Bible. 

Sometimes,  however,  the  desire  is  for 
something  more  than  the  traditional  Bible 
lessons.  A  group  may  want  to  explore  the 
message  of  the  Bible  from  a  new  angle,  or 
with  a  different  approach.  What  resources 
are  available  for  groups  such  as  these? 

The  books  described  below  are  three 
such  resources.  Each  includes  helpful  study 
suggestions  for  effective  use  of  the  material 


in  a  small  group  setting.  You  may  order 
the  books  from  the  Brethren  Press,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  111.  60120. 

The  biblical  drama 

One  of  the  ways  of  describing  the  overall 
message  of  the  Bible  is  that  of  a  drama — a 
drama  of  God's  encounter  with  humanity 
on  the  stage  of  history.  Such  is  the  image 
that  Bernhard  Anderson  works  with  in  a 
new  enlarged  edition  of  The  Unfolding 
Drama  of  the  Bible. 

In  eight  exciting  chapters  the  author 
traces  the  development  of  the  drama  from 
creation  to  new  creation.  Each  chapter 
suggests  specific  study  passages,  discusses 
the  meaning  of  these  passages  for  that  par- 
ticular moment  in  the  drama,  and  raises 
questions  of  the  most  penetrating  sort  for 
our  day. 

For  a  look  at  the  whole  sweep  of  the 
biblical  story,  this  is  your  book — at 
$2.25  a  copy. 

Relational  Bible  study 

"A  guide  to  relational  Bible  study"  is  the 
way  Karl  Olsson  describes  his  new  book. 
Find  Your  Self  in  the  Bible. 

In  one  sense,  of  course,  all  group  Bible 
study  should  be  "relational,"  a  chance  for 
people  to  relate  to  people.  But  Karl  Olsson 


is  speaking  of  more  than  this.  His  book  is 
an  introduction  to  a  way  of  Bible  study 
that  focuses  on  the  Bible  as  a  story  of 
relationships,  a  story  enabling  us  to  dis- 


cover what  it  means  to  be  a  person.  The  ti- 
tle of  the  book  puts  it  very  well. 

In  addition  to  eight  stimulating  chapters 
with  group  study  designs,  the  book  in- 
cludes guidelines  for  ten  relational  Bible 
studies — and  suggestions  for  groups 
wishing  to  create  their  own  relational 
studies.  If  you  like  the  kind  of  Bible  study 
done  in  Serendipity  Workshops,  you'll  like 
Olsson's  book — at  $2.95  a  copy. 

Parables  to  live  by 

Books  abound  on  the  parables  of  Jesus. 
But  not  all  of  them  lend  themselves  to 
group  study. 

A  refreshing  exception  is  A  Guide  to  the 
Parables  by  John  Hargreaves.  It  is  one  of 
those  rare  books  that  reflect  the  very  best 
New  Testament  scholarship,  and  yet  at  the 
same  time  is  written  for  simple  and  easy 
use  by  persons  of  all  backgrounds. 

Each  of  the  12  chapters  (following  the 
introductory  chapter)  retells  a  New  Testa- 
ment parable,  re-creates  the  original  situa- 
tion in  which  it  was  spoken,  and  then 
focuses  on  what  the  parable  says  to  our 
situation.  Special  features  include  very  in- 


tensive study  helps,  exceptional 
photographic  illustration,  and  a  sensitivity 
to  issues  and  concerns  of  cultures  other 
than  our  own. 

Parables  of  Jesus  for  his  own  time — 
parables  of  life  as  we  live  it  today.  Yours  to 
study  at  $3.95  a  copy.  — Rick  Gardner 

May  1975  messenger  37 


5P^ 

WIF .  ..^ 

J3^ 

J    V^^^^H 

T^ 

^^^C.^i^^^^^^^^^S'^SI 

9 

ai 

1       .    «!, 

|j»  Mi/ 

11 

^^^^^ 


L, 


aberation  is  a  word  which  began  when 
man  first  learned  to  use  words.  It  is  an  up- 
ward thrust  in  nature;  it  liberates  the  seed 
to  become  the  giant  tree,  the  cocooned 
pupa  to  become  the  soaring  butterfly,  one 
generation  to  follow  another.  It  enables  the 
human  mind  to  grow  from  half-truth  into 
more  truth,  and  toward  ultimate  truth. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  watch  many 
people  who  were  of  different  languages, 
religions,  and  life-styles  pursue  this  impulse 
to  liberation.  It  belongs  to  no  one  race  or 
sex;  it  seems  to  be  age  long  and  universal. 
Sometimes  in  the  life  of  one  growing  per- 
son it  is  possible  to  feel  something  of  the 
pain  and  the  reward  of  this  perpetual  push 
for  liberation.  1  write  of  such  a  person. 

She  was  almost  ninety-six  years  old 
when  she  finally  was  fully  liberated. 
Women's  liberation  was  not  spoken  of  in 
her  day  but  she  was  a  liberationist.  She  had 
been  eagerly  awaiting  this  final  liberation 
for  a  decade  fully  certain  that  it  would 
open  the  way  to  knowledge  and  feelings 
which  were  beyond  the  limitations  of  her 
human  body.  She  believed  in  the  dignity  of 
death;  it  was  an  ongoing  of  life.  She  felt 
that    doctors   did   wrong   when   they   dis- 
allowed the  liberating  of  life  by  mechanical 
and  artificial  means. 


Be 


efore  she  reached  this  final  liberation, 
after  achieving  almost  a  century  of  life  she 
had  many  prior  liberations.  These  opening 
concepts  made  her  able  to  see  beyond  what 
many  others  were  able  to  see.  In  this 
respect  she  often  seemed  like  a  prophet 
proclaiming  the  long  possible  future. 

Her  first  liberation  was  the  rediscovery 
of  God.  Her  new  God  was  bigger  and  vast- 
ly different  from  the  childhood  God 
presented  to  her  by  her  church  and  her 
:ommunity.  She  often  told  of  her  fear  of 
his  God  who  had  lakes  of  fire  waiting  for 
he  unwary  and  who  raised  up  one  group 
jf  people  to  crush  or  captivate  another  as 
seemed  to  happen  so  often  in  the  Old 
Testament.  She  frequently  cried  herself  to 
;leep  after  she  had  prayed,  "If  I  should  die 
efore  1  wake,"  fearing  the  punishments  of 
m  angry  God  who  knew  every  idle  thought 
;he  might  have  had  during  that  day.  When 
he  was  liberated  to  a  gracious  God,  life 
)egan  to  become  mellow  and  rich  for  her; 
he  knew  now  how  to  share  more  love  with 
ler  husband  and  children.  Her  yearning 
vas  to  share  this  new  God  everywhere, 
vithin  her  church  and  in  parts  of  the  world 
f  which  she  knew  only  vaguely. 

This  liberating  concept  of  God  ne- 


cessitated some  liberating  from  an  ab- 
solutist view  of  the  Bible.  The  Bible 
became  for  her  a  teaching,  guiding  book.  It 
was  a  record  of  humankind's  effort,  or 
more  specifically  the  effort  of  one  group  of 
people  to  know  them.selves  and  to  know 
their  Creator.  Not  all  of  its  expressions 
were  equally  valid  for  it  was  written  at 
many  times  and  by  many  different  people. 
God  was  able  to  enter  into  the  minds  of 
some  of  the  storytellers  better  than  into 
others.  When  she  discussed  this  with  her 
contemporaries  and  they  quoted  to  her 
writings  about  a  God  of  vengeance  she  had 
no  qualms  in  saying,  "Those  writers  told  it 
the  best  way  they  knew.  Other  writers  told 
it  differently.  The  very  best  and  highest 
that  the  Bible  writers  were  able  to  tell, 
when  we  put  it  all  together,  is  far  less  than 
what  God  is.  What  He  is  fully  we  will 
know  only  when  we  are  liberated  into  un- 
derstandings we  are  not  capable  of  now."  It 
was  her  belief  that  like  the  Bible  writers  we 
also  should  believe,  and  write,  the  best  we 
can  possibly  know;  to  speak  of  or  interpret 
God  in  any  way  less  than  that  is  to  remain 
unliberated  to  God's  truth  and  fullness. 
These  concepts  of  hers  caused  her  to 
look  anew  at  the  authoritarian  preacher. 
Her  life  was  lived  among  preachers.  Her 
relatives,  her  father,  and  later  her  children 
and  children-in-law  seemed  to  find  this 
their  profession.  But  in  her  maturity  she 
did  not  accept  religious  authoritarianism 
from  any  of  them.  To  her,  each  individual 
mind  was  sacred  and  God  created.  Each 
mind  should  keep  growing  and  be  open  to 
its  own  revelations.  To  "fence  it  in"  was  to 
prevent  it  from  reaching  the  fullness  of  the 
lessons  which  God  wished  to  teach  and 
which  perhaps  that  mind  alone  could 
receive.  The  preacher,  she  felt,  should  be 
a  teacher,  and  a  helper,  not  a  finalist. 
Only  the  full  truth  could  be  final  and  all 
persons  are  still  children  in  the  face  of 
final  truth. 

T 

Xhis  much  liberating  made  it  possible, 
perhaps  inevitable,  for  her  to  look  at  the 
institutions  which  people  had  constructed 
for  themselves,  particularly  the  family.  The 
father-dominant  and  the  mother-recessive 
roles  which  characterized  America  in  her 
childhood  were  not  liberating  to  anyone. 
Each  mind  was  to  stimulate  other  minds, 
each  person  was  to  help  other  persons,  she 
believed.  Each  person  was  to  do  this  in  the 
fullest  way  the  genetic  capabilities  or 
talents  made  possible.  Growing  was 
liberating,  and  sharing  had  to  be  an  in- 


separable part  of  growing.  Should  women 
be  allowed  to  do  the  things  that  men  had 
reserved  for  themselves?  Should  women 
enter  the  ministry?  government?  the 
presidency?  the  professions?  To  her  the 
answer  was,  "Of  course!"  Ability  and  in- 
terest, not  sex,  should  be  the  determinant 
in  these  things.  To  prevent  anyone  in  any 
institution  from  sharing  as  fully  as 
capability  allows  cripples  both  the  inhibitor 
and  the  inhibited.  It  is  not  liberating. 

In  similar  manner,  the  unwillingness  of 
age  and  youth  to  share  fully  was  to  deny 
freedom  to  both  and  to  handicap  both. 
"Youth  knows  little,"  "age  knows  nothing" 
were  words  without  meaning  to  her.  Men, 
women,  youth,  age  should  buttress,  not 
limit,  one  another.  She  was  liberated  from 
age  gaps. 


A  inally  as  she  grew  older  she  achieved  a 
liberation  which  really  crossed  all  barriers 
and  made  of  the  peoples  of  the  earth  for 
her  only  one  people.  They  have  different 
systems,  different  holy  books,  different 
religions,  different  colors,  different  con- 
cepts. But  even  these  concepts  are  more 
alike,  she  discovered,  than  really  different 
and  the  basic  desires  and  pleasures  of  all 
people  grow  from  things  which  are  com- 
mon in  all  of  them:  home,  children,  securi- 
ty, religion,  land,  love,  personhood.  Truth 
is  truth,  she  discovered,  no  matter  where  it 
is  found.  The  common  Creator  of  all 
humanity  has  been  able  to  reveal  himself, 
his  truth,  in  differing  degrees  to  different 
groups  or  to  different  individuals  within 
groups  but  that  does  not  make  them  in- 
ferior or  superior,  she  believed.  Rather  it 
gives  to  each  the  opportunity  and  the 
responsibility  of  sharing  what  they  do 
know  with  others  and  learning  as  much  as 
they  can  from  the  others.  And  out  of  this 
exchange  to  achieve  concepts  not  yet 
learned  by  either.  In  this  direction  human 
beings  are  forever  challenged. 

And  thus  she  was  liberated;  she  was  un- 
shackled. She  belonged  to  all  people;  all 
people  belonged  to  her. 

After  age  ninety  her  favorite  word  was 
cooperation.  Cooperation  to  her  was  love 
in  action;  where  there  is  love  there  will  be 
cooperation  and  where  there  is  cooperation 
love  will  grow. 

This  kind  of  liberation  belongs,  she 
believed,  to  all  women;  to  all  men. 

She  was  a  great  philosopher,  a  truly 
religious  person. 

I  was  privileged  to  know  and  to  love  her. 
She  was  my  mother.     D 


May  1975  messenger  39 


©dlBtorosiD 


The  Year  of  the  Ram's  Horn 


The  Year  of  the  Ram's  Horn,  or  Jubilee,  was 
ushered  in  with  an  extraordinarily  loud  blast.  For 
slaves  and  debtors  in  ancient  Israel  it  heralded  a 
time  of  emancipation.  To  all  the  people  of  God  it 
was  a  call  to  repentance  and  renewal. 

From  Old  Testament  accounts  at  Mount  Sinai 
and  New  Testament  happenings  at  Nazareth  one 
can  glimpse  the  jubilee  vision.  The  prophetic  claim 
which  it  upholds  is  that  both  the  land  and  the  peo- 
ple belong  to  God;  human  control  over  either  is 
limited  by  and  answerable  to  a  higher  authority. 

To  Moses  was  given  the  injunction,  "And  you 
shall  hallow  the  fiftieth  year,  and  proclaim  liberty 
throughout  the  land  to  all  of  its  inhabitants;  it  shall 
be  a  jubilee  for  you  ..."  (Leviticus  25:8).  Every  fif- 
tieth year  was  set  aside  as  a  holy  year,  a  season  of 
spiritual  quest,  an  occasion  for  revitalizing  the 
commitment  of  religion  to  justice  and  equality. 

Much  of  the  same  heavy  social  concern  is  con- 
veyed in  the  messianic  passages  of  Isaiah  61  and 

Luke  4:  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me " 

The  charter  with  which  Jesus  began  his  public 
preaching  related  spiritual  liberation  to  the  actual 
lives  of  the  people — a  jubilary  concept.  In  The 
Politics  of  Jesus,  John  Howard  Yoder  discusses 
how  the  parables  of  the  unmerciful  servant  and  the 
unfaithful  steward,  and  even  the  Lord's  Prayer  and 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  reiterate  jubilee 
teachings.  Yoder  sees  key  elements  of  the  jubilee  at 
the  center  of  Jesus'  theology. 

The  four  foci  commonly  lifted  up  in  the  jubilee 
emphasis  were  1)  human  liberation  from  oppres- 
sion, 2)  economic  liberation  from  poverty,  3)  eco- 
logical liberation  of  the  land,  and  4)  educational 
liberation  through  moral  and  spiritual  teaching. 
The  third  item — leaving  the  soil  fallow  every  sev- 
enth year  to  renew  itself — is  the  prescription  fol- 
lowed most  widely  in  Jesus'  day,  and  by  Orthodox 
Jews  today  in  the  religious  kibbutz  of  Israel. 

Of  what  import  is  the  jubilee  concept  in  these 


times?  Besides  being  the  basis  upon  which  Roman 
Catholics  have  designated  1975  a  holy  year  and 
Orthodox  Jews  a  jubilee  year,  this  prophetic  vision 
invites  others  of  the  Judeo-Christian  tradition  to 
reflect  and  respond  in  concrete  ways  of  their  own. 

For  example,  individuals,  church  school 
classes,  pastoral  and  lay  groups,  district  con- 
ferences and  Annual  Conference  would  do  well  to 
review  the  awareness  and  response  each  brings  to 
the  four  liberation  foci  cited  above. 

Jewish-Christian  cooperation  might  be  evolved 
in  local  settings  in  the  pattern  of  jointly  planned  in- 
terfaith  study  tours  to  Jerusalem  and  Rome  oc- 
curring this  year. 

Tasks  could  be  pooled  by  a  group  to  enable  one 
of  its  members  or  families  to  engage  in  a  stint  of 
volunteer  service.  A  SHARE  contribution  could 
appropriately  be  tagged  as  a  jubilee  offering.  A 
congregation  could  establish  a  jubilee  loan  fund  for 
persons  needing  a  new  start;  it  could  adopt  a 
prisoner;  it  could  engage  in  a  workshop  on  estate 
and  financial  planning.  A  jubilee  festival  might 
center  on  study  of  the  Word  and  seek  to  identify 
specific  needs  for  emancipation  activity  today. 


A. 


Jong  with  social  involvements,  the  jubilee 
assumes  a  shift  in  thinking,  a  reordering  of  values, 
an  experiencing  of  liberation  and  renewal  for 
oneself.  Historically  the  jubilee  year  began  on  the 
day  of  atonement  as  a  call  for  repentance,  but  it 
was  in  invitation  for  a  new  life. 

For  each  of  us,  for  the  church,  for  the  world 
there  is  a  lot  at  stake  in  resurrecting  the  jubilee  con- 
cept and  applying  it  where  we  live.  Not  because  it  is 
such  an  ancient  idea  but  because  it  epitomizes  so 
much  of  what  Jesus  taught  of  the  coming  king- 
dom. 

Who  will  sound  forth  with  a  blast  from  the 
ram's  horn? — h.e.r. 


40  MESSENGER  May  1975 


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TO  SERVE  THE  PRESENT  AGE  is  the  title  of  a  new 
book  just  bursting  with  a  significant  story  to  tell,  a  story 
so   important   that  two   hundred   pages   of  text   and 
twenty-four  pages  of  pictures  can  carry  only  a  por- 
tion of  it.  It  is  the  story  of  Brethren  Service-related 
programs  that  were  initiated  soon  after  the  close  of 
World  War  II,  programs  that  ministered  directly  to  the 
needs    of    persons    left    homeless    and    hungry — and 
sometimes  hopeless — because  of  the  war. 

A  major  portion  of  the  book  is  devoted  to  M.  R.  Zigler's  personal 
recollections  and  observations  regarding  many  of  the  relief  and 
rehabilitation  activities  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  prime  movers. 

A  second  major  division  contains  a  series  of  contributions  by  per- 
sons who  were  active  participants  in  the  programs  they  describe. 
These  include  Orie  O.  Miller,  L.  W.  Shultz,  Grant  M.  Stolzfus,  Mary 
Blocher  Smeltzer,  Dan  West,  Luther  H.  Harshbarger,  Thurl  Metzger, 
John  D.  Metzler,  Sr.,  Howard  E.  Sollenberger,  Eldon  R.  Burke,  Ralph 
E.  Smeltzer,  Opal  D.  Stech,  Byron  P.  Royer,  Joseph  B.  Mow,  John  H. 
Eberly,  and  Mary  Coppock  Hammond. 

Editor  Donald  F.  Durnbaugh  notes  that  many  current  members  of  the  church 
may  never  have  heard  the  story  and  others  may  have  forgotten  how 
Brethren  sought  "to  serve  the  present  age." 

$3.95  ORDER  FROM  THE  BRETHREN  PRESS,  1451  DUNDEE  AVE.,  ELGIN,  ILL.  60120 

TO  SERVE 
THE  PRESENT  AGE 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE   BRETHREN  JUNE   1975 


■^ 


"Through  the  years 

I  have  come  to  have 

this  feeling  that 

life  is  a  trusteeship." 

— H.  Spenser  Minnich 


©©DIll^SDIllt^ 


Dsltl^(E[rs 


12 

14 
17 
20 
22 
24 
26 
29 
32 
40 

46 


What  God  Brings  Together,  a  Brethren  pastor  shares  the 
anguish  and  joy  he  and  his  wife  are  experiencing  as  they  struggle  to 
keep  their  son. 

Covenantal  Marriage  and  the  Growth  Idea.  Ruth  and 

Byron  Royer  explain  how  "mini-contracts"  can  save  marriages. 

Life  as  a  Trusteeship.  For  H.  Spenser  Minnich  life  is  a 
trusteeship  calling  for  responsible  handling  of  our  earthly  possessions. 

All  Creation  Awaits.  This  month's  Bible  study  section  treats  the 
1975  Annual  Conference  theme  and  symbol. 

Tachai  Builds  on  Self-reliance.  Howard  E.  Sollenberger  tells 
how  Tachai  has  become  a  showcase  commune  known  all  over  China. 

Shansi  Province — A  Pioneer  Remembers,  a  photo  spread 

selected  by  Velma  Ober  recalls  the  Tachai  area  as  Brethren  knew  it. 

A  Hopeful  Witness.  Kenneth  E.  Bomberger  rejoices  in  the  way 
God  is  using  Bethany  Seminary  for  the  work  of  his  kingdom. 

Annual  Conference:  The  Other  Side.  Former  Moderator 

Dale  W.  Brown  tells  how  it  is,  being  "on  the  other  side"  now. 

Life-Stewardship.  A  1975  Annual  Conference  report  on  funeral 
and  burial  customs,  care  for  the  dying,  and  disposition  of  the  dead. 

Part  of  the  Problem.  H.  Lamar  Gibble  discovers  that 
humanitarian  assistance  can  actually  be  dehumanizing — a  part  of  the 
problem  instead  of  its  solution. 

Fifty  Years  on  Lake  Waubee.  Robert  Tully  invites  us  to  share 
in  celebrating  Camp  Mack's  fiftieth  birthday. 

In  Touch  profiles  Grace  HoUinger,  Jay  Eller,  and  Chet  and  Gladys  Detwiler  (2) 
...  Outlook  reports  on  Bethany  hospital,  Asian  peace  talks.  Insights  75, 
Brethren  milestones,  new  curricula,  Bura  New  Testament,  German  BVSer  and 
UFW,  Bethany  Seminary,  Ecumenicals/ Evangelicals,  ERA,  tv  special  (start  on 
4)  . . .  Underlines  (7)  . . .  Update  (8)  . . .  Special  Report  on  Honduras  (10)  ... 
Turning  Points  (41 )  . .  .  People  &  Parish  (42)  . . .  Resources  (44)  . . .  Word  From 
Washington  (45)  . .  .  Editorial,  "Pastor,  Prophet,  and  Power"  (48) 


EDITOR 

Howard  E    Royer 
MANAGING  EDITOR 
Kermon  Thomason 
ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 
Kenneth  I   Morse 
DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 
Clyde  E   Weaver 
PUBLISHER 
Galen  B   Ogden 

VOL    124,  NO   6  JUNE  1975 

CREDirS;  Cover.  6.  17-19.  25  lop  Kermon 
Ihomason.  2  left  R.  L.  Giddcns  II;  righl  Galen 
Miller,  i  Suzanne  Slatler.  9  BFC  NCC,  lO-l  1  R 
Jan  Thompson.  12  David  W  Corson  from  A 
Dcvaney.  N.Y.  15,  .12  Wallowitch.  21  art  bv 
Wilbur  Brumbaugh.  22-2.1  Howard  E. 
Sollenberger.  24-25  Brethren  Historical  Library 
and  Velma  Ober.  29-.10.  40  Edward  J,  Bu/inski. 
.11  Brethren  Historical  Library.  42  left  Anne  Oral 
Studio.  46-47  Camp  Mack  symbol  by  Margie 
Pclry:  title  by  Ken  Stanley. 


MEsstNCi^R  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug.  20,  1918.  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17, 
1917.  Filing  date.  Oct.  1,  1974.  Mi;ssenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version. 

Subscription  rates;  $5.00  per  year  for  indi- 
vidual subscriptions;  $4.00  per  year  for  Church 
Group  Plan;  $4.00  per  year  for  gift  subscriptions; 
$2.75  for  school  rate  (9  months);  life  subscription, 
$75.00.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from 
M  tsstNGER  and  send  with  new  address. 
Allow  at  least  five  weeks  for  address 
change.  Mf.s.senger  is  owned  and 
published  monthly  by  the  General 
Services  Commission.  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Board.  1451  Dundee 
Elgin.  III.  60120.  Second-class 
postage  paid  at  Elgin.  111.,  June  1975.  Copyright 
1975,   Church   of  the    Brethren   General    Board. 


■ 


THEN  LET  THEM  EAT  BEEF 

Being  beef  producers  we  have  noted  with  it 
terest  (also  annoyance)  your  reports  on  varioi 
groups  urging  Christians  to  abstain  from  mea 
especially  beef. 

To  be  concerned  and  aware  of  world  hungt 
and  working  to  alleviate  it  is  well  and  good 

We  agree  that  fasting  should  be  emphasizec 
Wouldn't  it  be  safe  to  say,  "'most  Christian 
never  consider  fasting?"  Christ  expected  it  of  ui 
Also  it  is  very  evident  that  most  Americans  ar 
overfed.  Are  they  fat  because  they  eat  too  muc 
meat? 

We  should  realize  world  hunger  is  caused  b 
many  factors  —  politics  and  corrupt  leadershi 
much  more  than  the  American  beef  industrj 
Alcohol  and  tobacco  contribute  nothing  t 
health  or  nutrition  yet  many  Christians  use  bot 
products.  Is  it  reasonable  or  fair  to  use  beef  a 
the  scapegoat  in  our  land? 

I  hope  to  see  an  article  in  the  Messenger  wit, 
broader  perspective  on  the  problem  of  hungei 
Urging  Americans  to  boycott  beef  won't  solvi 
the  problem. 

Doris  Crist 
Holcomb,  Kans. 

FASTING  AND  RENEWAL 

After  reading  Alma  Long's  article  on  fastitlji 
in  January,  1  pondered  for  some  time  over  tb 
possibility  of  summoning  enough  courage  tc 
follow  her  example. 

1  was  so  spiritually  renewed  by  the  experienc 
that  1  was  led  to  share  the  article  with  ou 
pastor,  a  Presbyterian  minister. 

He,  in  turn,  suggested  that  the  Presbyteriai 
publication,  A.D.,  might  be  interested  in  re 
printing  the  article. 

I  have  just  written  them  suggesting  thi! 
possibility  and  I  hope  you  will  hear  from  then 
soon. 

As  long  as  you  keep  printing  inspiring  article: 
like  Mrs.  Long's,  I'm  going  to  keep  subscribing 

Lorene  Moore 
Winfield,  Kans. 

SUBSTITUTES  FOR  EARNED  RE-ENTRY 

The  following  letter  is  submitted  as  an  alter 
native  to  the  President's  current  program  o' 
"earned  re-entry."  Addressed  to  the  President,  i 
is  supported  by  ten  women  from  Cosher 
College,  including  myself,  a  member  of  the  Pine 
Creek  church  in  Northern  Indiana: 

"We  are  writing  out  of  concern  for  the  mer 
who  acted  on  their  convictions  against  violenct 
and  war,  in  particular,  an  illegal  and  immora 
war  in  Southeast  Asia.  These  men,  at  the  preseni 
time,  are  not  even  allowed  to  visit  family  and 
friends  in  the  United  States,  whether  or  not  they 
want  to  re-establish  residence  here. 

"In  response  to  your  program  of  'earned  re- 
entry,' the  Mennonite  Church  resolved  on  Sept, 
20,  1974,  to  'encourage  members  of  our  con- 
gregations to  volunteer  as  substitutes  for  those 


psgjs  (Q)[n](s 


ho  are  required  to  give  a  term  of  work  as.  part 
)f  their  earned  re-entry,  with  the  commitment 
hat  we  will  work  for  ways  of  making  this 
)perational.' 

"We  are  ready  to  serve  as  substitutes  for  these 
nen  who  acted  out  of  conscience.  We  make  this 

ffer  not  in  the  hope  of  helping  a  poor  program 
ucceed,  but  rather  to  share  the  unjust  burdens 

f  these  men  who  endured  exile  for  their  beliefs. 
>leither  do  we  encourage  e.xiles  and  deserters  to 

articipate  in  your  punitive  program,  with  its 
mplications  of  wrongdoing,  but  we  affirm  the 
ontribution  these  men  of  conscience  could 
[lake  to  our  society  if  they  were  allowed  to 
eturn. 
"Ideally,  we  urge  you  to  grant  the  (uncon- 

itional)  amnesty  these  men  deserve — to 
ecognize  them  as  the  worthful  citizens  they  are 

nd  not  as  the  criminals  your  present  program 
Implies  them  to  be.  Until  you  realize  the  wisdom 

nd  courage  to  take  this  step,  we  will  work  in 

ny  way  possible  to  help  these  men  return 
without  further  hardship  and  suffering. 

"As  women,  who  through  tradition  have  not 
lad  the  chance  to  voice  our  opposition  to  war 

nd  violence,  we  are  taking  this  opportunity  to 
ay  NO!  to  the  war  machine.  NO!  to  military 

ggression,  and  YES!  to  the  young  men  return- 
ng  to  benefit  society." 

Sandra  Mangus 

oshen, Ind. 

!IXTY-YEAR  READERS 

Just  a  brief  note  to  commend  you  for  your 
vork  in  putting  out  the  good  Messenger. 

I  believe  that  we  have  been  constant  sub- 
cribers  for  the  IVIessenger  all  of  our  married 
ife.  March  17,  1975,  was  our  60th  wedding  an- 
liversary. 

The  W.  W.  Gishes 
kIcPherson,  Kans. 

rOU  CANT  GET  THERE  FROM  HERE! 

Someone  goofed!  In  the  "page  one"  column  of 
he  April  Messenger,  you  have  James  Quintet 
loarding  the  train  in  Mt.  Morris,  111.,  on  the 
Huntingdon  and  Broad  Top  R.  R."  That 
ailway  is  only  in  Pennsylvania,  and  I  believe 
Juinter  lived  in  Huntingdon,  Pa.!"  You  should 
lave  checked  with  Ken  Morse! 

Otherwise,  the  April  Messenger  is  good. 

Edward  K.  Ziegler 
Voodsboro,  Md. 

(Messenger's  red-faced  managing  editor 
n-erlooked  the  fad  thai  in  1884  the  magazine 
lad  an  eastern  ofjice  in  Huntingdon.  Pa.,  in  ad- 
Ution  to  the  office  in  Ml.  Morris.  III.) 

WHAT  WOULD  MARY  DO? 

Decision  of  the  World  Ministries  Commission 
or  the  Washington  office  to  retain  membership 
n  the  "Coalition  for  Abortion  Rights"  is 
cheduled  by  the  General  Board  of  the  Church 
)f  the  Brethren  for  June  in  relation  to  the  An- 


nual Conference  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Had  modern  sophistry  regarding  murder  of 
unborn  babies  prevailed  nearly  two  millenniums 
ago  in  Galilee,  would  an  unwed  girl  who  became 
pregnant  have  been  told  she  must  let  her  child  be 
slain  in  her  womb? 

Ralph  E.  Bvers 
Woodland,  Mich. 

ABOUT  THOSE  OLD  IMAGES 

According  to  the  religious  press,  one  of  the 
pet  peeves  of  the  Christian  feminists  is  the 
traditional  masculine  image  of  God.  There  seems 
to  be  no  objection  to  calling  the  devil  "he."  Why 
stop  halfway  in  our  elimination  of  dis- 
crimination? 

Christian  Bashore 
Gettysburg,  Ohio 

THANK  YOU,  BUT  I  CANNOT  AGREE 

Thank  you  for  publishing  the  March  article, 
entitled  "The  Ministry." 

The  article  is  well  written,  which  indicates  that 
much  thought,  time,  work,  and  money  was  ex- 
pended in  its  preparation.  Now  with  the  addition 
of  extremely  impressive  art  work  there  has  been 
presented  a  sales  pitch  that  any  commercial 
advertiser  would  be  proud  of. 

The  timing  of  its  release  is  perfect.  Just  a  few 
short  months  and  the  entire  package  will  be 
handed  to  Annual  Conference  on  a  gilded 
platter.  No  time  for  question  or  rebuttal. 

I  do  not  question  the  sincerity  of  the  study 
committee.  1  feel  it  did  a  good  job. 

There  are  questions  in  my  mind.  Just  how 
much  prayer  went  into  this?  Was  the  Holy  Spirit 
permitted  to  dictate  or  is  it  the  result  of 
theological  brainwashing  that  is  so  prevalent  in 
today's  world? 

It  is  evident  that  changes  have  crept  into  our 
long-standing  procedures  of  leadership.  Changes 
are  desirable  more  in  the  application  of 
procedure  than  in  the  procedure  itself 

The  procedure  for  selection  is  plainly  spelled 
out  in  Acts  1:23-26;  the  qualifications  in  1  Tim. 
3: 1-7;  the  minister's  charge  in  2  Tim.  4: 1-5,  Matt. 
28:18-20,  Mark  16:15-16,  Luke  24:45-48  (KJV). 

Ordination  comes  from  God  and  is  ad- 
ministered through  the  church.  The  ordained 
does  not  belong  to  the  local  church,  the  district, 
or  the  Brotherhood,  but  to  God.  Ordination 
should  never  be  removed  except  for:  1) 
preaching  anything  other  than  the  Gospel,  2) 
gross  misconduct.  3)  the  holder's  personal  re- 
quest. 

It  is  my  opinion  that  this  matter  is  very  impor- 
tant and  serious.  It  raises  many  questions.  We 
must  move  with  great  concern,  patience,  and 
care.  We  must  seek  God's  guidance  in  prayer, 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  lead  and  direct.  We  must 
"beware  of  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees."  It  is  a 
serious  and  delicate  matter. 

Andrew  S.  Bontrager 
Lawndale,  Calif. 


This  is  a  big  one!  We  had  so  much 
material  that  we  wanted  to  get  before 
our  readers  by  Annual  Conference  time 
that  we  decided  to  go  to  48  pages  this 
month. 

Rounding  out  a  series  of  ailicles  we 
have  published  recently  about  China,  we 
share  with  readers  this  month  a  story 
about  Tachai,  a  commune  in  China's 
Shansi  Province,  where  Brethren  mis- 
sionaries worked  from  1910  to  1950. 
Writer  Howard  E.  Sollenberger  was  born 


Tachai  cotnniemoralive  stamp 

and  raised  in  China.  Later  he  worked 
there  with  the  UNRRA,  Brethren  tractor 
unit  and  with  the  US  Consulate  General 
from  1946  to  1950.  Since  1971  he  has 
been  Director  of  the  Foreign  Service  In- 
stitute of  the  US  State  Department. 

Our  June  cover  story  profiles,  in  his 
own  words,  a  familiar  Brethren  figure,  H. 
Spenser  Minnich.  Homefolks  to  the 
Brotherhood  staff,  the  Minnichs  spent  41 
years  in  Elgin  before  retiring  to  La  Verne. 
Calif.,  in  1959.  Spenser  served  in  several 
positions,  including  the  editorship  of  the 
Missionary  Visitor. 

Contributors  to  this  issue  include  R. 
Jan  Thompson,  Manchester  College's 
Assistant  Dean  of  Students  and  Professor 
of  Psychology;  Byron  and  Ruth  Royer  of 
the  Bethany  Seminary  faculty  and  family; 
Velma  Ober,  retired  China  and  Nigeria 
missionary,  Elkhart,  Ind.;  Kenneth  E. 
Bomberger,  intern  pastor,  Williamson 
Road  congregation,  Roanoke,  Va.;  Dale 
W.  Brown,  Bethany  Seminary  professor; 
H.  Lamar  Gibble.  World  Ministries  Com- 
mission's Peace  and  International  Affairs 
Consultant/Middle  East  Representative; 
R.  Truman  Northup.  Pacific  Southwest 
District's  Executive  Secretary;  Shirley  J. 
Heckman,  Parish  Ministries  Com- 
mission's Consultant  for  Educational 
Development;  James  E.  Tomlonson. 
pastor.  Root  River  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Preston,  Minn.;  and  Robert 
Tully,  Indiana  University  professor, 
Bloomington,  Ind.— The  Editors 

June  1975  messenger  1 


Grace  Hollinger:  Adding  the  grace  notes 


Grace  Hollinger  recently  described 
herself  to  a  member  of  her 
congregation  —  Ridgeway,  in 
Harrisburg,  Pa. — as  a  "jack  of  all 
trades  and  master  of  none."  But  her 
friend,  recalling  all  of  Grace's  talents 
with  arts  and  crafts,  in  flower  arrang- 
ing and  photography,  and  noting  all 
her  church  responsibilities,  amended 
that  statement  by  insisting  that  Grace 
is  indeed  "master  of  many"  talents. 

Although  Grace  is  planning  to  retire 
soon  to  live  a  "less  structured  life"  after 
more  than  five  years  work  in  oc- 
cupational therapy  at  the  Harrisburg 
State  Hospital  —  years  that  Grace 
describes  as  "interesting  and  challeng- 
ing and  frustrating,"  —  one  can  hardly 
think  of  her  as  cutting  down  on  ac- 
tivities that  have  contributed  so  much 
color  and  joy  to  the  lives  of  others. 

A  few  persons  around  Elgin,  111.,  still 
remember  when  Grace  arrived  there  in 
1937  to  serve  as  office  secretary  and 
program  writer  for  the  Youth  Depart- 
ment. That  was  just  the  beginning  of 
more  than  thirty-one  years  of  service  in 
the  Elgin  offices,  for  a  few  years  as  ad- 
ministrative assistant  for  the  Board  of 
Christian  Education  and  then  for 
twenty-one  years  as  administrative 
assistant  to  the  general  secretary  of  the 
General  Brotherhood  Board. 

Hardly  a  board  meeting  would  pass 


without  a  session  during  which  board 
members,  after  discussing  a  complex 
matter  and  coming  to  a  consensus, 
would  turn  to  Grace  and  confidently 
express  the  hope  that  somehow  she 
had  been  able  to  capture  in  words  what 
they  all  meant  but  were  either  unable 
or  too  lazy  to  formulate  as  a  motion. 

In  1969  Grace  resigned  from  her 
staff  position  in  order  to  return  to  cen- 
tral Pennsylvania  and,  after  a  few 
months  of  travel,  to  accept  a  position 
with  a  mental  hospital.  Grace  had 
previously  given  many  hours  of 
volunteer  work  at  the  Elgin  State 
Hospital.  Recalling  her  change  of 
vocational  plans  six  years  ago,  Grace 
says,  "I'm  so  very  glad  I  made  the 
plunge,  and  added  these  experiences  to 
my  life." 

Grace  Hollinger's  friends — those  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Illinois  and  others 
scattered  halfway  around  the  world  — 
expect  that  she  will  continue  to  add 
significant  experiences  to  her  own  life, 
wherever  she  lives.  But  perhaps  more 
important  is  the  way  she  continues  to 
enrich  the  experiences  of  others,  ad- 
ding her  own  unique  "grace  notes"  to 
the  quality  of  daily  life.  —  K.I.M. 


in%fufe[h] 


Jay  Eller:  A  guide  foi  i 


I  If 


k 


With  a  voice  as  gentle  as  an  old-tii 
melody  and  eyes  that  smile  at  you, 
Jay  Eller  slides  a  story  your  way, 
humor  curling  around  the  edges, 
about  a  recent  happening  at  the 
Wenatchee,  Wash.,  YMCA,  where 
works  in  community  relations. 
Rather  than  an  occasional  effort, 
service  has  been  a  way  of  life  for  Jji 
"If  I  had  one  prayer  to  pray,  it  woi 
be  'Thy  kingdom  come,  thy  will  be| 
done.'" 

Born  near  Lawrence,  Kans.,  in  t 
last  year  of  the  19th  century.  Jay  ii 
still  going  strong.  Don't  conjure  upj 
an  image  of  an  elderly  Brother  stili 
puttering  around  doing  good  deedtji 
Jay  has  not  lost,  but  gained,  strenj 
and  wisdom  with  years.  And  his 
many  years  of  involvement  in  signijn 
cant,  sacrificial,  typically  Brethren 
service  have  indeed  contributed  to 
sagacity. 

Upon  graduating  from  McPhers 
College,  Jay  had  been  intent  on 
becoming  a  missionary  in  China. 
"But,"  he  said,  "the  door  was  shut. 
At  that  time  there  was  no  local  sui^n 
port,  and  missionaries  were  being 
pulled  out  of  foreign  countries." 

With  the  mission  field  closed,  Ja 
felt  his  other  options  lay  in  educatlAj 
or  the  pastoral  ministry.  Influentia 
in  his  initial  decision  to  teach  were 
some  of  his  fellow  Brethren,  who  £i||j 
vised,  "If  you  preach,  we  will  have  | 
you  for  four  or  five  years.  If  you 
teach,  you'll  be  here  longer.  We  se 
you  doing  more  now  than  some 
pastors.  Teach!" 

After  earning  a  master  of  scienc* 
degree  at  the  University  of 


d 


IB 


2  MESSENGER  June  1975 


hington  in  Seattle,  Jay  settled  in 
iVenatchee  Valley.  With  a  major 
lysics  and  a  minor  in  math,  he 
!ht  high  school  geology  his  first 
!  As  a  sideline  to  his  teaching 
onsibilities  he  was  given  the  task 
jaching  swimming.  Despite  his 
ed  experience  (a  Kansas  farmboy 
se  encounters  with  bodies  of 
:r  were  confined  to  horse  troughs 
buffalo  wallows  filled  with 
ed  snow),  his  team  took  the  state 

school  swimming  honors, 
uring  his  forty  years  of  teaching 

school  and  college.  Jay  filled 
|orates  for  twenty  years  at  various 
hington  churches.  On  May  3  of 
year  Jay  celebrated  his  anniver- 

of  fifty  years  as  a  minister  in  the 
rch  of  the  Brethren. 
ly  is  continually  trying  to  assess 
;hurch's  direction  nationally  and 
Uy.  "I've  been  looking  at  guys  in 

60s  and  younger,  and  I  wonder, 
1  they  take  the  responsibility  for 
;hurch?'"  With  someone  like  Jay 
uide,  these  younger  ones  should 
ble  to  find  the  path, 
ly  is  not  one  to  bask  in  the  light 
is  own  accomplishment.  "None  of 
life  has  been  a  solo  work.  I'm  in- 
:ed  to  my  wife,  Geraldine,  and  to 
Friendship  and  support  of 
isands  of  people  around  the 
Id."  Add  to  this  his  own  dedica- 

and  the  result  is  a  life  of 
ice.  —  Randy  Miller 


Chet  and  Gladys  Detwiler:  Serving  in  return 


For  Chester  and  Gladys  Detwiler  it 
wasn't  easy  to  pack  up  a  year's  worth 
of  belongings,  leave  their  Nappanee, 
Ind.,  home.  Chefs  job  as  a  mechanic, 
their  friends,  and  their  children  and 
grandchildren  who  all  lived  nearby, 
and  move  to  Bridgewater,  Va.,  as 
BVSers.  But,  at  the  age  of  56,  they 
decided  they  wanted  to  give  a  year  of 
volunteer  service  through  the  Post-30 
BVS  program. 

"We  were  really  impressed  with  the 
BVS  program,  and  1  think  it's 
because  our  children  were  all  in  it," 
Gladys  said  in  explaining  their  deci- 
sion. All  five  of  their  children  had 
been  BVSers.  Their  oldest  daughter, 
Joyce,  worked  with  the  Women's  In- 
ternational League  for  Peace  and 
Freedom  in  Washington,  D.C.  Then 
their  four  sons  did  their  alternative 
service  through  BVS.  Carl  was  at 
Mendota,  Calif.,  in  the  migrant 
ministry;  Bob  spent  his  two  years  in 
New  Windsor,  Md.,  at  the  Brethren 
Service  Center;  Keith  served  his  first 
year  at  Lend-a-Hand  Center  in 
Walker,  Ky.,  was  married,  and  went 
with  his  wife  to  the  Brethren  Home 
in  Greenville,  Ohio,  for  his  second 
year.  Their  youngest  son,  Steve,  was 
serving  at  the  Brethren  Home  in 
Neffsville,  Pa.,  when  he  was  stricken 
with  terminal  cancer. 

During  this  time  of  crisis,  the 
Detwilers  felt  that  the  prayers  and 
support  offered  by  friends  and  family 
greatly  helped  them  to  cope  with  the 
sorrow  they  faced. 

In  October  1974,  they  came  to 
Elgin  to  participate  in  an  eight-day 
Post-30  BVS  orientation  unit,  believ- 


ing that  this  was  a  step  toward  re- 
turning the  service  shown  them  and 
also  an  opportunity  to  fulfill  a  dream 
they  wanted  to  share  together.  After 
weighing  the  pros  and  cons  of 
various  projects  and  remembering 
their  two  sons'  experiences  at  retire- 
ment homes,  they  decided  to  go  to 
the  Bridgewater  Home,  saying,  "It 
was  a  place  where  we  could  both  help 
older  people,  which  before  long  we're 
going  to  be!" 

After  working  at  the  Home  for 
over  seven  months,  the  Detwilers  feel 
very  good  about  their  experience. 
Chet  is  on  the  maintenance  staff,  do- 
ing everything  from  painting  rooms 
to  rebuilding  tractor  engines.  He 
jokingly  says  he  wants  to  make  sure 
he  "wears  out  —  not  rusts  out,"  so 
you'll  always  find  him  with  grease  at 
least  under  his  fingernails.  Gladys 
works  in  the  arts  and  crafts  depart- 
ment, filling  her  days  with  quilting, 
escorting  residents  to  chapel,  helping 
with  ceramics,  and  a  variety  of  other 
things.  But,  more  important  than 
their  assigned  responsibilities,  they 
take  time  to  stop  and  talk  with  the 
residents,  offering  a  warm  smile, 
listening  to  their  stories. 

Chet  and  Gladys  know  their  serv- 
ices are  needed  and  appreciated.  Chet 
says,  "We  talk  about  things  that 
should  be  done,  but  you  can't  just  sit' 
there  and  wait  for  them  to  happen  . . . 
you've  got  to  do  something."  And  so 
they  are.  —  Suzanne  Statler 


June  1975  messenger  3 


Bethany  Hospital  asks 
development  support 

An  expanded  mission  project  in  the  US  — 
health  care  among  Chicago's  poor — is  be- 
ing proposed  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
Bethany  Brethren — Garfield  Park  Com- 
munity Hospital.  This  request  has  been 
received  by  the  Annual  Conference  Com- 
mittee on  Health  and  Welfare  and  has  been 
sent  to  Standing  Committee  for  its  ap- 
proval as  an  item  of  new  business  on  the 
Conference  agenda. 

Through  a  comprehensive  health  plan 
for  its  inner  city  community,  the  Board  of 
Trustees  seeks  to  replace  two  separate 
medical  buildings  with  one  new  250-bed 
hospital  and  outpatient  structure. 
Neighborhood  health  care  centers  will  be 
continued  and  a  new  emergency  care  unit. 


Insights  75  to  present 
varied  issues,  formats 

While  the  fellowship,  worship,  and 
business  aspects  of  Annual  Conference  are 
commonly  heralded,  there  is  another 
dimension  of  conference  that  carries  con- 


alcohol  and  drug  therapy  programs,  and  an 
integrated  home  health  care  and  health 
education  program  are  planned. 

The  $25  million  endeavor  is  now  in  the 
capital  finance  planning  stage. 

The  approach  to  Conference  is  for  per- 
mission to  contact  individuals  and  con- 
gregations in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
for  $2  million  by  1980. 

Bethany  administrators  report  that  ap- 
pro.ximately  $40,000  in  gifts  and  bequests 
are  currently  received  from  Brethren  con- 
tributors annually.  This  is  an  addition  to  a 
separate  Brethren  Health  Education  Foun- 
dation, whose  resources  are  unavailable  to 
the  hospital,  for  support  of  students  in 
nursing  and  allied  fields. 

The  hospital  is  held  in  trust  for  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  is  governed  by  an 
independent  board,  and  has  as  its  ad- 
ministrator Vernon  Showalter. 


siderable  impact — the  educational  thrust. 
The  value  is  lifted  up  particularly  in  the 
series  of  late  evening  and  Sunday  morning 
special  interest  programs. 

Known  as  the  Insights  75,  the  programs 
at  the  Dayton  Conference  June  24-29  will 
employ  drama,  films,  concerts,  and  dis- 
cussions in  the  treatment  of  35  topics.  The 


Peace  talks  convened 
by  Asian  Christians 


An  aura  of  festivity  marked  the  assembl; 
of  Christians  in  Kottayam,  India,  early  tl 
year  when  delegates  from  20  nations 
processed  with  flags,  trumpets,  and 
decorated  elephants  to  a  public  rally.  The 
prayers,  songs,  and  speeches  were  follow 
by  a  two-hour  cultural  program  of  India 
dances. 

The  event  was  historic  in  that  it  was  tl 
first  meeting  of  the  Asian  Christian  Peac 
Conference.  And  while  there  were 
celebrative  aspects  such  as  the  parade  an 
rally,  most  of  the  agenda  was  given  to  ai 
earnest  probing  of  the  role  of  Asian 
Christians  in  the  struggle  for  peace  with 
justice. 

The  99  delegates  worked  through  four 


sessions  are  scheduled  9  to  10:15  p.m 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  and  Saturday  and^ 
to  10  a.m.  Sunday. 

A  concert  by  the  Appalachian  Green 
Parks  Project,  Ohio  University,  will 
provide  an  entertaining  review  of  songs 
from  the  culture  of  the  mountains. 

The  General  Board  Staff  Male  Chorusi 
will  be  presented  in  a  concert  focusing  or 
worship,  "Sing  to  the  Lord  a  New  Song. 

A  probing  of  the  values  television  offe 
on  conflict  and  the  prosocial  uses  of  tv  w 
be  led  by  Stewart  M.  Hoover  of  Berkele; 
Calif. 

Other  sessions  involve  a  slide  presen- 
tation on  "Brethren  Roots  in  Ohio," 
reports  from  the  farmers'  visit  to  the 
People's  Republic  of  China,  a  look  at 
house  fellowship  groups,  examination  of 
the  criminal  justice  system,  a  visual  revieij,; 
of  the  teachings  of  theologian  Teilhard  d'  n 
Chardin,  consideration  of  choreography 
drama,  a  sharing  of  developments  in 
volunteer  service,  credit  unions,  and  the 
wills  emphasis,  a  film  on  North  Vietnami 
and  dialogue  on  the  Bethany  Seminary 
community. 


Members  of  the  Appalachian  Green  Par 

Project,  from  Ohio  University  Scho> 

of  Theater,  will  be  featured  \ 

Insights  75,  presentit 

a  review  of  songs  th 

reflect  the  cultu.  j, 

V^C^SiAi  of  Appalach 


i' 


mmissions — theological,  economic, 
litical,  and  cultural,  seeking  to  relate  the 
iristian  message  to  "the  concrete  human 
nation  existing  in  Asia." 
(n  their  findings  the  commissions 
scribed  the  call  of  the  Gospel  "as  a 
iical  call,"  one  that  impelled  the 
arches  "to  take  sides  with  the  oppressed 
d  the  exploited."  The  delegates  con- 
Tined  international  exploitation  by 
stern  capitalism  and  rejected  categorical- 
'the  false  belief  that  human  rights  can  be 
aranteed  by  material  prosperity."  They 
rned  of  the  "acquisitive  greediness" 
ich  accrues  from  an  affluent  culture  that 
iximizes  profits.  They  objected  to  an 
icational  system  tied  to  cultural  im- 
rialism  or  caught  up  with  the  values  of 
:  elite,  appealing  instead  for  a  system 
It  seeks  "a  quality  of  life  base  on  our 
n  authentic  national  identity." 
Urgent  concern  was  expressed  over  the 
;sence  of  foreign  military  bases  in  Asian 
jntries  and  carriers  of  nuclear  weapons 
the  Indian  and  the  Pacific  oceans,  which 
delegates  declared  ought  to  be  zones  of 
ice. 

Through  the  World  Ministries  Commis- 
n  scholarships  were  provided  for  two 
:mbers  of  the  Church  of  North  India 
participate  in  the  conference.  They 
re  Naginlal  D.  Chaudhari  and 
imanuel  P.  Bhagat,  both  former  Breth- 
1  from  Gujarat  State. 

ocal  parish  planning 
ey  to  new  curricula 

program  under  which  the  local  church 

I  develop  educational  plans  to  meet  its 
:cial  needs  has  been  created  by  Joint 
ucational  Development  (JED),  an 
imenical  partnership  that  includes  the 
urch  of  the  Brethren  and  other 
nominations. 

Under  the  overall  title  of  Christian 
ucation:  Shared  Approaches,  the  project 
divided  into  four  distinct  systems. 
The  first  approach.  Knowing  the  Word, 
aimed  at  enabling  persons  to  know  the 
ntent  of  the  Bible  and  to  respond  as 
thful  disciples. 

The  second  approach.  Interpreting  the 
ord,  will  focus  on  more  advanced  techni- 
es  of  Bible  study,  helping  persons  he- 
me responsible  interpreters  of  Scripture. 
The  third  approach.  Living  the  Word, 

II  enable  participants  to  relate  the  Scrip- 


Brethren  to  observe 
milestones  in  1976 

Next  year,  besides  being  the  Bicentennial 
of  the  nation,  is  a  special  year  in  the 
denominational  life  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 


Christian  Hope:  The  Brethren  sent  him  as 
their    first    overseas    missionary,    in    1876 

One  anniversary — the  125th — will  be 
marked  by  Messenger,  beginning  with  its 


January  issue.  The  publication  dates  its 
volumes  back  to  the  Gospel  Visiter  is- 
sued by  Henry  Kurtz  at  Poland,  Ohio,  in 
1851. 

As  one  commemorative  resource  a  mul- 
timedia presentation,  "The  Roots  of  Mes- 
senger," is  scheduled  for  premiere  at  an 
Annual  Conference  dinner  for  Messenger 
agents,  writers,  and  other  interested  guests 
June  25,  at  Dayton.  Ohio.  The  research, 
scripting,  and  audio-visual  work  is  being 
coordinated  by  James  H.  Lehman  assisted 
by  Kenneth  E.  Morse  and  Kermon 
Thomason.  The  resource  will  be  available 
for  local  church  use  in  coming  months. 

A  second  event — the  100th  milestone  of 
foreign  missions  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren — also  will  occur  in  1976.  It  was  in 
1876  that  the  Cherry  Grove  Church  of  the 
Northern  Illinois  District  sent  Christian 
Hope  to  Denmark  as  the  first  missionary 
of  the  Brethren  in  America. 

To  project  appropriate  ways  of  com- 
memorating the  historical  event,  and  to 
help  the  church  discern  more  fully  its  role 
in  mission  and  service  today,  a  Mission 
Centennial  Celebration  Committee  has 
been  named  by  the  World  Ministries  and 
General  Services  commissions.  Members 
include  Leonard  Blickenstaff,  La  Verne, 
Calif.;  Geraldine  Plunkett.  Chicago,  111.; 
Anna  Warstler.  Goshen.  Ind.;  Diane  Petry 
Wion,  North  Manchester.  Ind.;  and 
Kenneth  I.  Morse  and  Shantilal  P. 
Bhagat.  Elgin.  III. 


tures  to  the  life  of  the  Christian  communi- 
ty, taking  into  account  what  happens  in 
families,  special  groups,  worship — the 
whole  of  church  education. 

The  fourth  approach.  Doing  the  Word, 
will  help  persons  respond  to  the  biblical 
imperative  to  do  God's  work  in  the  world, 
dealing  with  the  impact  of  the  Christian 
community  upon  society. 

Emphasis  will  be  placed  on  helping  con- 
gregational leaders  plan  a  total  educational 
program  and  select  resources  best  suited  to 
local  needs.  Because  the  four  approaches 
are  complementary,  a  church  may  choose 
one  or  draw  from  all  four  in  creating  its 
own  educational  design. 

The  spectrum  of  programs  and  resources 
for  the  approaches  will  begin  appearing 
this  fall  and  continue  to  be  released  for  the 
next  three  years. 

Brethren  participants  in  planning  or 
carrying  out  the  four  approaches  at  the 


national  level  include  Shirley  J.  Heckman, 
Parish  Ministries'  educational  consultant 
who  has  served  on  the  administrative  com- 
mittee for  the  project;  Hazel  M.  Kennedy 
and  Rick  Gardner,  respectively  former  and 
present  editors  of  curriculum  resources; 
Theresa  Eshbach,  Thomasville,  Pa.,  the  only 
non-national  staff  member  to  work  on  the 
design  team  for  the  third  approach;  Robert 
R.  Jones,  director  of  educational  ministries 
for  Virlina  District;  and  Galen  Heckman, 
pastor,  Richmond,  Virlina  District. 

Other  participating  groups  include  Unit- 
ed Church  of  Christ,  United  Presbyterian 
Church,  Reformed  Church  in  America, 
Presbyterian  Church  US,  Christian  Church 
(Disciples  of  Christ),  Evangelical  Covenant 
Church,  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church, 
Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian, 
American  Baptist  Churches,  United 
Methodist  Church,  and  Presbyterian 
Church  in  Canada. 

June  1975  messenger  5 


Musa  Mshelia  translating 
New  Testament  into  Bura 

Fifty  years  after  the  first  scriptures  were 
written  in  the  Bura  language,  the  task  of 
rendering  the  New  Testament  in  that 
African  language  has  begun  anew.  In  1925 
pioneer  Nigeria  missionaries  Albert  Helser 
and  Stover  Kulp  published  the  book  of 
Mark  in  Bura,  an  almost  incredible  feat — 
when  they  arrived  in  Buraland  in  1923  no 
foreigner  had  ever  learned  the  language 
and  it  had  never  been  reduced  to  writing. 

Now  in  1975,  Musa  Mshelia,  a  Bura 
scholar  who  speaks  several  languages  and 
is  a  professionally  trained  translator,  has 
begun  a  new  translation  of  the  missionary- 
produced  New  Testament. 

Beginning  with  the  work  of  Helser  and 
Kulp  in  1925,  and  continuing  with  further 
translating  of  New  Testament  books  by 
those  two,  plus  Floyd  Mallott  and  William 
Beahm,  a  complete  Bura  New  Testament 
was  eventually  published  in  1937. 

When  the  1950  edition  went  out  of  print 
recently  the  London-based  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society,  publishers,  would 
only  agree  to  a  further  printing  if  the  entire 
New  Testament  underwent  a  new  transla- 
tion by  a  native  Bura  scholar.  The  western 
gundamas  (sub-districts)  of  Lardin  Gabas 
appointed  Musa  and  he  began  working  last 
November.  He  expects  to  complete  his  task 
in  about  three  years. 

Quietly  confident,  the  soft-spoken 
scholar  is  privately  awed  by  his  task  and 
wonders  that  God  has  led  him  in  this  direc- 
tion. "I  was  a  rebel  against  Christ,  like 
Bulus  (Paul),"  reflects  Musa  (Moses)  with 
a  twinkle  in  his  eye.  "When  the  mis- 
sionaries asked  me  to  become  a  schoolboy, 
I  ran  away  to  Maiduguri.  1  became  a  tailor 
and  a  baker.  But  1  came  home  to  find  a 
wife.  I  was  baptized  a  Christian  but  I  con- 
tinued drinking  and  leading  a  loose  life. 
Blind  Yarkawa  (a  local  pastor)  asked  me  to 
preach  at  Kogu,  but  again  1  ran  away,  this 
time  to  Kano  and  other  cities.  Illness 
brought  me  home  again  to  get  treatment 
from  a  local  medicine  man.  I  stayed  and 
began  to  preach  at  Kwajafa.  No  one  taught 
me.  I  just  felt  it  in  my  heart  to  work  for 
Christ. 

"In  1962  I  entered  Kulp  Bible  School. 
After  1 1  years  of  school  and  pastoral  work 
I  graduated  in  1973.  Meanwhile  I  was 
chosen  for  training  in  translation  work. 
Now  here  I  am.  1  don't  know  why  God  did 

6  MESSENGER  June  1975 


Musa  Mshelia,  a  trained  Bible  translator  who  speaks  Bura  as  his  native  tongue,  is  well 
qualified   for    his    work:    translating    the    New    Testament    into    the    Bura    language 


it,  but  I  believe  he  will  guide  me  as  he  guid- 
ed Bulus  and  other  scripture  writers." 

Presently  Musa  is  writing  practice  drafts 
of  various  scriptures,  which  will  be  checked 
and  studied  by  Bible  Society  scholars. 
From  there  he  will  progress  to  the  final 
stages  of  his  task. 

When  he  is  finished,  Lardin  Gabas  will 
have  the  New  Testament  in  two  local 


languages,  plus  the  entire  Bible  in  Hausa, 
lingua  franca  in  northern  Nigeria.  The  Hij, 
New  Testament  was  published  by  the 
Wycliffe  Bible  Society  last  year.  In  furthe, 
translation  work,  a  Margi  New  Testamen; 
committee  began  work  last  November,  an 
a  Kilba  one  is  being  produced  by  the 
Danish  branch  of  the  Sudan  United  Mis- 
sion, which  works  east  of  Garkida. 


German  BVSer  home 
but  project  follows 

Karl-Klaus  Rabe  had  been  back  in  his  Ger- 
man homeland  only  five  months  after  his 
BVS  project  ended  May  1,  1974,  when  he 
received  a  call  from  Cesar  Chavez. 

Karl-Klaus  had  come  into  BVS  through 
ASF  (Aktion  Suhuezeichen/ Freiden- 
scienst)  (Action  Reconciliation/ Peace 
Service).  He  had  been  on  project  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  working  for  the  United  Farm 
Workers  (UFW),  organizing  boycotts 
against  California  grapes  and  lettuce. 

Chavez  said  that  he  would  be  coming 
through  Germany  in  early  October.  He 
asked  Karl-Klaus  to  arrange  meetings  with 
representatives  of  churches,  unions,  and 
other  parties  interested  in  UFW. 

Germany,  in  recent  years,  has  been  the 
recipient  of  large  amounts  of  California 
Red  Empora  grapes  and  iceburg  lettuce. 
According  to  Karl-Klaus,  "The  products 


which  were  successfully  boycotted  in  Nort 
America  were  now  put  on  the  German 
market  in  great  quantity.  Thus  nothing 
remained  for  us  but  to  seek  to  continue  thi 
role  of  boycotter  even  after  returning 
home." 

The  Chavez  visit  was  highly  successful, 
due  mainly  to  the  support  of  ASF  and 
many  past  and  future  volunteers.  The  Gei 
man  Gewerkschaftsbund  (a  union 
organization)  and  representatives  of  both 
the  Lutheran  and  Roman  Catholic 
churches  expressed  their  solidarity  with  thi 
California  farm  workers.  President 
Heineman  of  the  Altbund  organization  in 
dicated  to  Chavez,  "Your  appeal  deserves  I 
all  support." 

Union  workers  in  Germany  are  generall 
supportive  of  UFW,  as  they  have  no 
emotional  involvement  in  the  issue  the  wa 
many  Americans  do.  In  addition,  com- 
panies importing  grapes  and  lettuce  are  tO' 
small  to  wield  real  clout,  auguring  well  foi 
the  success  of  the  German  boycott. 


[LODIldlSirDDDllS^ 


designation,  land  sale 
>n  seminary  docket 

he  search  for  a  new  president  is  underway 
3r  Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  follow- 
ig  the  March  resignation  of  Dr.  Paul  M. 
lobinson.  His  22-year  tenure  as  Bethany's 
jurth  president  was  one  of  the  longest  in 
le  nation  among  administrators  of  major 
leological  schools. 

The  Denver,  Col.,  native  and  Juniata 
ollege  graduate  served  pastorates  in 
mbler.  Pa.,  and  Hagerstown,  Md.,  before 
loving  to  Bethany  in  1953. 

In  1956  Dr.  Robinson  served  the 
enomination  as  Annual  Conference 
loderator.  Later  he  was  chairperson  of 
le  Foreign  Missions  Commission  for  ten 
5ars,  traveling  widely  around  the  world 
id  lecturing  on  six  continents.  He  has 
so  served  as  a  Brethren  member  on  the 
ational  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ. 

Probably  the  most  significant  event  of 
is  years  at  Bethany  was  the  1963  move  to 
le  new  55-acre  campus  in  Oak  Brook,  111., 
om  downtown  Chicago.  With  his  resigna- 
on  effective  October  1,  Dr.  Robinson  and 
s  wife  Mary  will  move  to  South  Bend, 
id.,  where  he  will  serve  as  pastor  of  the 
rest  Manor  congregation. 

In  another  development  of  recent  weeks, 
le  Bethany  Board  of  Trustees  is  proposing 
le  sale  of  acreage  as  a  means  of  securing 
inds  to  supplement  the  income  of  the 
iminary,  subject  to  approval  by  1975  An- 
na] Conference  delegates. 

Last  year  after  ratification  of  a  land  use 

oposal  failed  by  a  small  margin  to  gain  a 
i'o  thirds  vote.  Annual  Conference  asked 
le  Bethany  Board  to  continue  exploring 
le  utilization  of  land  to  produce  income. 
he  current  proposal  is  for  the  outright 
lie  of  14  acres  for  commercial  develop- 
ent. 

The  land  is  a  300-foot  deep  section  along 
utterfield  Road  which  borders  the  cam- 
js  to  the  south.  It  is  adjacent  to  six  acres 
cently  sold  by  Northern  Baptist  Sem- 
ary  to  the  same  developer.  Two  small 
kes  currently  on  the  property  are  to  be 
tained. 

The  terms  restrict  liquor  in  any  form  be- 
ig  dispensed  on  the  property. 

The  proposed  sale  is  for  $1,137,500. 
he  seminary  proposes  investing  the  funds 

institutional  reserves,  the  interest  of 
hich  could  supplant  the  seminary's 
come  when  needed. 


OVERSEAS  REPORT 


Dallas   Oswalt ,    former  missionary  in  Ni- 


geria and  recent  Purdue  University  researcher,  has  joined 
the  International  Center  for  Semi-Arid  Tropics  in  India  as 
educational  director.   His  tasks  are  to  train  nationals  and 
to  continue  experimentation  aimed  at  heightening  the  protein 
quality  of  grains.   His  family  will  join  him  in  July. 

Gareth  Porter ,    co-director  of  the  Indochina  Resource 
Center,  accompanied  W.    Sterling  Cary ,    president  of  the  Nat- 
ional Council  of  Churches,  and  three  other  church  leaders  to 
Paris  in  April  for  talks  with  representatives  from  all  ma- 
jor parties  involved  in  the  Indochina  conflict.   Earlier  in 
the  year  the  Washington,  D.C.  layman  visited  North  Vietnam. 

Twenty   agricul turalists    from  Poland  arrived  in  the  USA 
this  spring  for  a  year  of  research  or  work  in  food  indus- 
tries.  Sponsored  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  the  spe- 
cialists have  taken  assignments  in  Michigan,  Minnesota, 
Mississippi,  New  York,  North  Dakota,  Washington,  Wisconsin. 

The  General  Board's  peace  and  international  affairs  con- 
sultant, H_.  Lamar  Gibble,  will  be  visiting  the  People's  Re- 
public of  China  three  weeks  during  June. 


BRETHREN   HOMES 


Two  Brethren  administrators  are  newly- 
elected  officers  of  the  Division  of  Homes  for  the  Aging  of 
the  American  Protestant  Hospital  Association.  Harvey   S. 
Kline,    The  Brethren  Home,  New  Oxford,  Pa. ,  is  president- 
elect of  the  division;  C.  Dick  Stevens   of  the  Bridgewater 
Home  in  Virginia  is  the  secretary. 

Wilbur  E_.    Mullen   has  been  appointed  administrator  of  The 
Brethren's  Home,  Greenville,  Ohio,  effective  Jan.  1,  1976. 
He  will  succeed  Jra  A.    Or en,    who  in  his  12  years  as  adminis- 
trator has  developed  the  Greenville  Home  into  the  largest 
Brethren  nursing  and  retirement  center  in  the  country. 

Dedication  of  the  new  additions  to  Brethren  Village,  Lan- 
caster, Pa. ,  will  be  Sept.  21.   Structures  now  being  com- 
pleted and  occupied  are  Oakwood  House,  a  39-unit  apartment 
building.  Village  Manor,  a  65-room  dormitory  type  unit,  and 
a  93-bed  nursing  center.  Frank  Lantz   is  the  administrator. 

IN  MEMORIAM    ...  Clyde   W.    Holsinger,    55,  died  April  14  fol- 
lowing a  series  of  heart  attacks.   Head  of  the  music  depart- 
ment of  Manchester  College,  he  was  to  have  directed  Haydn's 
"Creation"  at  the  Dayton  Annual  Conference.  .  .  .  Walter  C_. 
Sell ,    79,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  pastor  of  many  congregations 
throughout  the  Brotherhood,  died  March  5.   His  widow  Alice 
resides  at  Shea  Convalescent  Hospital,  535  East  Conita  Ave., 
San  Dimas,  Calif.  91773.  .  .  .  £.  J.  McCann ,    80,  Oklahoma 
City,  Okla. ,  died  March  30.   He  was  a  preacher  for  60  years. 

CO  REUNION    ...  A  reunion  of  former  CO  inmates  of  Ashland, 
Ky. ,  Federal  Correctional  Institution  will  occur  June  22  at 
the  Lefever  Homestead.   Contact  H.  R.  Lefever,  Rt.  1,  Box 
457,  Spring  Grove,  Pa.  17362  (717  225-3456). 

SUBSCRIPTION  RATES    ...  As  announced  in  the  May  issue, 
yearly  rates  for  Messenger  effective  Aug.  1  will  be  $6  on 
the  individual  basis  and  $4.80  on  the  Every  Family  Plan. 
Increased  production  and  mailing  costs  prompt  the  change. 

June  1975  messenger  7 


^pdmt(B 


CONGREGATIONAL   CIRCUIT 


The  Holmesville   church/  10  miles 


from  Beatrice,  Neb. ,  extends  an  invitation  to  Brethren  to 
visit  or  write  during  its  centennial  observance,  June  6-8. 
.  .  .  Early  Annual  Conference  arrivals  in  Dayton  are  in- 
vited to  the  Farr  Family  concert  at  the  Prince  of  Peace 
church,  Kettering,  8  p.m.  June  23. 

Central    church,  Roanoke,  Va.,  observed  its  50th  anni- 
versary on  May  4.  .  .  .  Upcoming  anniversaries  include  150 
years.  Center   church  in  Northern  Ohio,  Sept.  5-7,  with  a 
Farr  Family  concert,  a  preaching  service,  a  love  feast,  and 
guest  minister  Anna  B.  Mow  on  the  program;  100  years.  Inde- 
pendence  church  in  Kansas,  Oct.  11-12.   Both  invite  former 
members  and  friends  to  join  in. 


EDUCATIONAL   SCENE 


Breidenstine  Hall,  a  new  $2.25 


million  arts  building,  was  dedicated  April  26  by  Millers- 
ville  State  College  in  Pennsylvania,  named  in  honor  of  its 
former  dean,  A_.    G_.    Breidenstine. 

The  J.  Omar  Good   Visiting  Distinguished  Professor  of 
Evangelical  Christianity  has  been  established  by  Juniata 
College  in  Pennsylvania.   Mr.  Good,  a  former  student  and 
Philadelphia  printing  executive,  willed  Juniata  $1  million, 
the  largest  bequest  ever  made  to  the  college.   C.  Samuel 
Calian   of  Dubuque  Theological  Seminary,  a  teacher  and 
author,  is  the  first  appointee  to  the  chair. 

Speakers  at  Bethany  Theological  Seminary  recently  have 
been  Ronald   J.  Sider   of  Messiah  College,  Philadelphia, 
Huston  Memorial  Peace  Lecturer  on  "An  Evangelical  Theology 
of  Nonviolence,"  and  Hycel   B_.    Taylor   of  Garrett-Evangelical 
Seminary,  Evanston,  111.,  Wieand  Lecturer  on  "Living  Liturgy 
and  Black  Liberation." 

The  director  of  the  Yale  Institute  of  Sacred  Music, 
Robert   S_.    Baker ,    on  April  20  presented  the  dedicatory  re- 
cital of  the  51-rank  Moeller  organ  in  Cole  Hall  at  Bridge- 
water  College  in  Virginia. 


IN  PRINT 


Robert   C.  Johansen,    Manchester  College  pro- 


fessor, authored  an  assessment  of  US  foreign  policy  publish- 
ed in  the  April  2  Christian  Century.  .  .  .  William  Kidwell , 
pastor.  Mack  Memorial  church,  Dayton,  Ohio,  is  a  contributor 
to  a  volume  entitled  "Sermons  from  Hell:   Help  for  the  Dis- 
tressed" (Bethany  Press,  $5.95).  .  .  .  The  district  history, 
"Brethren  in  Florida  and  Puerto  Rico,"  now  may  be  ordered 
from  Earl    Seese ,    2818  State  Rd.  17  N.,  Sebring,  Fla.  33870. 
The  price  is  $5. 

Histories  commissioned:   On  Juniata  College's  centennial. 
Earl    C.  Kay  lor ,    Jr. ;  on  the  former  Northwestern  Ohio  district, 
William   R.  Eberl y   of  Manchester  College. 


PEOPLE  YOU  KNOW 


Arden  K_.    Ball    is  the  new  resident 

and  the  first 


director  of  Camp  Mack  in  Northern  Indiana.   He 
manager  L.  W_.    Shultz    (1925-56)  will  be  among  those  greeting 
guests  at  the  camp's  50th  anniversary  observance  June  15. 
.  .  .  Wesley  Albin    is  director  of  CROP's  new  office  at 
Harrisburg,  Pa. ,  serving  Pennsylvania  and  western  West 
Virginia.  .  .  .  Southeastern  district  executive  Ronald  K_. 
Wine   will  become  pastor  at  Anderson,  Ind.,  Sept.  1. 

8  MESSENGER  June  1975 


'Allies'  explore  areas 
of  common  concern 


An  exploratory  meeting  between 
"ecumenical"  and  "evangelical"  Protesta 
offers  promise  that  dividing  walls  can  b 
scaled.  And  that  differences  are  not  as  f 
midable  as  widely  assumed. 

Representatives  of  the  National  Coun 
of  Churches  and  members  of  a  "young 
evangelical"  movement  met  in  March  in 
Philadelphia  for  two  days  of  sharing  on 
social  action  and  personal  evangelism.  1 
meeting  grew  out  of  initiatives  taken  frc 
both  sides. 

There  is  "clearly  a  new  kind  of  mutuaj'! 
respect"  developing  between  the 
evangelicals  and  the  National  Council,  s 
Ronald  J.  Sider,  dean  of  Messiah  Colle 
and  leader  in  the  movement  which  issuei 
the  1973  Chicago  Declaration  of 
Evangelical  Social  Concerns.  "It's  simpl 
not  the  case  that  everyone  in  the  Natior 
Council  is  liberal  in  theology,"  he  said. 

"The  meeting  confirmed  what  we 
suspected,  that  labels  are  deceptive  and 
some  cases  divisive,"  said  Jorge  Lara- 
Braud,  director  of  faith  and  order  of  tW 
National  Council.  He  felt  the  time  has 
come  when  "evangelical"  and  "ecumenic 
Protestants  can  see  themselves  as  allies. 

Neither  side  suggested  the  compromis' 
of  principles. 

"We're  firmly  committed  to  biblical  fa 
and  theology,"  said  Dr.  Sider. 

"We  will  be  justified  by  grace  througl. 
faith  and  not  "justified  by  agreement  wii 
one  another,"  Dr.  Lara-Braud  told 
ecumenical  and  evangelicals  alike. 

The  young  evangelicals  want  to  learn 
some  of  the  right  things  and  the  wrong 
things  that  National  Council  types  have 
done  in  seeking  social  justice.  Dr.  Sider 
told  Religious  News  Service.  He  added  t 
while  he  did  not  agree  with  everything  t 
National  Council  has  done  on  social  act 
in  the  past  30  years,  the  ecumenical 
organization  has  "taken  some  courageoi 
steps." 

Dr.  Sider  expressed  hope  that  the  ne\ 
evangelical  group  will  be  "more  biblical 
language"  than  the  NCC  has  been  in  thi 
past  and  will  "stress  repentance  and  dis- 
cipleship." 

There  was  general  agreement  that 
possibilities  for  cooperation  center  in  su 
issues  as  world  hunger  and  the  develop! 
of  new  Christian  life-styles. 


Jim  Wallis,  editor  of  Post-American 
magazine,  spoke  of  a  new  group  of  "radical 
evangelicals"  who  reject  both  liberal  and 
conservative  establishments  and  who 
'believe  that  all  worlds  will  be  transformed 
if  we  go  back  to  our  biblical  roots." 

Isaac  Rottenberg  of  the  Reformed 
Church  in  America  spoke  of  the  feeling  of 
'homelessness."  He  said  that  he  and  most 
National  Council  related  persons  came 
from  evangelical  backgrounds.  "I  cannot 
»o  back  to  a  narrow  evangelical  world  and 
yet  I'm  not  happy  in  the  unsatisfactory 
5cumenical  world,"  he  said. 

Eugene  Stockwell  of  the  NCC's  Division 
of  Overseas  Ministries  suggested  that  the 
ppropriate  question  is:  "To  what  extent 
ire  our  ways  of  approaching  agendas  our 
biblical  understanding  or  our  social- 
ultural  understanding?" 

No  formal  meetings  were  set  for  the 
Future  but  follow-ups  are  expected  to  occur 
n  a  variety  of  ways. 

Equal  rights  passage 
hits  rough  sledding 

The  Equal  Rights  Amendment,  once  con- 
idered  a  "shoo-in"  for  ratification  as  the 
27th  addition  to  the  US  constitution,  is 
running  into  stiff  opposition. 

Although  many  church  and  synagogue- 
related  groups  in  the  country  favor  the 
ERA,  some  religious  organizations  are 
among  those  forces  now  working  actively 
against  the  amendment,  which  was  passed 
by  Congress  in  1972  and  needs  ratification 
by  38  states  by  March  1979  to  become  law. 

In  February,  North  Dakota  became  the 
34th  state  to  ratify  ERA.  However,  eight  of 
eleven  states  that  considered  ratification  in 
1974  voted  against  the  amendment.  And 
two  states — Nebraska  and  Tennessee — 
rescinded  ratification. 

United  Church  Women,  the  Governing 
Board  of  the  National  Council  of 
Churches,  the  Union  of  American  Hebrew 
Congregations,  the  Unitarian  Universalist 
Association,  American  Baptist  Women, 
several  United  Methodist  Women's  agen- 
cies, Lutheran  Church  Women,  three  ma- 
jor Catholic  nuns'  organizations,  and 
others  are  on  record  as  in  favor  of  the 
ERA.  The  proponents  strongly  hold  that 
further  guarantees  against  discrimination 
based  on  sex  are  sorely  needed  and  require 
the  weight  of  a  constitutional  amendment 
for  significant  change  to  be  enacted. 


Pompeii  ruins  in  tv  special,  "The  Seeds." 

Saga  of  Christianity 
cast  in  tv  special 

"The  Seeds,"  one  of  the  most  acclaimed 
religious  tv  specials,  will  be  repeated  June  1 
on  the  NBC  network,  5-6  p.m.  EDT. 
In  tracing  the  600  years  of  beginnings  for 


the  Christian  church,  narrator  Hugh 
Downs  visits  Rome.  Pompeii,  Ravenna, 
Carthage,  Istanbul,  and  Cappodocia  to 
consider  issues  confronting  Christians  then 
and  now.  Emphasis  is  placed  less  on  the 
sights  to  be  seen  than  on  the  insights  to  be 
gained  into  the  forces  shaping  the  world 
and  destiny. 

When  first  presented  last  December,  the 
film  documentary  brought  one  of  the 
largest  audience  responses  ever  received  by 
the  National  Council  of  Churches,  whose 
Communications  Commission  assisted  with 
the  production. 

A  second  NBC-TV  special  in  the  same 
time  period  is  slated  June  22,  with 
Margaret  Mead  and  Edwin  Newman  con- 
versing on  such  topics  as  religion,  the  fami- 
ly, biomedical  developments,  environment, 
racism,  and  triage. 


Opponents  of  the  amendment  see  a 
further  deterioration  of  family  life,  man- 
datory military  service  for  women,  an  end 
to  female  privacy  and  privileges,  and  the 
elimination  of  laws  protecting  women  as 
dangers  in  the  act.  Among  those  expressing 
opposition  have  been  fundamentalist 
Christian  bodies,  some  Roman  Catholic 
agencies,  and  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  (Mormons). 

The  three-part  amendment  is  simple 
enough,  too  simple  and  misleading,  claim 
some  critics.  It  reads:  "I)  Equality  of  rights 
under  the  law  shall  not  be  denied  or 
abridged  by  the  United  States  or  by  any 
state  on  account  of  sex.  2)  The  Congress 
shall  have  the  power  to  enforce,  by  ap- 
propriate legislation,  the  provisions  of  this 
article.  3)  This  amendment  shall  take  effect 
two  years  after  the  date  of  ratification." 

Last  September  a  survey  by  Christianity 
Today,  evangelical  fortnightly,  seemed  to 
epitomize  the  trend  toward  endorsement  of 
the  ERA  at  that  time.  It  showed  that  more 
than  70  percent  of  respondents  to  its  in- 
terdenominational poll  favored  the  ERA. 
Equal  pay  for  equal  work  and  equality  un- 
der law  were  cited  most  often  as  its 
desirable  goals. 

One  respondent,  James  C.  Cross,  a  mis- 
sion executive  of  the  Lutheran  Church- 
Missouri  Synod,  said  "there  will  be  many 
painful  adjustments  as  a  society  moves 
from  institutionalized  male  chauvinism  to 
full  personhood  recognition,  but  both 
males  and  females  will  profit  from  this 
emancipation  proclamation!" 


Developments  of  recent  months, 
however,  indicate  the  ratification  process 
has  lost  some  of  its  momentum.  Nebraska 
and  South  Carolina  have  recently  rejected 
the  amendment.  Rough  sledding  recently 
has  developed  in  Illinois,  Indiana,  and 
Virginia.  Stop  ERA  and  other  anti- 
amendment  groups,  which  claim  the  ERA 
would  affect  society  "much  more  drastical- 
ly" than  was  first  suspected,  have  launched 
formidable  lobbies  against  the  passage  of 
either  ERA  or  state  equal  rights 
amendments. 

The  North  Carolina  Council  of  Churches 
recently  adopted  a  resolution  endorsing 
ratification  of  the  ERA  "because  it  will  en- 
sure equality  of  rights  under  the  law." 

In  Utah,  Church  Women  United  of  the 
Salt  Lake  City  area  appealed  to  the  state 
legislature  for  ratification  of  the  ERA  dur- 
ing a  meeting  which  had  as  its  theme  "Are 
We  Our  Brothers'  and  Sisters'  Keepers?"  In 
Virginia,  where  the  state  Senate  last 
January  returned  the  ERA  to  committee 
for  further  consideration,  the  Virginia 
ERA  Ratification  Committee  includes 
Protestant,  Catholic,  and  Jewish  groups 
who  claim  the  benefits  of  the  ERA  will  far 
outweigh  any  disadvantages. 

Since  only  three  more  states  are  expected 
to  vote  in  1975,  the  amendment  is  seen  as 
having  no  chance  of  passage  during 
Women's  International  Year. 

The  role  of  religious  groups  is  seen  as  an 
important  factor  in  whether  the  ERA 
carries  the  approval  of  the  remaining  state 
legislatures  necessary  for  ratification. 

June  1975  messenger  9 


ps©DS]D  \r(Bp(n)\rt 


So  much  like  footwashing 


by  R.  Jan  Thompson 

Goodbyes  are  hard,  1  thought  as  1  em- 
braced Junior,  and  tears  came  easily.  Ten 
Manchester  College  students  and  I  had 
arrived  at  San  Pedro  Sula  airport  just  three 
weeks  ago,  not  knowing  anyone.  Now  we 
were  leaving  with  many  mixed  emotions, 
happy  to  be  homeward  bound  but  tearful 
because  we  were  leaving  new-found  friends 
and  a  country  that  had  become  a  second 
home  for  us. 

On  September  19,  1974,  Hurricane  Fifi 
brought  winds  up  to  150  mph  and  rains  of 
more  than  24  inches  in  a  24-hour  period  to 
portions  of  Central  America.  Honduras,  a 
country  about  three-fourths  the  size  of  the 
state  of  Michigan,  was  the  hardest  hit  area. 
Storm  damage  was  intense  in  about  20  per- 
cent of  the  country,  covering  an  area  about 
twice  the  size  of  the  state  of  Connecticut, 
and  affecting  approximately  600,000  peo- 
ple. The  damaged  area  accounted  for  $850 
million  in  1973  which  was  over  half  of  the 
gross  domestic  product  for  that  year.  It  is 
the  heartland  of  Honduran  industry  and 
agriculture,  producing  85  percent  of  the 
national  output  of  bananas  (which  are  one- 
third  of  exports)  and  25  percent  of  the  rice 
and  beef  production. 

We  were  a  college  class,  working  under 
the  direction  of  the  World  Ministries  Com- 
mission of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and 
Church  World  Service.  Our  major 
emphasis  was  to  study  the  psychological 
aspects  of  disaster  upon  those  who  were 
most  directly  affected  by  Hurricane  Fifi. 
To  enable  us  to  meet  people  and  to  provide 
physical  help  as  well  as  psychological  aid, 
we  were  assigned  to  assist  in  the  construc- 
tion of  Colonia  CEDEN.  This  is  a  new 
community  being  built  in  order  for  sur- 
vivors to  relocate  and  re-establish  their 
community. 

The  construction  site  was  to  become  our 
home  for  the  next  three  weeks.  Living, 
working,  and  cooking  on  the  site  gave  us 
an  entree  into  the  lives  of  the  Honduran 
people.  We  lived  and  worked  within  two 
miles  of  Choloma  where  it  is  estimated  that 
6,000  people  were  killed  by  Fifi.  An  ac- 
curate account  will  never  be  known 
because  so  many  people  were  swept  away 
by  the  high  waters  or  buried  by  the  mud 
slides.  The  river  that  ran  through  the  center 
of  Choloma  increased  in  size  from  thirty 

10  MESSENGER  June  1975 


"The  whole  process  of  washing 
clothes  was  so  much  like 
footwashing.  How  humbling! 
Being  served  even  as  we 
were  trying  to  serve." 


feet  to  over  five  hundred  feet  wide.  The 
water  of  the  river  was  prevented  from  flow- 
ing into  the  sea  by  waves  whipped  up  by 
Hurricane  Fifi.  The  waters  backed  up  in 
great  waves  that  undermined  a  hill  close  to 
Choloma  that  served  as  a  temporary  dam. 
When  the  dam  burst  it  loosed  water  and 
rocks  on  the  town  causing  the  high  death 
toll  and  intensive  damage. 

Four  months  after  Fifi  one  could 
observe  the  desolation  left  by  the  water, 
mud,  and  rocks  in  Choloma.  A  portion  of 
the  city  was  now  covered  with  debris;  peo- 
ple who  managed  to  survive  the  holocaust 
were  seen  digging  through  the  sand  and 
debris  in  an  attempt  to  find  some 
belongings  from  their  former  homes.  A 
tent  city  of  several  thousand  displaced  per- 
sons was  still  there. 

The  small  community  of  San  Jose  de 
Los  Laureles  was  located  at  the  base  of  a 
mountain.  The  residents  of  the  village  were 
awakened  at  4:30  a.m.  by  the  sounds  of 
boulders  crashing  down  the  mountain  side 
and  onto  their  homes.  The  heavy  rain  had 
loosened  the  dirt  and  rocks,  and  an 
avalanche  had  been  started,  destroying  100 
homes  and  killing  18  people.  San  Jose  was 
two-thirds  destroyed,  and  divided,  as  a 
result  of  the  avalanche. 

Following  a  Sunday  visit.  Donna 
Ritchey  wrote  in  her  class  journal, 
"Anyway,  we  finally  got  to  San  Jose.  I  still 


find  what  1  saw  hard  to  believe.  What  used 
to  be  a  small  village  on  the  green  slopes 
with  a  stream  running  through  it  is  now  a 
mass  of  boulders  . . .  huge  boulders.  The 
mountain  on  which  they  lived  turned  on 
them  one  early  morning  in  September  and 
covered  homes  with  rubble.  But  now 
children  play  in  the  changed  stream — it 
looked  so  inviting  to  us  hot,  tired 
gringos — and  people  have  adjusted  their 
lives  and  paths  around  the  'rocas.'  I 
took  several  pictures,  but  nothing  could 
really  capture  the  awesomeness  of  what 
happened. 

"I'm  very  glad  that  1  went  there  instead 
of  going  to  Puerto  Cortes  and  to  the  beach 
with  the  others.  I'm  glad  we  walked  on  a 
non-work  day  with  people  from  the  village. 
I'm  glad  we  were  able  to  play  a  little  with 
the  children  and  greet  their  elders.  I'm  glad 
we  could  please  them  by  taking  their  pic- 
tures. It  will  make  working  much  easier,  to 
have  seen  where  the  people  are  coming 
from  and  what  has  happened  to  them." 

The  survivors  of  San  Jose  would  become 
the  new  residents  of  the  new  community  of 
Colonia  CEDEN.  CEDEN  (Comite 
Evangelico  de  DesarroUo  Y  Emergencia 
Nacional)  is  an  agency  revived  following 
Hurricane  Fifi.  Church  groups  and  volun- 
tary agencies  of  Honduras  had  worked  in 
cooperation  in  the  early  1960s  to  assist 
with  a  previous  disaster.  The  agency  had 


dissolved  until  Fifi  revived  it.  The  in- 
digeneous  Protestant  and  Catholic 
churches,  plus  relief  agencies  around  the 
world,  are  now  associated  with  CEDEN. 
Funds  given  for  relief  are  used  by  CEDEN 
for  emergencies  —food,  medical  care, 
relocation  and;  or  rebuilding  of  homes. 

Our  project  was  one  of  relocation  by 
building  new  cement  slab  homes.  CEDEN, 
using  funds  from  World  Ministries  Com- 
mission and  Church  World  Service, 
provides  the  building  materials  for  the 
houses  and  the  men  of  the  village  provide 
the  labor  to  construct  the  houses.  Each 
man  is  to  work  every  third  week  in  order  to 
receive  a  house;  thus  there  are  three  work 
crews,  each  working  one  week  at  a  time. 
The  rest  of  the  time  the  men  work  trying  to 
plant  their  farms  or  other  work  to  help 
recover  from  their  loss. 

Following  a  day  of  work,  Jim  Carlson 
wrote,  "I  almost  killed  myself  doing 
someone  a  favor.  A  guy  running 
wheelbarrows  full  of  sand  up  the  hill 
looked  like  he  was  about  to  collapse,  so  1 
told  him  I  would  give  him  a  break.  There 
were  only  about  six  wheelbarrowsful  left  to 
fill  in  the  spot  where  we  were  working.  B\ 
the  time  1  got  the  si.x  wheelbarrows  up 
there  I  was  ready  to  collapse.  He  had  been 


doing  this  all  morning  and  it  was  late  after- 
noon when  1  gave  him  a  break.  1  thought 
to  myself  that  he  must  really  be  in  need  of 
a  home  to  put  himself  in  such  a  spot.  I 
know  they  work  hard  all  the  time,  but  with 
his  small  frame  and  all.  I  just  don't  see  how 
he  made  it.  He  was  certainly  glad  when  1 
gave  him  a  break." 

We  were  able  to  integrate  the  work  crews 
and  work  with  our  new  friends.  Most  of 
the  students  could  speak  and  understand 
Spanish;  thus  communication  and  un- 
derstanding was  not  a  barrier.  Digging, 
mixing,  and  pouring  cement,  carpentry 
work  including  making  cement  forms,  win- 
dow and  door  frames,  as  well  as  roofing 
the  houses,  were  all  a  part  of  the  work.  All 
the  students  worked  on  the  construction 
site  and  shared  with  the  kitchen  duties. 

During  the  second  week  Jim  Peters,  the 
construction  supervisor,  asked  the  girls  of 
our  group  to  spend  some  time  with  the 
women  of  San  Jose  in  their  daily  activities 
in  order  to  find  out  some  of  the  needs  of 
the  women  in  the  new  community.  Follow- 
ing a  day  working  in  the  \illage,  a  student 
wrote,  "When  enough  tortillas  had  been 
attempted,  we  were  invited  to  help  wash 
clothes.  We  trooped  down  to  the  stream, 
shed  shoes  and  socks,  gingerly  stepped  into 


Upper  left:  John  Liv- 
ingstone and  Honduran 
friends  make  window 
frames  for  new  houses. 

Upper  right:  Students 
help  make  cement  slabs 
to  be  lifted  and  fitted  to 
make  house  walls. 

Right:  Jim  Carlson  (at 
left)  bids  farewell  to 
Honduran  friend  Junior 
Villegas  at  the  airport. 


the  cool  water  and  began  learning  how  to 
position  a  big  rock,  soap  down  the  clothes 
and  scrub  them  against  themselves  on  the 
rock.  Soap — scrub — rinse — scrub  — 
rinse — wring  out.  It  was  fun,  a  bit  tiring, 
but  it  helped  our  hostess  get  her  daily  laun- 
dry done  faster. 

"The  whole  process  of  washing  clothes 
reminded  me  so  much  of  the  footwashing 
part  of  a  Brethren  communion  service.  We 
got  rid  of  shoes  and  socks  and  did 
something  together  with  others  who  had 
become  sisters.  The  most  touching  part  was 
when  we'd  finished  and  had  to  put  our  feet 
back  inside  their  leather  confines  (1  love  to 
go  barefoot,  but  it's  not  wise  to  do  so 
here).  Our  hostess  helped  us  to  rocks  to  sit 
down  and  poured  water  over  our  feet  to  get 
rid  of  the  sand  before  our  socks  went  on. 
The  woman  Jean  was  with  even  insisted 
that  Jean  use  her  sweater  with  which  to  dry 
her  feet.  How  humbling!  We  were  being 
served  even  as  we  were  trying  to  serve." 

Three  weeks  of  living  and  working  with 
new  friends  caused  each  of  us  to  reevaluate 
our  life-style  and  our  personal  religious 
beliefs.  We  had  met  Hondurans  who  had 
experienced  death  of  loved  ones  and  loss  of 
all  their  personal  belongings;  yet  they  could 
smile  and  have  hope  for  the  future.  One 
student  expressed  the  feelings  of  us  all 
when  he  wrote,  "In  this  part  of  the  trip  1 
have  mixed  emotions.  I'm  anxious  to  get 
home  to  see  everyone,  but  sad  that 
something  1  anticipated  so  eagerly  is  about 
to  become  a  memory.  This  place  seems 
special  to  me,  perhaps  because  it  has  given 
me  a  chance  to  find  myself  and  has  given 
me  the  opportunity  to  pick  a  path  through 
life.  Now  I  feel  1  have  a  path.  I  have 
learned  that  all  you  need  is  a  friendly 
smile  and  you  can  make  friends  without 
being  able  to  communicate  verbally.  1  will 
return  to  Honduras  some  day  and  revisit 
this  same  site.  The  next  time  I  will 
be  more  openminded."    D 

Manchester  College  students  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  January  experience  were: 
James  Carlson,  Cenlerville,  Ind.,  Susan 
Halt.  North  Liberty.  Ind.,  Beth  Kurtz. 
Spring  Arbor.  Mich.,  Mark  Landrum. 
Huntington.  Ind.,  John  Livingstone.  Blujf- 
ton.  Ind..  Melanie  May,  Timberville.  Va.. 
Dennis  Minix.  Knox.  Ind.,  Donna  Ritchey. 
Mexico.  Ind.,  Stephen  Weaver,  Fort 
Wayne.  Ind..  and  Jean  Woodfill, 
Plymouth.  Ind.  They  were  led  by  R.  Jan 
Thompson,  Manchester's  Assistant  Dean 
of  Students  and  professor  of  psychology. 

June  1975  messenger  11 


What  God  brings  together 


He 


^ello.  This  is  Jim  Monroe*." 

"Reverend  Monroe,  we  have  your  son. 
You  can  pick  him  up  tomorrow." 

That  was  the  phone  call  almost  six  years 
ago  that  has  changed  our  lives  in  many 
ways.  This  was  to  be  our  third  adopted 
child.  We  had  not  anticipated  a  call  so 
soon  but  were  very  happy.  As  we  drove  the 
100  miles  the  next  day  to  pick  him  up  we 
knew  God  had  led  each  step  of  the  way  and 
this  was  the  child  He  had  chosen  for  us. 

This  feeling  was  confirmed  in  an  even 
greater  way  when  we  arrived  at  the 
children's  home.  We  knew  the  authorities 
would  want  to  know  the  name  of  our  new 
son  and  we  had  been  trying  to  decide  as  we 
drove.  By  the  time  we  arrived  we  had 
narrowed  it  down  to  two  sets  of  names. 
One  was  Mark  Lewis. 

"Isn't  he  beautiful?"  my  wife  and  I 
remarked.  "Thank  you,  God.  You've  done 
it  again."  He  was  a  lovely  baby  just  six 
days  of  age. 

"Do  we  have  to  have  a  name  today?" 

"Yes,  we  need  to  know  his  new  name," 
the  social  worker  said. 

"We  haven't  been  able  to  decide  for 
sure." 

"He  stayed  at  our  house  last  night  and 
we've  been  calling  him  Mark.  We  thought 
a  good  middle  name  would  be  Lewis." 

We  could  hardly  believe  it!  The  very 
name  we  had  been  considering!  That 
settled  it.  God  had  led  in  naming  our  new 
son.  We  didn't  know  it  then,  but  during  the 
next  six  years  we  would  see  God's  hand 
many  times  in  leading,  protecting,  and 
keeping  us  together. 

Mark  had  red  hair  that  was  to  get  lighter 
by  the  week.  He  also  had  bright,  shiny  blue 
eyes,  a  little  pug  nose,  and  what  a  smile. 
He  was  in  church  the  first  Sunday  and  has 
been  almost  every  Sunday  since.  We  have 
thanked  God  over  and  over  again  for 
bringing  us  together  as  we  thank  Him  often 
for  each  of  our  four  children.  (We  later 
adopted  a  little  Korean  girl.)  The  storm 
didn't  hit  until  Mark  was  six  months  old. 

I  am  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 

*  I  he  names  in  Ihis  Iruc  accounl  have  been  changed. 


12  MESSENGER  June  1975 


Christ.  On  the  second  Sunday  of  the  new 
year  I  preached,  "God  doesn't  promise  that 
everything  will  always  be  completely  happy 
this  year  but  He  does  promise  strength  for 
every  circumstance  of  life."  I  found  out  the 
next  day  that  sermon  was  meant  for  me 
and  for  our  family. 

It  was  the  very  day  the  adoption  decree 
was  to  be  final.  At  about  1 1:05  1  received  a 
phone  call  at  the  office.  My  wife  was 
hysterical.  She  cried  without  speaking  for 
what  seemed  like  several  minutes.  A 
thought  flashed  into  my  mind — "One  of 
our  children  has  died!"  Finally  through 
sobs  she  was  able  to  speak,  "A  man 
phoned.  He  says  he  knows  all  about  us  and 
that  he's  going  to  take  Mark  away  from 

The  caller  phoned  several  times  that 
first  day.  How  could  anyone  know  who 
we  were?  The  records  on  adoption 
were  confidential. 


.n  time  we  learned  that  the  caller  lived 
out  of  state,  claimed  to  be  wealthy,  and 
had  hired  a  private  investigator  to  find  out 
our  identity  and  to  follow  us.  Then  other 
details  began  to  unfold. 

A  young  girl  had  gone  to  another  state, 
had  gotten  involved  with  this  man,  and  had 
become  pregnant.  But  he  was  already 
married  with  three  children.  He  suggested 
an  abortion. 

She  ran  away  and  hired  an  attorney  to 
get  him  to  give  at  least  five-hundred  dollars 
for  hospital  and  medical  expenses. 
However,  he  insisted  that  he  was  not  the 
father  of  the  child  and  he  refused  to  give 
money  or  to  be  involved.  She  sought  the 
help  of  a  child  welfare  agency  whose 
trained  social  workers  offered  counsel  and 
assistance.  After  the  child  was  born  she 
weighed  whether  to  keep  him  and  try  to 
raise  him  herself  or  to  place  him  for  adop- 
tion. After  three  or  four  days  she  decided 
the  best  course  for  the  child  was  adoption. 

That's  where  we  came  in — to  provide  the 
type  of  home  the  mother  wanted  for  the 
boy.  Now,  six  months  later,  this  man  who 
had  suggested  an  abortion,  who  had  denied 
paternity,  who  would  have  nothing  to  do  in 
planning  for  the  child,  changed  his  mind 
and  decided  he  wanted  the  boy  for  his  own, 
right  then  and  there. 


My  wife  Susan  and  I  feel  many  people 
do  not  understand  adoption.  They  think 
it's  second  best  to  having  a  child  born  into 
your  family.  To  us  it's  not  second  to 
anything.  Our  four  adopted  children  are  as 
much  our  children  as  if  they  were  born  into 
our  family.  God  brought  us  together,  and 
we  love  them  as  full  as  any  parent  could 
love  a  child. 

Our  questions  were  many.  What  kind  of 
man  was  this?  What  would  happen  next? 
How  long  would  a  solution  take?  Where 
would  we  ever  get  money  enough  for  legal 
fees?  Several  things  we  knew:  Mark  was 
our  son.  He  was  happy.  He  loved  us.  We 
loved  him.  We  were  going  to  fight  as  long 
as  necessary.  But  we  had  no  idea  how  long 
that  would  turn  out  to  be.  But  we  have 
thanked  God  many  times  since  then  that  he 
has  given  us  the  strength  to  continue. 

The  first  in  a  series  of  trials  began.  This 
man  apparently  had  influenced  the 
biological  mother  to  try  and  get  the  child 
back.  The  case  came  up  within  a  few 
months.  We  won.  But  this  was  just  the 
beginning.  The  man  soon  filed  a  brief  in 
court  stating  that  his  constitutional  rights 
had  been  denied.  We  then  realized  his 
determination.  But  in  our  discussions  with 
him  he  never  once  mentioned  his  love  for 
the  child.  His  one  emphasis  was  that  he 
was  rich  and  we  were  not,  and  that  his 
money  could  buy  the  child  whatever  he 
wanted.  Our  values  in  life  seemed  com- 
pletely opposite.  Our  emphasis  is  love, 
togetherness,  doing  things  as  a  family, 
serving  God  and  humankind  together, 
allowing  God  to  develop  our  children  to 
their  full  potential.  We  are  a  close  family 
and  we  believe  God  has  brought  us  even 
closer  together  through  the  events  of  the 
past  five  years. 

After  the  first  round  of  phone  calls  we 
received  many  more.  We  obtained  an  un- 
listed number.  Still  the  calls  came,  again 
and  again.  And  with  them  small  details 
about  us — where  we  went  and  what  we 
did.  My  wife  was  the  recipient  of  the  calls 
because  they  came  during  the  day  while  I 
was  out  of  the  home.  If  the  caller  was  try- 
ing to  cause  Susan  to  have  a  mental 
breakdown,  it  was  clear  he  didn't  know 
her.  Sometimes  she  would  listen  and  other 
times  she  would  hang  up.  He  kept  after  her 
time  and  time  again.  She  withstood  the 


strain.  Finally  he  phoned  one  evening,  ap- 
parently having  decided  that  he  couldn't 
get  anywhere  with  my  wife  so  he  would  try 
me.  He  indicated  that  he  or  Mark's 
biological  mother  would  destroy  us  and 
ruin  my  ministry. 

June  1970  was  an  unusually  quiet  month 
with  hardly  any  calls.  It  turned  out  to  be 
the  calm  before  the  storm.  How  God 
warned  us  and  prevented  a  kidnaping  was 
amazing  in  itself.  Had  things  been  as  usual 
that  day  it  could  have  had  a  tragic  ending. 
But  the  day  was  different. 

First,  I  was  home  on  a  weekday,  which 
was  unusual.  Second,  our  doorbell  was 
broken,  and  that  too  was  unusual.  Third, 
Susan  and  the  children  were  away  for  a  lit- 
tle while.  Fourth,  our  landlady  didn't  know 
I  was  home.  All  of  these  circumstances 
joined  in  preventing  disaster. 

I  had  just  come  down  the  stairs  when  the 
landlady  exclaimed,  "Oh,  I  didn't  know 
you  were  up  there!  You  had  a  visitor — a 
nice  looking  young  blond.  She  said  she  was 
from  your  parish."  Our  landlady  had  told 
her  no  one  was  home,  as  she  knew  my  wife 
had  taken  the  children  out  earlier,  and  she 
assumed  I  was  gone  also.  When  the 
landlady  fully  described  the  visitor  I  knew 
one  thing;  no  one  in  my  church  came  close 
to  fitting  the  description. 


A. 


I  thought  about  this  strange  oc- 
currence, I  believe  it  was  God  who  spoke 
to  me  and  told  me  this  visitor  was  the 
biological  mother  of  Mark  and  that  she 
had  come  to  try  to  take  him.  I  had  no 
other  reason  to  believe  this  but  I  just  knew 
it  to  be.  I  phoned  our  attorney  from  the  of- 
fice. The  description  matched.  I  immediate- 
ly phoned  Susan  to  warn  her  of  a  possible 
kidnap  attempt. 

Shortly  after  that,  a  sports  car  drove  by 
and  parked  up  the  street  from  our 
residence.  My  wife,  looking  out  the  win- 
dow, saw  a  young  woman  get  out  and  walk 
up  onto  our  porch.  She  was  holding 
something  in  her  hand.  Had  Susan  not 
been  warned  just  minutes  earlier  she  would 
have  simply  opened  the  door.  Instead  she 
phoned  the  police.  The  woman  was  taken 
into  custody.  One  of  the  policemen  asked 
my  wife,  "Do  you  know  what  she  had  in 
her  hand?  A  can  of  paralyzing  gas."  She 


People    have    asked   us,    "How   can  you   always   be  joyful    especially 
when  you  live  under  the  threat  of  your  son  being  taken  from  you?" 


June  1975  messenger  13 


was  prepared  to  spray  Susan  the  moment 
the  door  was  opened. 

The  woman  was  released  into  the  care  of 
her  sister  with  instructions  to  get 
professional  counseling.  It  was  later  deter- 
mined in  court  that  this  man  had  influ- 
enced the  whole  thing.  The  girl  has  since 
testified  on  our  behalf  and  has  tried  to  get 
her  life  on  an  even  keel.  She  wants  us  to 
keep  Mark. 

The  ne.xt  trial  soon  came  up.  The  man 
claimed  his  rights  had  been  denied.  The 
facts  were  that  at  any  time  before  the  adop- 
tion he  could  have  been  involved  in  plan- 
ning for  the  future  of  Mark;  he  had  been 
begged  by  the  woman  to  become  involved. 
He  could  have  in  fact  adopted  Mark 
himself  but  he  wanted  nothing  to  do  with 
him  or  the  woman.  But  now  he  sought  to 
change  things  and  take  Mark  from  the  only 
home  he  had  known. 


X, 


.he  trial  lasted  eight  or  nine  days  and 
again  we  won.  Our  challenger  appealed  to 
the  state  supreme  court.  From  there  the 
case  was  referred  back  to  the  county  court 
to  decide  what  is  best  for  the  child,  ask- 
ing that  it  be  taken  into  consideration  that 
the  boy  has  been  in  our  home  all  this 
time. 

The  court  has  had  us  see  a  psychologist, 
two  psychiatrists,  and  a  social  worker, 
and  the  report  of  each  is  that  Mark  should 
stay  with  us.  The  psychiatrist  who  saw 
our  whole  family  stated  that  Mark  is  a 
normal,  healthy  boy  in  a  good  family  situa- 
tion. Still  this  man  will  not  accept  these 
conclusions  and  is  determined  to  take  this 
boy  regardless  of  the  harm  it  might  do 
him. 

Mark  is  very  happy  enjoying  his  first 
year  of  school.  The  case  continues  in  the 
courts.  We  pray  often  for  this  man  that 
God  will  work  in  his  life.  We  invite  your 
prayers  for  us  and  your  support  of  our  ef- 
forts to  resolve  the  case. 

Expenses  for  legal  counsel  have  been 
heavy— over  $50,000,  going  far  beyond  our 
own  resources.  Friends  and  members  of  the 
church  have  responded  with  $32,000  and 
for  this  we  are  deeply  grateful.  Here  again 
we  see  this  as  the  moving  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  in  our  lives  and  in  the  lives  of  those 
who  have  shared  our  concerns.  Even 
though  we  are  still  heavily  in  debt  because 
of  the  court  costs,  we  are  strengthened  and 
sustained  by  the  knowledge  that  there  are 
many  around  us  who  care. 

14  MESSENGER  June  1975 


God  has  seen  us  this  far  and  our  convic- 
tion is  that  he  is  going  to  see  us  completely 
through.  I  glimpsed  in  part  the  power  that 
is  his  in  something  that  happened  last 
summer.  We  had  been  traveling  in  an  area 
of  tremendous  drought.  The  crops  were 
burning  up;  the  ground  was  parched  and 
cracked.  God  spoke  to  me  about  praying 
for  rain.  1  sat  down  outdoors  and  prayed 
and  prayed  and  prayed.  I  told  two  people 
who  came  along  that  it  was  going  to  rain.  I 
think  they  were  doubters.  My  wife  thought 
I  looked  kind  of  silly.  Here  I  was  sitting 
beside  a  road  looking  at  the  sky  and  pray- 
ing. I  prayed  something  like  this,  "God, 
you  sent  rain  when  Elijah  prayed.  I  know 
you  are  going  to  send  it  here.  And  Father, 
let  this  rain  be  a  further  sign  of  your  con- 
tinued blessing  upon  the  ministry  you've 
given  us  and  upon  this  court  situation  with 
our  son,  Mark.  When  the  rain  comes  I'll 
know  anew  this  is  your  sign  that  you  will 
continue  to  give  us  victory  and  assurance." 

I  went  to  bed  that  night  with  confidence. 
As  we  awoke  the  next  morning  we  heard 
the  most  beautiful,  steady  downpour  of 
rain  we'd  ever  heard.  And  it  rained  almost 
every  day  for  a  week.  God  had  done  it 
again — praise  his  name! 

In  Phil.  4:19  we  read,  "But  my  God  shall 
supply  all  your  need  according  to  his  riches 
in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus."  We  know  he  does 
this  through  people  and  in  answer  to 
prayer.  Phil.  4:13  says,  "I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  who  strengthens  me."  It  is 
Jesus  Christ  who  has  given  us  the  strength. 
God  promises,  "And  the  peace  of  God, 
which  passes  all  understanding,  shall  keep 
your  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ 
Jesus"  (Phil.  4:7),  In  many  circumstances 
we  have  experienced  that  peace  and 
assurance  down  through  the  years. 

People  have  asked  us,  "How  can  you 
always  be  joyful,  especially  when  you  live 
under  the  threat  of  your  son  being  taken 
from  you?"  The  answer  is  that  we  know 
Jesus  Christ  as  our  Savior  and  Lord.  We 
love  Him.  Our  life  is  rich  and  full  and 
meaningful  because  of  Him. 

To  others  who  are  discouraged  or  who 
are  faced  with  crisis,  we  urge  "casting  all 
your  care  upon  Him  for  He  cares  for  you" 
(I  Pet.  5:7).  It's  wonderful  to  know  you're 
a  child  of  God.  When  our  faith  is  in 
Almighty  God,  then  who  can  harm  us,  who 
can  defeat  us?  No  one.  When  we  accept 
Jesus  Christ  through  faith  our  lives  take  on 
a  new  dimension  of  peace,  joy,  fulfillment, 
and  happiness.  Praise  God!    D 


Covenantap 


thf 


J.n  1971,  the  two  of  us  were  attending  all 
conference  on  divorce  counseling  in 
Washington,  D.C.  In  one  afternoon  ses- 
sion, a  panel  of  marriage  counselors  who 
had  been  divorced  and  remarried  were  dis 
cussing  the  effect  of  this  fact  on  the 
marriage  counseling  they  were  doing. 
Toward  the  end  of  the  afternoon,  Byron  i 
turned  to  a  very  prominent  marriage 
counselor  sitting  next  to  him  and  said, 
"You  know,  after  hearing  this  panel,  I  hav 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  Ruth  and  1 
have  been  divorced  and  remarried  a 
number  of  times  in  our  35  years."  He 
smiled  because,  being  divorced  and 
remarried  himself  and  having  worked  wit) 
married  couples,  he  recognized  that  this 
can  happen  dynamically  without  actually 
breaking  up  the  marriage.  And  then  Ruth 
added,  "And,  besides,  it's  a  lot  cheaper  thJ 
way."  This  brought  a  hearty  laugh  on  the 
counselor's  part.  We  both  realized  that  th 
high  cost  of  divorce  is  actually  a  poor 
motivation  for  keeping  a  marriage 
together.  Couples  need  more  going  for 


lamage 
nd 
rowth  idea 


by  Ruth 

and 

Byron  Royer 

Change  and 

ongoingness 

are  not 

conflicting  terms; 

they  belong 

together 

them  than  the  desire  to  save  money. 

The  important  part  of  this  insight  has  to 
do  with  the  clear  recognition  that  Ruth  and 
Byron  are  not  the  same  persons  as  the  hap- 
py young  bride  and  groom  who  drove 
away  from  the  Teeter  homeplace  in 
southern  Indiana  that  bright  May  day  in 
1936.  During  the  39  years,  when  either  one 
of  us  reached  out  toward  some  change, 
(mostly  growing  change,  we  hope)  there 
were  elements  of  divorce  and  remarriage, 
alienation  and  reconciliation,  separation 
and  unity,  whether  or  not  we  were  aware  of 
this  at  the  time.  The  saving  factor  in  some 
of  these  instances  was  the  fact  that  we  did 
not  consider  the  question  of  whether  our 
covenant  was  to  continue.  That  was  a 
matter  we  have  been  able  to  consider 
settled  without  having  to  feel  that  we  were 
legalistically  bound  by  what  society  laid  on 
us — or  by  what  the  church  laid  on  us.  We 
were  the  primary  benefactors  of  that 
"settledness." 

We  have  worked  hard  in  recent  years  on 
the  nature  of  change  in  persons  within  the 


permanence  or  "settledness"  of  marriage. 
Our  faith  statement  is  that  change  and 
"ongoingness"  are  not  conflicting  terms; 
they  belong  together.  In  our  search,  we 
have  come  to  believe  that  one  of  the  ways 
of  accomplishing  this  inevitable  change 
within  marriage  centers  in  the  idea  of 
working  at  "mini-contracts"  negotiated  by 
couples  within  the  more  total  or  global 
idea  of  marriage  "covenant." 

Before  introducing  a  brief  biblical  view 
of  Covenant — which  we  affirm  as  our  faith 
statement — we  would  like  to  assert  what 
we  think  Covenant  is  not!  Marvin  Sussman 
of  Case  Western  is  making  a  very  in- 
teresting study  of  all  the  marriage  contracts 
he  can  find,  from  one-page  handwritten 
agreements  to  25  or  more  pages,  single- 
spaced  on  legal-sized  paper  prepared  by  an 
attorney.  Most  of  these  contracts  provide 
for  a  semi-annual  or  annual  review  of  the 
contract.  To  be  sure  that  you  understand 
us  fully,  we  want  to  distinguish  clearly 
between  the  marriage  contract  studied  by 
Sussman  and  the  biblical  idea  of  Covenant 


manifest  in  a  marriage  relationship. 
Covenamal  marriage.  We  are  indebted  to 
David  Young  for  updating  our  own 
seminary  education  with  an  independent 
study  of  the  Bible  and  Covenant  done  dur- 
ing his  senior  year  at  Bethany. 

There  are  at  least  three  rather  important 
types  of  covenant  distinguished  in  the  Old 
Testament.  In  the  Noachic  Covenant  (that 
is,  the  covenant  with  Noah),  God  promises 
something  to  persons  no  matter  what  they 
do.  The  Deuteronomic  Covenant,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  to  be  fulfilled  only  if  the  per- 
son is  loyal  to  God;  it  is  conditional.  The 
covenant  at  Sinai,  in  contrast  to  the  other 
two,  is  one  of  mutuality  and  the  parties 
participate  as  partners.  God  and  human 
persons  are  called  to  be  faithful  to  each 
other. 

The  responsibility  of  the  partners  differs 
in  each  of  the  three  covenants.  God  is 
responsible  in  the  Noachic  Covenant.  The 
person  is  responsible  in  the  Deuteronomic 
Covenant.  In  the  covenant  established  at 
Sinai,  God  and  the  person,  and  the  person 

June  1975  messenger  15 


and  others  are  responsible  to  one  another. 
Although  God  is  the  initiator  of  this  cove- 
nant, it  is  a  relationship  of  sharing  and 
mutual  responsibility. 

This  last  type  of  covenant — the  covenant 
of  mutuality — is  transformed  in  the  Christ 
Event.  Jesus  Christ  becomes  the  New 
Covenanter.  Without  taking  the  time  to 
develop  the  progress  of  David  Young's 
thought — and  of  those  writers  he  studied  — 
we  want  to  make  the  important  point  here 
that  this  covenant  of  mutuality,  which  is 
not — and  cannot  be — broken,  is  the  model 
for  the  marriage  covenant.  David  Young 
writes: 

"The  (marriage)  covenant  is  set  up  to  be 
a  contract  for  life,  a  contract  to  be  sus- 
tained no  matter  what  comes  along. 
Partners  are  to  be  faithful  over  the  long 
haul.  The  covenant  expresses  a  love  that 
will  bear  through  it  all.  In  the  Christian 
view  of  marriage,  we  can  speak  of  God  as 
being  a  part  of  the  relationship  in  that  his 
power  sanctions  the  marriage  and  makes  it 
a  holy  (set  apart)  relationship.  It  now 
becomes  a  bond  of  permanence." 


T« 


-his  is  the  statement — a  biblical 
statement — of  our  faith  position  on 
marriage.  As  we  talk  about  this  with 
others,  we  find  that,  in  this  day  of  cynicism 
about  marriage,  there  are  couples  who  hold 
fast  to  this  faith  position.  It  is  within  this 
idea  of  marriage  as  covenant  that  we  write 
about  the  nature  of  change — knowing  that 
the  covenant  will  not  be  broken  and  know- 
ing just  as  surely  that  persons  will  change. 
(When  we  assert  that  the  covenant  "will 
not"  or  "cannot"  be  broken,  the  image  is 
not  one  of  lifelong,  legalistic  imprisonment 
in  a  relationship.  It  is,  rather,  one  of 
mutual  commitment  to  growth  in 
relationship  even  in  conflict  situations — 
without  any  serious  thought  of  a  break  in 
the  covenant.  In  conflict,  the  first  thought 
is  how  to  move  into  deeper  relationship 
and  not  how  to  move  out  of  the 
relationship.)  For  couples  (I)  who  know 
their  covenant  is  lasting,  (2)  who  are  will- 
ing to  trust  each  other,  and  (3)  who  possess 
a  sense  of  humor  (willingness  to  laugh  at 
themselves),  the  idea  of  the  mini-contract 
within  covenant  may  be  the  answer  to 
change  within  permanence. 

Harry  and  Ann  are  about  40  years  of  age 
and  in  many  ways  a  typical  suburban  cou- 
ple. However,  contrary  to  the  pattern  often 

16  MESSENGER  June  1975 


found  in  suburbia,  Harry  and  Ann  report  a 
"covenantal  marriage"  and  describe  a 
mutual  fulfillment  within  which  they  are 
both  committed  to  their  marriage  as 
"lasting."  Even  so,  there  are  areas  of  dis- 
satisfaction on  both  their  parts,  two  areas 
of  which  we  will  consider  briefly. 


T. 


.he  first  area  centered  in  a  lack  of  shar- 
ing with  each  other  about  the  kind  of  day 
they  had  experienced.  Ann  complained 
that  Harry  came  home  and  completely  shut 
out  his  job,  the  problems  he  had  faced,  and 
his  feelings  about  it  all.  She  insisted  that 
she  did  not  want  to  be  the  kind  of  wife  that 
interfered  in  his  business,  but  she  felt  that 
there  was  some  "in-between"  way  for 
Harry  to  communicate — just  a  little  bit — a 
part  of  what  was  happening  in  his  day. 
Harry  responded  by  reminding  Ann  that, 
when  he  came  home,  she  was  usually 
already  at  work  preparing  dinner  for  the 
family.  When  he  would  come  into  the 
kitchen  to  kiss  her  and  perhaps  to  hold  her 
a  moment,  she  would  push  him  away  and 
accuse  him  of  bothering  her  when  she  was 
busy.  Some  of  these  feelings  came  out  in 
the  process  of  preparing  a  "mini-contract" 
for  one  week. 

This  would  be  a  good  time  to  interrupt 
the  story  long  enough  to  describe  a  mini- 
contract.  As  we  use  the  term,  within 
marriage  as  a  covenant,  the  mini-contract 
is  an  agreement  between  two  persons  in 
which  each  will  accept  a  manageable 
responsibility  for  meeting  the  other's  ex- 
pressed need  for  one  week.  In  the  case  of 
Harry  and  Ann,  they  were  working  with  a 
marriage  counselor,  but  mini-contracts  can 
easily  and  effectively  be  agreed  upon 
without  a  third  person  present — if  the 
sense  of  humor  is  functioning! 

After  some  exploration  of  their  problem, 
both  Harry  and  Ann  realized  that  they 
both  wanted  to  be  "included  in"  the  other's 
day.  They  negotiated  with  each  other  about 
how  they  might  settle  on  a  very  small  part 
of  their  lives  as  a  working  area.  They 
agreed  on  a  simple  ritual  as  their  mini- 
contract  for  the  week.  When  Harry  came  in 
the  door,  Ann  would  sit  down  with  him  for 
the  ten  minutes  she  reserved  specifically  for 
this  purpose.  Harry  agreed  to  share  the 
high  points  of  his  business  day  and  Ann 
would  give  her  full  attention  during  this 
time.  After  a  week  of  living  with  this 
agreement — which  might  seem  very  in- 


significant to  many  people — Harry  and 
Ann  were  radiant  about  this  bit  of  growth. 
The  following  week  included  the  same 
general  contract  except  that  they  agreed  to 
look  for  and  share  something  humorous 
from  their  day.  After  two  or  three  weeks, 
Harry  and  Ann  felt  they  had  grown  enough 
to  form  a  contract  that  seemed  more  than 
just  a  w;>;;-contract  in  that  it  covered  a 
very  important  and  intimate  area  of  their 
sexual  relationship.  Because  of  their 
successful  experience  with  less  personal 
areas,  they  gradually  formed  a  new, 
changed  sexual  pattern  in  which  they  af- 
firmed each  other  as  persons  at  a  level 
beyond  anything  they  could  have  earlier 
imagined.  This  is  what  we  mean  by  the 
"growth  idea"  of  marriage  in  the  title  of 
this  article. 

We  believe  that  couples  who  have  very 
satisfying  and  mutually  affirming 
marriages  can  always  find  new  paths 
toward  growth  and  marriage  enrichment. 
Our  call,  then,  is  to  the  couples  who  have 
growing  and  viable  marriages  to  come  out 
into  the  open  and  affirm  this.  We  invite 
you  to  become  members  of  a  new  national 
organization,  ACME  (Association  of 
Couples  for  Marriage  Enrichment),  found- 
ed in  1973  by  David  and  Vera  Mace.  Infor- 
mation and  applications  can  be  obtained 
by  writing  Mary  Cline  and  Ralph  Detrick, 
if  this  appeals  to  you  as  a  way  of  joining 
forces  with  others  who  believe  in  marriage. 
Feel  free,  also,  to  contact  any  person 
whose  name  is  hsted  below,  and  who,  with 
the  others  on  the  list  as  an  ad  hoc  group, 
asked  us  to  prepare  this  article. 

Marriage  calls  for  permanence,  trust,  a 
sense  of  humor,  and  the  inevitability  of 
change  within  the  covenant.  D 

Couples  you  may  contact:  Mary  Cline 
and  Ralph  Detrick,  Consultants  for  Life 
Cycle  Ministries,  1451  Dundee  Avenue, 
Elgin,  III.  60120;  Helen  and  T.  Quentin 
Evans,  Route  4,  1007  Hillsamer,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.  46962;  Ruth  and  Gerry 
Epp,  851  West  Downer,  Aurora.  III.  60506; 
Carolyn  and  Ron  Cassidente,  611  North 
Van  Buren,  Batavia,  III.  60510;  Kathy  and 
Clyde  Weaver,  3968  Ridgewood  Lane, 
Elgin,  III.  60120;  Mary  Elizabeth  and 
David  Wieand,  18  West  711  13th  Street, 
Lombard,  III.  60148;  Phyllis  and  Don 
Miller,  18  West  659  22nd  Street,  Lombard. 
III.  60148;  and  Ruth  and  Byron  Royer,  18 
West  741  22nd  Street,  Lombard,  III.  60148. 


Life  as  a  trusteeship 


by  H.  Spenser  Minnich 

as  told  to  Kermon  Thomason 


We  have  come  to  be 

great  possessors 

and  we  do  not 

own  a  bit  of 

it.  But  we  are 

mighty  responsible 

as  the  trustees  of 

those  riches. 


M. 


Luch  of  my  41  years  in  the  Elgin  of- 
fices, and  later  with  La  Verne  College,  has 
been  spent  asking  people  for  their  money.  I 
have  had  to  practice  myself  what  I  asked 
others  to  do.  As  the  years  passed — espe- 
cially as  Eva  Belle  and  I  have  grown  older 
and  seen  our  peers  depart  this  sphere  and 
leave  their  possessions  behind— the  idea  of 
all  life  as  a  trusteeship  has  grown  upon  us. 

Life's  blessing  does  not  consist  of  owning 
great  wealth,  for  you  can't  keep  it,  or  stay 
with  it,  or  take  it  with  you,  or  come  back 
for  it.  Life's  blessing  lies  in  the  good 
management  of  your  possessions  here  on 


earth.  God  grants  us  trustees  the  freedom 
to  do  with  our  possessions  as  we  wish.  This 
creates  a  tremendous  responsibility  for  us, 
but  also  gives  a  great  satisfaction. 

Our  story  begins  back  in  1918.  J.  H.  B. 
Williams  was  secretary  of  the  mission 
board  in  Elgin  and  needed  a  boy  to  come 
in  and  help  him.  I  hoped  he  might  select 
me,  and  he  did,  although  he  was  sort  of 
slow  about  it.  Eva  and  I  went  to  Elgin  in 
September,  1918,  and  1  went  to  work  for 
$1000  a  year.  We  stayed  in  Elgin  until  my 
retirement  in  1959. 

1  had  many  jobs  when  I  began  working 


for  Brother  Williams,  but  I  had  no  port- 
folio. I  didn't  even  know  how  to  sign 
myself — what  title  to  use.  I  wasn't  manag- 
ing anything.  They  set  me  to  work  writing 
out  receipts  for  contributions.  A  pen  was 
given  to  me  that  didn't  work  very  well.  1 
had  to  keep  dousing  it  to  make  the  ink 
flow.  We  had  no  carpets  in  the  old 
publishing  house  and  pretty  soon  I  had  the 
worn  pine  floors  splattered  with  ink.  One 
day  Brother  Williams  came  by  my  desk 
and  said,  "It  takes  a  great  man  to  so  paint 
the  floors."  I  got  the  message! 

Brother  Williams  went  off  on  his  fateful 

June  1975  messenger  17 


trip  in  1920  to  tour  the  mission  fields  (he 
contracted  typhoid  fever  and  died  in  Mom- 
basa, Kenya)  and  I  worked  under  Brother 
Charles  D.  Bonsack  — 1  edited  the  Mis- 
sionary Visitor  until  it  merged  with  the 
Gospel  Messenger  in  1931.  Through  the 
years  I  did  get  some  titles  so  that  1  could 
sign  myself.  The  assumption  was  that  this 
little  Brethren  church,  a  lonely  200,000 
members,  couldn't  have  all  the  secretaries 
like  the  Methodists  and  Lutherans  could 
have,  so  I  tried  to  cover  the  waterfront. 
There  were  many  duties  without  titles.  But 
then  our  staff  commenced  to  increase  and  I 
was  relieved  of  some  of  my  duties  and 
gravitated  into  this  matter  of  annuities,  be- 
quests, and  wills. 

When  1  first  became  involved  in  the 
matter  of  financial  promotion  1  assumed 
that  tithing  was  the  solution  to  any 
stewardship  problem.  But  soon  I  was  con- 
fronted by  the  fact  that  tithing  was  not  the 
solution.  1  found  that  many  tithers — even 
strict  tithers — still  went  on  doing  things 
that  a  Christian  shouldn't  do. 


An  fact,  when  the  depression  came  on 
there  was  one  family  in  the  east  that  had 
been  faithfully  tithing  and  supporting  a 
missionary,  and  their  business  had 
prospered.  When  the  depression  hit  and 
their  business  was  no  longer  prospering 
they  were  discomforted,  and  they  wrote  me 
a  letter  with  a  leading  question:  "You  do 
believe,  don't  you.  Brother  Minnich,  that  if 
we  are  faithful  in  our  tithing  that  the  Lord 
will  prosper  us?"  And  I  had  to  write  back 
to  them,  "Yes,  I  do  believe  the  Lord  will 
prosper  you,  but  I'm  not  sure  that  he  will 
prosper  your  business  so  that  you  will  keep 
on  making  money  like  you  did  before  the 
depression." 

So  through  the  years  I  have  come  to 
have  this  feeling  that  life  is  a  trusteeship.  I 
use  that  word  synonymously  with 
stewardship.  I  am  a  trustee.  What  was  I 
born  with?  Nothing.  I  didn't  have  any 
clothes,  not  a  stitch.  Everything  had  to  be 
given  to  me,  even  my  diapers.  My  breath 
was  given  to  me.  My  life.  My  ability  to 
laugh  and  cry.  And  ever  since  then 
everything  that  I  have  had  has  been  given 
to  me.  And  I  am  now  81  years  old  and 
when  I  leave  this  earthly  operation  I  leave 
it  all  here  . . .  whatever  I  possess. 

But  I  have  come  to  be  a  great  possessor. 
I  have  been  a  steward  entrusted  with  great 
opportunities,  personal,  financial,  in  many 
ways.  I've  just  come  this  morning  from  a 

18  MESSENGER  June  1975 


"/  have  kepi  a 
record  in  these  tittle 
black  books  of  our 
tithing  and  giving 
every  year  up  to  the 
present  lime.  And  / 
list  my  assets  on 
each  January  I.  I 
like  to  know  Just 
how  I  am  standing. " 


breakfast  of  the  Council  of  Churches  here 
in  La  Verne;  1  am  on  their  financial  ad- 
visors committee.  I've  been  secretary  of  the 
University  Club  of  Claremont.  1  have  this 
beloved  mate  of  mine.  We've  lived  together 
these  58  years  and  I  just  want  to  keep  her 
another  58.  You  can  see  just  how  rich  I  am. 
And  1  don't  own  a  bit  of  it.  But  I'm  mighty 
responsible  as  a  trustee. 

All  people  are  trustees  of  what  they  pos- 
sess. The  usual  way  of  saying  that  "you  can't 
take  it  with  you"  is  a  way  of  saying  that  you 
must  leave  it  to  someone.  During  the  Elgin 
years  I  was,  for  a  while,  secretary  of  the  Pen- 
sion Board,  but  my  work  turned  toward  call- 
ing on  people  and  getting  out  literature  in  the 
field  of  bequests  and  wills.  I  recognized  this 
great  privilege  in  America  that  you  can  write 
on  a  piece  of  paper  the  disposition  you  want 
of  what  you  can't  take  with  you,  and  the  law 
will  fulfill  your  wishes. 


A„ 


Lnd  then  1  came  to  learn  about  this 
wonderful  Gift  Annuity  Plan,  by  which, 
under  our  government,  you  can  make  a  gift 
to  the  church  while  you  are  still  living  and 
the  church  board  will  pay  you  a  life  in- 
come. You  take  the  risk  of  your  spouse 
taking  good  care  of  you  and  keeping  you 
alive  a  long  time  and  they  pay  you.  The 
government  will  give  you  an  income  tax 
deduction  on  a  portion  of  that  gift  and  also 
an  exemption  on  a  substantial  part  of  the 
annual  life  income.  Approximately  75  per- 
cent of  your  income  from  annuities  will  be 
tax  free.  This  encouragement  from  the 
government  is  given  on  the  assumption 
that  private  insitutions  like  the  church  can 
do  good — maybe  more  good  with  a  given 
amount  of  money  than  the  government  can 
with  tax  money. 

This  puts  a  great  responsibility  on  the 
church.  If  the  government  gives  us  a  tax 
deduction  for  gifts  to  the  church,  the 
church  had  better  be  busy  using  it  at  least 


as  well  as,  or  better  than,  the  government, 
in  fulfilling  the  many  needs.    I  have  been 
gratified  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
with  its  broad  concepts  of  the  wholeness  of 
life.  1  dealt  with  many  people  years  ago 
who  wanted  to  make  sure  that  their  gift 
money  was  going  to  "save  souls,"  and  I  en- 
couraged them  . . .  and  still  do.  But  I  have 
come  to  see  that  life  has  a  wholeness,  and  it 
has  an  existence  here  and  beyond,  by 
which  we  have  great  faith  and  hope.  But  it 
is  very  important  what  we  do  here  and  see 
the  church  minister  to  human  needs.  I  re- 
joice that  we  Brethren  have  a  Disaster 
Fund  so  that  when  troubles  come  we  are 
ready  to  reach  out  a  helping  hand. 

But  it  doesn't  matter  how  much  you 
possess  and  what  you  do  with  it  if  you  do 
not  show  love.  We  had  that  lesson  brought 
home  to  us  in  India.  In  1949  Eva  and  1 
went  to  India  to  serve  our  mission  there  for 
a  15-month  interim  period.  I  was  secretary- 
treasurer  of  the  mission  and  she  ran  the 
mission  hostel.  That  was  a  very  rich  period 
in  our  lives,  and  we  learned  to  love  the  In- 
dians. In  fact  they  asked  us,  "Do  you  like 
Indians?"  and  we  were  not  surprised 
because  we  ask  foreigners  here  in  the  US  if 
they  like  Americans.  But  after  awhile  it 
dawned  on  us  that  they  were  actually  ask- 
ing us  whether  we  loved  Indians.  And  Eva 
and  I  discussed  it,  and  we  said  to  each 
other  that  we  had  better  love  the  Indians  or 
we  had  no  business  over  there  on  the  mis- 
sion field.  So  as  I  walked  the  streets  of 
Bombay  I  would  say,  "I'm  coming  to  an  in- 
tersection; I'm  rounding  the  corner  here 
and  I'll  meet  a  man.  I  don't  know  who  he 
is;  he  may  be  a  scalawag,  but  he's  a  human 
being  and  1  love  him." 


A„ 


Lnd  even  though  I  had  long  known  the 
scriptures  on  that,  it  was  burned  into  me 
more  indelibly:  my  business  in  life  the  rest 
of  my  days  was  to  love  people.  That  is 


a  steward  entrusted  with  great  opportunities 


paramount.  With  all  these  possessions  with 
which  I  am  so  richly  endowed,  I  must  be  a 
good  steward  and  try  to  show  love  and 
compassion.  And  there  are  so  many  oppor- 
tunities! 

Years  ago,  when  I  was  first  in  Elgin, 
there  was  a  layman's  movement  that 
emphasized  tithing.  And  they  issued  little 
books  to  keep  records.  1  have  kept  a  record 
in  these  little  black  books  of  our  tithing 
and  giving  every  year  up  to  the  present 
time.  And  I  formed  a  habit  of  listing  my 
assets  annually,  on  January  1.  I  like  to 
know  how  1  am  standing.  When  I  start  off 
this  inventory  of  what  we  possess  (and 
please  note  that  1  say  possess,  not  own)  1 
must  start  with  my  relationship  to  my 
heavenly  father.  Next  in  relationship  1  list 
my  wonderful  wife,  Eva,  and  then  a  listing 
of  our  two  sons,  their  wives,  and  the  five 
grandchildren,  even  down  to  the  seven 
great-grandchildren.  Then  after  listing  that 
wealth,  those  riches,  I  can  commence  to  list 
the  mundane  things  with  which  we  feel  we 
must  operate  . . .  with  a  sense  of 
trusteeship.  And  then,  God  having  been 
kind  to  us,  I  can  list  our  good  heahh.  We 
have  been  in  the  hospital  a  number  of 
times,  but  we  have  come  out,  and  here  we 
are  octogenarians,  happy  in  the  Lord  and 
in  this  sense  of  trusteeship  of  all  we  have. 

Of  course  we  have  our  own  wills,  but 
times  change  and  so  we  have  had  several 
revisions.  The  nature  of  our  assets  have 
changed  through  the  years,  the  ages  of  our 
children  have  changed,  the  needs  of  the 
world  have  changed,  and,  yes,  our  attitudes 
have  changed.  So  we  have  to  keep  our  will 
up  to  date. 

In  the  little  black  book  I  list  the  sharing 
of  material  goods  with  our  posterity.  And 
that  raises  the  question  of  what  is  God's 
work.  Is  it  giving  money  to  the  boards  to 
take  care  of  somebody  else's  children?  Or  is 
it  God's  work  for  us  to  take  care  of  our 
children?  Or  is  it  a  matter  of  proportion? 

Someone  asked  a  certain  woman,  "Have 
you  made  your  will?" 

"Yes,  I've  made  my  will  and  I 
remembered  my  children." 

"How  many  children  do  you  have?" 

"I  just  have  two." 

"Oh,  I  thought  you  had  more  children 
than  two.  I  thought  the  whole  world  of 
children  was  related  to  you.  Aren't  you  do- 
ing anything  for  anybody  except  the  two 
children  to  whom  you  gave  birth?" 

"Well,  I  hadn't  thought  of  it  just  that 


way,"  was  the  woman's  reply. 

And  so  this  little  black  book  tells  the 
story  of  our  annual  gifts,  and  seeing  this 
great  opportunity,  we  plan  what  we  call  the 
"life  income  arrangement."  Gift  annuities. 
We  started  in  a  good  many  years  ago  and 
made  some  gifts  to  the  General  Board  on 
the  annuity  plan.  I  wanted  to  do  it  so  that 
when  1  went  out  and  asked  people  for  gifts 
1  could  say  that  1  had  done  the  same  thing 
myself.  1  didn't  want  to  ask  people  to  do 
something  that  I  had  not  done.  And  so  we 
continued  with  the  Board  and  because  we 
had  been  fortunate  in  receiving  some  in- 
heritance, the  records  at  Elgin  will  show 
some  substantial  gifts  from  us  through  the 
annuity  plan.  And  we  give  to  La  Verne 
College  and  we  have  been  making  an  an- 
nual gift  to  our  old  alma  mater, 
Manchester.  These  have  never  been  big 


"When  we  depart  this  sphere  we  will  be 
leaving  it  all  here,"  the  Minnichs  declare. 

gifts,  but  last  May  Manchester  honored  us 
with  an  alumni  award,  so  we  thought  we 
had  better  remember  them  with  a  little  an- 
nuity gift,  which  we  have  now  done. 

Being  a  trustee  is  not  an  easy  job.  If  you 
are  an  operator  in  a  trust  company,  that 
isn't  easy.  And  what  of  the  decisions  in  be- 
ing a  Christian  trustee!  The  problem  in 
working  in  stewardship  is  getting  it  down 
to  the  individual.  You  take  a  person,  a 
Brethren  member  of  considerable  wealth — 
how  do  you  approach  him?  For  some  it 
was  easy  and  for  some  I  found  it  difficult. 


I  remember  going  to  see  one  man  and  he 
was  mum,  not  inclined  to  talk.  Finally  1 
said  to  him,  "1  don't  want  to  be  troubling 
you  if  you  aren't  interested."  And  he 
bristled  up  and  said,  "Minnich,  I  am 
interested,  but  we  can't  talk  here."  So  we 
arranged  to  meet  at  a  hotel  room  in  a  cer- 
tain city.  I  was  in  a  borrowed  car  that  I 
had  to  return,  but  I  knew  my  railroads 
pretty  well.  That  night  I  rode  on  the  train 
to  a  junction  point  and  slept  in  the  station 
there  for  a  few  hours  until  the  next  train 
came  along.  And  1  got  to  this  town  where 
he  had  driven  with  his  truck  and  met  him 
the  next  morning.  We  discussed  his  situa- 
tion, and  I  said  to  the  man,  "This  is  of  so 
much  importance,  would  you  like  to  pray?" 
And  we  knelt  at  the  bedside  and  prayed. 

This  man  had  three  farms  and  I  asked 
him  what  he  wanted  to  do  with  them.  He 
said,  "Well,  1  want  to  give  one  of  these 
farms  to  my  son,  and  another  one  to  my 
wife,  and  1  want  to  give  the  other  one 
to  the  mission  cause."  And  so  finally  I 
said,  "Maybe  you  would  like  to  do  it  in 
your  lifetime,"  and  I  explained  how  this 
could  be  done.  He  said,  "All  right,  I'll 
do  that." 

Now  this  was  a  man  who  was  socially 
different,  undeveloped  in  a  way.  But  he 
had  a  good  heart  and  a  generous  one;  he 
was  a  man  converted  to  missions. 

1  remember  when  he  was  making  his 
will,  and  we  drove  to  the  state  capital, 
where  he  had  a  Brethren  attorney  and  there 
that  day  he  made  his  will.  Later  I  drove 
him  back  to  where  his  cattle  truck  was 
parked.  It  was  late  in  the  evening,  late  for 
him  because  he  was  used  to  going  to  bed 
early.  We  had  had  good  conversations 
along  the  way  and  when  we  got  to  where 
his  truck  was,  he  was  in  a  hurry  to  go  on 
home.  But  he  said,  "Here,"  and  he  took  out 
of  his  pocket  a  blank  check.  It  was  all 
crumpled  up.  And  he  said,  "Here,  I  want  to 
give  a  check  for  missions."  So  I  wrote  it 
out  for  him.  I  was  trembling.  It  was  cold.  I 
was  excited.  1  said,  "You  haven't  told  me 
for  how  much  to  write  it."  "Make  it 
$25,000,"  he  said.  So  he  signed  it. 

I  wanted  to  thank  him  then,  but  he 
said,  "Don't  have  time!  Don't  have  time! 
My  wife  won't  know  where  I  am.  Good- 
bye!" Here  I  was  standing  there  alone  in 
the  cold  with  that  $25,000  check  from  a 
man  who  believed  in  missions — a  man 
who  recognized  his  responsibility  to 
God  as  a  trustee.  D 

June  1975  messenger  19 


cfcalion  awaib 


All  creation  awaits! 

The  theme  is  a  call  to  commitment  and  discipleship. 

As  the  Scripture  says,  all  creation  is  on  tiptoe, 

Anticipating  the  full  power  of  God's  children  in  the  world. 

Scientist-theologian  Teilhard  says  the  processes  of  creation 

Move  inexorably  toward  a  goal,  an  apex,  an  Omega  point. 
Creation  moves  on  to  accomplish  its  purpose. 
It  never  stands  still. 
It  calls  out  to  us 

To  rise  to  new  occasions. 

To  re-order  our  lives  around  new  patterns, 

To  build  new  worlds. 

We  are  called  to  be  co-creators. 

For  we  are  offspring  of  the  Creator. 

And  creation  is  still  waiting. 

Waiting  for  the  children  of  God  to  come  into  their  own. 

Creation  is  calling  out  with  new  poignancy,  new  urgency. 

In  our  time  maybe  it  calls  louder  and  clearer  than  in  Paul's  time: 

Glimpse  anew  the  meaning  of  your  life  on  earth. 

Commit  your  life  to  the  purposes  of  God. 

See  the  fragility  of  the  earth  and  its  resources. 

Deepen  your  reverence  for  all  of  life  in  the  universe. 

Find  a  commitment  equal  to  1st  century  disciples. 

But  respond  to  the  calls  of  the  Spirit  in  Century  20. 
All  creation  awaits! 


h^  sons  of  Qod  coming  inb  their  own  (Romans  SJQ-Phillipsi 


20  MESSENGER  June  1975 


IhG  whol^  cfGdion  is  on  tipb^  b  s^^  th^  wond^fful  sight  of 


The  village's  spirit 

of  self-reliance  led 

Mao  Tse-tung  to  challenge 

China  to  "learn  from  Tachai 


Standard  Bearer  in  Chinas 
Agriculture 


Tachai  builds  on  self-reliance 


by  Howard  E.  Sollenberger 


JTor  almost  40  years  (1909-1948)  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  maintained  a  mis- 
sion in  China,  whose  center  of  operation 
was  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Taihang 
mountains  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
Shansi  Province,  some  250  miles  southwest 
of  Peking.  This  was  a  poor  mountainous 
region.  Much  of  the  cultivated  land  was 
terraced  on  the  loess-covered  hillsides. 
Loess,  frequently  found  in  the  arid  areas  of 
north  and  northwest  China,  is  a  fine  dust 
that  is  picked  up  by  the  prevailing 
northwest  winds  that  sweep  across  the 
Gobi  and  Ordos  deserts.  It  has  been 
deposited,  sometimes  to  a  depth  of  several 
feet,  particularly  on  the  western  slopes  of 
mountain  ranges. 

During  a  severe  famine  in  the  early  1920s 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  Mission,  in 

22  MESSENGER  June  1975 


cooperation  with  the  International  Red 
Cross,  built  a  motor  road  from  the  railway 
town  of  Yang-chuan  to  Liao-chow  (now 
called  Tso-chuan),  a  distance  of  ap- 
proximately 80  miles.  Extensive  relief  work 
was  conducted  by  the  mission  during 
famine  periods  and  again  during  the 
Japan-China  war.  The  people  were  ac- 
customed to  hardship  and  had  developed 
an  almost  fatalistic  attitude.  Poverty,  ex- 
ploitation, and  disaster  they  accepted  as  a 
way  of  life. 

This  area  where  the  Brethren  attempted 
to  serve  the  Chinese  people  is  hardly  the 
place  where  today  one  would  expect  to  find 
the  most  famous  agricultural  village  in  the 
People's  Republic  of  China.  Yet  the  village 
of  Tachai  in  Hsiyang  County  (formerly 
Leping  Hsien),  Shansi  Province,  some  25 


miles  south  of  Yang-chuan,  just  off  the 
motor  road,  is  known  all  over  China. 

In  1964  Chairman  Mao  instructed  all 
China,  "In  agriculture  learn  from  Tachai." 
(In  English,  the  pronunciation  of  the  name 
Tachai  would  be  better  represented  as  Da- 
jai.) 

During  the  past  ten  years  thousands  of 
Chinese  visitors  have  made  the  pilgrimage 
to  learn  from  and  to  emulate  the  "spirit  of 
Tachai."  It  is  frequently  included  in  tours 
arranged  for  foreign  visitors,  particularly 
those  from  the  developing  countries.  Today 
there  is  even  a  set  of  commemorative 
postage  stamps  honoring  its  spirit  and 
achievement.  The  story  of  Tachai  is  told  in 
illustrated  children's  books,  textbooks, 
posters,  ballads,  and  songs — even  in 
foreign  language  texts  and  publications. 


It  is  a  village  of  83  households  with  a 
population  of  430  people.  Its  vital  statistics 
show  150  full-time  workers,  170  beasts  of 
burden,  215  pigs,  and  over  400  sheep.  Now 
referred  to  as  a  "productive  brigade,"  the 
village  collectively  farms  800  mu  of  land 
(approximately  135  acres). 

Tachai  is  nestled  in  a  ravine  at  the  foot 
of  Tiger  Mountain  Ridge  near  a  rock- 
strewn,  dry  riverbed.  Except  for  the  brick 
homes  of  a  few  principal  landholders,  who 
owned  two-thirds  of  the  farmland,  the  old 
Tachai  was  a  collection  of  adobe  huts  and 
cave  dwellings  dug  in  the  sides  of  the  loess 
cliffs.  The  terraces  on  the  surrounding  hills 
were  irregular  and  in  disrepair.  Since  there 
were  few  draft  animals,  most  of  the  farm- 
ing was  done  by  hand.  There  were  no 
schools,  no  medical  services,  and  no  com- 
munication with  the  outside  world  except 
for  orders  and  tax  assessments  delivered 
from  Leping,  the  county  seat.  Even  among 
its  neighboring  villages,  Tachai  was  con- 
sidered among  the  poorest. 

Today,  not  only  the  village  but  also  the 
landscape  has  changed  dramatically.  Long, 
low,  brick  buildings  and  stone-lined  caves 
have  replaced  the  adobe  huts  and  loess 
cave  dwellings.  Electricity  now  lights  the 
homes  and  village  buildings  and  powers 
irrigation  pumps  and  small  processing 
machines.  Every  household  has  tap  water. 

Aerial  cableways  have  largely  replaced 
shoulder  poles  and  donkeys  as  a  means  of 
;  hauling  stone  and  manure  up  the  hillsides 
1  to  the  terraces.  Water  storage  ponds  dot 
the  hillside  and  wherever  crops  cannot 
grow  trees  have  been  planted. 

The  village  has  a  primary  school  and  a 
I  small  medical  clinic  with  one  full-fledged 
doctor  and  eleven  nurses  and  "barefoot 
doctors"  (paramedics).  While  the  work  is 
still  mostly  done  by  human  labor  and 
animals,  you  can  see  a  small  bulldozer 
owned  by  the  brigade  leveling  a  loess  hill 
or  a  two-wheeled  walking  tractor  plowing 
the  fields.  There  are  new  storage  facilities 
for  grain  reserves,  and  even  a  bank  that 
holds  the  earnings  of  the  brigade  and 
savings  deposits  of  the  individual 
households. 

How  did  the  transformation  take  place? 
When  peace  came  to  this  area  after  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  People's  Republic  of 
China  in  1949,  the  peasants  were  given  an 
opportunity  to  work  for  themselves.  They 
were  no  longer  exploited  as  tenant 


sharecroppers.  In  1953  they  established  an 
agricultural  cooperative  and  began  to  work 
together  toward  the  common  goal  of 
developing  their  community. 

With  a  new  enthusiasm  the  able-bodied 
people  of  the  village  began  to  build  stone 
embankments  for  the  terraced  hills  and  to 
experiment  with  new  techniques  for 
irrigating,  fertilizing,  and  cultivating  their 
fields.  On  the  side,  they  started  small 
forestry  and  animal  husbandry  projects, 
and  planted  orchards. 

In  1958  during  the  period  of  the  "Great 
Leap  Forward,"  which  involved  people  all 
over  China  in  efforts  to  increase  local  in- 
dustrial production,  Tachai  joined  21 
neighboring  villages  in  forming  a  People's 
Commune  and  began  a  communal  system 
of  production.  But  the  "Great  Leap 
Forward"  campaign  tended  to  disrupt 
agricultural  production  and  was  generally 
considered  a  failure.  Production  was 
further  reduced  by  a  severe  drought  in  the 
early  1960s.  On  top  of  this,  Tachai  was  hit 
by  another  disaster. 

In  August  of  1963  torrential  rains  sent  a 
wall  of  water  down  the  mountain  ravines 
and  the  normally  dry  riverbed.  Carefully 
built  terraces  were  washed  away  and  all  but 
a  few  homes  and  buildings  were  destroyed 
or  damaged.  Disaster  relief  in  the  form  of 
money,  food,  and  materials  was  offered  by 
the  government  but  turned  down  by  the 
people  of  Tachai,  not  once,  but  three  times. 

They  expressed  their  determination  to 
stand  on  their  own  feet  and  to  overcome 
the  disaster  by  even  harder  work.  It  was 
this  spirit  of  self-reliance  that  attracted 
attention  in  Peking  and  led  Chairman  Mao 
to  issue  his  challenge  to  the  whole  of  China 


Tachai  is  located  on  the 

western  slopes  of  the  Tai- 

hang  Mountains  in 

southern  Shansi  Province, 

where  Brethren  worked. 


to  "learn  from  Tachai."  Thus  Tachai  has 
become  a  national  model. 

With  the  eyes  of  the  nation  on  this  little 
village  it  has  struggled  to  maintain  its  im- 
age. Not  only  have  the  villagers  been 
honored  by  visitors — sometimes  number- 
ing several  thousand  a  day — but  they  have 
also  been  the  object  of  jealousy.  On  one  oc- 
casion some  of  the  neighboring  villagers, 
who  thought  that  they  were  being 
humiliated  by  comparison  with  Tachai's 
performance,  charged  that  production 
figures  had  been  falsified  and  that  Tachai 
had  secretly  received  outside  help.  Stones 
were  even  put  in  the  road  leading  to  the 
village  to  disrupt  transportation. 

In  spite  of  this  the  people  of  Tachai  have 
persisted  in  their  drive  toward  self- 
sufficiency  and  development  and  have  even 
extended  help  to  their  neighbors  in  the 
commune  that  now  bears  the  same  name. 

Again  in  the  early  1970s  Tachai  was 
faced  with  another  prolonged  drought,  and 
again  they  insisted  on  facing  the  burden 
themselves.  By  the  year  1974,  which  was  a 
good  year,  production  reached  ten  times 
what  it  had  been  in  1948. 

"The  spirit  of  Tachai  comes,"  the 
brigade  members  say,  "from  following  the 
socialist  road  and  Mao  Tse-tung  Thought 
and  by  opposing  the  revisionist  line  of 
Liu  Shao-chi"  (deposed  State  Chairman 
of  The  People's  Republic  of  China).  What- 
ever the  motivation,  it  is  impressive  to  see 
what  can  be  accomplished  by  dedicated 
men  and  women  who  are  determined 
to  help  themselves.  D 

June  1975  messenger  23 


Shansi 
Province 

A  pioneer  rememh 


Ta. 


_achai  village  lies  in  Shansi  Province, 
where  Frank  and  Anna  Crumpacker  ini- 
tiated Brethren  missionary  work  in  May, 
1910.  For  forty  years  Brethren  traveled  the 
land  and  knew  the  industrious  people  of 
Shansi.  These  same  people  helped  to  make 
Tachai  the  model  commune  of  present-day 
China.  One  missionary  who  knew  the  area 
round  Tachai  and  its  people  was  Velma 
Ober,  who  worked  in  Shansi  Province,  off 
and  on,  from  1936  to  1950. 

Messenger  asked  the  veteran  missionary 
to  share  her  recollections  of  the  scenes  of 
her  early  China  career.  She  selected  the 
photographs  shown  on  these  pages,  as 
representative  of  the  land  and  the  people 
the  Brethren  knew  and  loved.  D 


rein 


elma  Ober  began  her  missionary  career 
in  China  in  1936.  Assigned  to  the  Liao 
Hsien  Mission  School  for  Girls,  she  had 
her  work  disrupted  several  times  by  the 
Japanese  invasion.  From  1941  to  1946 
Velma  worked  and  studied  in  the  United 
Slates,  waiting  for  the  war  to  end  so  that 
she  could  return  to  China.  From  1946  to 
1950  she  taught  in  Ping  Ting,  Tai  Yuan, 
Peking,  and  Tzechung,  until  the  new  com- 
munist government  forced  the  Brethren  to 
give  up  their  work  in  China. 

In  1952  the  undaunted  missionary  found 
new  work,  this  time  in  Nigeria,  where  she 
served — most  of  the  time  as  an  educator  at 
Waka  Schools — until  her  retirement  in 
1968.  She  lives  now  near  Elkhart,  Ind., 
where  she  remains  active  in  church  and 
community  activities. 


Opposite,  top  to  bottom:  Cutting  through  loess  on  the  1921  Yang- 
chuan  to  Liao-chow  road.  Fertile  Shansi  farmland,  interspersed 
with  trees.  Cave  homes  dug  in  the  loess  cliffs. 

Center:  Terraced  farms  are  practical  on  Shansi's  sleep  hillsides. 

Above  left:  Missionary  Velma  Ober  goes  trekking  in  Shansi  hills. 

Above:  Chinese  peasant  farmers'  hard  work  brought  results  then  as 
now.  Grass  and  weeds  were  not  found  on  their  farms  or  gardens. 

June  1975  messenger  25 


'At  Bethany  Seminary  I  have  found  something 

to  believe  in — Jesus  Christ.  I  have 

found  something  to  belong  to — the 

church  I  have  found  something 

to  witness  for — God's 

approaching  kingdom." 

A  hopeful  witness 

by  Kenneth  E.  Bomberger 


T. 


,hree  years  ago  a  young  man  graduated 
from  Juniata  College  with  a  lot  of 
questions  and  not  too  many  answers.  He 
graduated  with  an  inferiority  complex;  was 
suspicious  of  everyone;  was  sure  the  world 
was  out  to  get  him.  He  was  a  history  major 
in  school  and  thought  that  possibly  some- 
day he  would  be  a  history  teacher.  He  had 
grown  up  in  a  Church  of  the  Brethren; 
been  baptized  when  he  was  twelve;  was 
president  of  the  CBYF  during  high  school; 
attended  a  Brethren  college;  regularly 
attended  the  Protestant  services  with  his 
bride-to-be  at  Penn  State  University.  But 
the  church  seemed  dead  to  him.  It  seemed 
to  be  going  nowhere.  He  wondered  why  he 
bothered  to  give  it  any  of  his  time  and 
energy. 

This  young  man  wanted  something  to 
believe  in;  something  to  stand  for; 
something  to  give  his  life  to;  something 
that  was  worth  his  efforts.  Not  knowing 
what  to  do  with  his  life,  he  remembered 
two  important  people  who  had  once  sat 
down  with  him  and  said,  "We  care,  we  will 
listen,  we  want  to  help." 

Both  of  these  men,  at  one  time  in  their 
lives,  had  attended  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary.  They  seemed  to  know  what  they 
believed  in  and  what  they  stood  for.  Both 
seemed  to  be  driven  by  an  inner  peace  that 
was  not  present  in  many  of  the  people  this 
young  man  had  known.  They  seemed  to 
stand  for  something  different  from  most  of 
the  world  surrounding  them.  Taking  a  risk, 
he  decided  he  would  go  to  Bethany  and 


find  out  what  goes  on  there.  He  was  hop- 
ing to  find  what  these  men  had  found. 

As  you  may  have  guessed  I  am  referring 
to  myself.  In  my  two  years  as  a  student  at 
Bethany  I  have  been  constantly  challenged 
and  consequently  changed  by  the  presence 
of  the  living  Christ.  I  have  met  him  in 
classroom  sessions,  worship  experiences, 
weekend  trips  to  churches,  colloquium  out- 
ings, and  I  have  met  him  through  and  in 
many  individuals.  At  Bethany  I  have  found 
something  to  believe  in — Jesus  Christ.  I 
have  found  something  to  belong  to — the 
church.  1  have  found  something  to  witness 
for — God's  approaching  kingdom.  I  am 
now  serving  as  an  intern  pastor  at  the 
Williamson  Road  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  Roanoke,  Va. 


A  share  all  this  not  to  boast  about  myself,  j 
but  rather,  taking  Paul's  advice  in  I  Co- 
rinthians 1:31,  to  boast  about  the  Lord  and  I 
to  share  the  way  he  is  at  work  at  our 
seminary  changing  people's  lives  and  in- 
spiring men  and  women  to  new  levels  of 
commitment  to  both  the  church  and  God's 
kingdom. 

I  am  constantly  saddened  by  attacks  on 
our  seminary,  i.e.,  labeling  it  as  apostate  or 
claiming  that  it  does  not  teach  the  Bible. 
Many  of  these  attacks  come  from 
dedicated  brothers  and  sisters  within  our 
own  Brotherhood.  We  do  live  in  a  fallen 
world  and  certainly  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  a  perfect  institution.  There  are  areas  in 


26  MESSENGER  June  1975 


the  life  of  our  seminary  that  need  improve- 
ment, but  let  us  also  be  aware  of  the 
valuable  services  and  ministry  that  our 
seminary  provides  in  the  name  of  our 
Lord,  Jesus  Christ.  I  hope  my  witness  will 
be  one  that  will  help  you  be  able  to  rejoice 
with  me  in  the  way  God  is  using  our 
Seminary  for  the  work  of  his  kingdom. 

What  kind  of  a  Lord  does  one  find  at 
Bethany?  What  kind  of  a  Christ  is  present 
there?  At  Bethany  one  does  not  find  a 
wishy-washy  Christ  who  always  affirms  our 
present  life-styles,  our  present  culture,  and 
our  present  worldly  beliefs.  One  finds  what 
Paul  calls  a  "crucified  Christ."  A  Lord  who 
says,  "If  you  want  to  be  a  follower  you 
must  first  count  the  cost  and  then  take  up 
your  cross  and  follow  me." 

At  Bethany  one  finds  a  New  Testament 
Christ  who  calls  persons  to  simpler  living; 
who  says  the  riches  of  this  world  in  the  end 
will  not  make  you  happy. 

One  finds  a  Christ  who  says  it  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  receive;  blessed  are  the 
peacemakers;  be  not  conformed  to  this 
world  and  its  fallenness  and  evil  and  cor- 
ruption, but  become  the  light  of  the  world, 
the  salt  of  the  earth. 

One  finds  a  Christ  concerned  with  ser- 
vanthood  and  justice  for  all  his  people. 

One  finds  a  Christ  who  says  follow  me 
even  though  it  may  lead  you  to  a  cross.  Be 
obedient  to  my  will.  Be  my  disciple. 

One  finds  a  God  who  loves  all  the  world 
and  no  particular  part  of  it  more  than  the 
other. 

Bethany  Theological  Seminary  is  the 
only  Church  of  the  Brethren  graduate 
school  of  theology.  It  was  founded  in  1905. 
According  to  its  articles  of  incorporation 
its  objective  was  "to  promote  the  spread, 
and  deepen  the  influence,  of  Christianity 
by  the  thorough  training  of  men  and 
women  for  the  various  forms  of  Christian 
service,  in  harmony  with  the  principles  and 
practices  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren." 

Today,  there  are  approximately  80 
students  and  1 1  faculty  members  at 
Bethany.  About  two-thirds  of  the  student 
body  is  Brethren  and  the  entire  faculty  is 
related  to  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Ten 
of  the  faculty  are  members  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  and  one,  by  a  special 
arrangement,  has  membership  with  both 
the  Mennonites  and  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Nine  of  the  eleven  Bethany 
professors  graduated  from  a  Brethren- 
related  college.  Six  of  the  eleven  graduated 
from  Bethany  Theological  Seminary  and  at 
least  two  of  the  eleven  were  in  Brethren 


Volunteer  Service.  Ten  of  the  eleven  also 
served  in  the  pastoral  ministry  before 
becoming  professors  at  Bethany  Seminary. 
The  faculty  has  been  and  is  intricately 
related  to  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Because  of  its  size  there  is  a  closeness 
among  both  the  faculty  and  the  students 
with  people  addressing  each  other  by  their 
first  names.  Bethany  Seminary  in  a  year's 
time  becomes  a  very  close-knit  Christian 
community  for  beginning  students. 

Bethany  offers  three  degrees:  The  Master 
of  Divinity,  which  takes  three  years  to 
complete;  The  Master  of  Theology,  which 
takes  two  years  to  complete;  and  The  Doc- 
tor of  Ministry,  which  is  for  pastors  and 
administrators  who  have  already  had 
parish  experience  and  takes  three  years  to 
complete.  Each  doctoral  candidate  spends 
three  weeks  a  year  at  Bethany  and  spends 
the  other  time  in  study  at  the  local  parish 
level.  Both  district  executives  and  pastors 
are  now  involved  in  the  doctoral  program. 

Bethany  Seminary's  degree  program  re- 
quires that  one  take  an  equally  distributed 
academic  program  between  three  areas: 
Area  A  which  is  biblical  training.  Area  B 
which  is  Christian  theology,  church 
history,  and  Brethren  beliefs  and  doctrine, 
and  Area  C  which  is  counseling,  preaching, 
and  worship. 


Be 


besides  academic  training,  Bethany  re- 
quires field  ministry  training,  which  can  be 
completed  by  an  intern  year,  summer 
pastoral  ministry,  or  part-time  service  at  a 
local  church.  I  served,  for  example,  two 
years  as  a  junior  high  youth  minister  to  80 
junior  highs  at  a  United  Methodist  Church. 
While  there,  1  taught  a  confirmation  class 
and  was  superintendent  of  the  junior  high 
church  school  program. 

There  are  other  ministries  students  are 
involved  in  at  Bethany.  Some  are 
counselors,  some  are  prison  chaplains, 
some  try  street  preaching.  Students  are  in- 
tricately related  to  the  church  and  to  Chris- 
tian ministry.  As  part  of  one's  academic 
training  every  student  must  participate  in  a 
colloquium  group.  This  group  consists  of 
one  faculty  member  and  about  ten 
classmates.  To  this  colloquium  group  you 
turn  in  sermons  you  have  delivered,  papers 
you  have  completed,  administrative 
decisions  you  have  made,  teaching  lessons 
you  have  completed.  Each  person  reads 
your  work  and  evaluates  your  personal 
performance  and  in  Christian  love,  points 
out  to  you  both  your  strengths  and 


weaknesses;  encouraging  you  to  work  at 
correcting  your  weaknesses  and  affirming 
your  strengths.  This  experience  has  helped 
many  in  their  personal  and  Christian 
growth. 

What  is  Bethany  Seminary  doing  for  in- 
dividuals? There  are  two  things  necessary 
tor  being  a  Christian.  First,  a  person  needs 
to  have  a  high  commitment  to  Jesus  Christ 
and  the  biblical  Word.  Second,  one  needs 
to  feel  good  about  oneself.  Both  are 
necessary  to  be  a  mature  Christian.  Both 
are  necessary  in  order  to  minister  to  others. 
Bethany  works  at  training  in  both  areas. 

What  is  Bethany  doing  for  the 
Brotherhood?  A  very  obvious  service  is 
training  persons  for  the  pastoral  ministry. 
Many  of  our  Brethren  leaders  today  have 
come  from  Bethany  Seminary.  Another 
service  is  writing  for  the  Guide  for  Biblical 
Studies  and  Messenger.  Bethany 
professors  spend  considerable  time  in 
speaking  engagements  in  churches  of  our 
Brotherhood.  Last  year  alone  I  went  with 
three  different  Bethany  professors  to 
Church  of  the  Brethren  congregations  in 
four  states.  With  Don  Durnbaugh  I  went 
to  a  district  weekend  youth  rally  in  Ohio  to 
speak  about  Brethren  heritage.  With  Dale 
Brown  I  went  to  the  Ambler  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  Pennsylvania  to  help  that 
church  and  its  deacons  work  on  a  weekend 
meeting  dealing  with  the  meaning  of 
church  membership  and  church  discipline. 
I  went  with  Don  Miller  to  Nebraska  and 
also  to  Indiana  where  we  met  with  the 
churches  in  worship  and  in  work,  meeting 
with  the  executive  committee,  nurture  com- 
mission, church  school  teachers,  and  youth 
groups  to  help  them  provide  more  efficient 
programs  in  their  local  churches.  These  are 
ministries  of  Bethany  about  which  many 
people  are  unaware. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  services  per- 
formed by  the  seminary  is  related  to  1  John 
4:1-2,  "Beloved,  do  not  believe  every  spirit, 
but  test  the  spirits  to  see  whether  they  are 
of  God."  There  are  many  false  spirits  that 
are  not  from  God  and  a  seminary  is 
irreplaceable  for  a  denomination  because  it 
continues  to  test  the  spirits  and  to 
acknowledge  which  are  from  God.  It 
separates  the  false  prophets  and  points  out 
their  fallacies. 

Unfortunately,  there  are  those  in  our 
Brotherhood  today  who  apparently  would 
rather  listen  to  false  prophets  and  follow 
them  rather  than  the  words  and  preaching 
of  brothers  and  sisters  of  our  own  faith  and 
denomination.  I  am  constantly  saddened 

June  1975  messenger  27 


How  God  uses  our  seminary  for  his  work  . 


when  people  put  more  trust  in  a  radio  or  tv 
preacher  or  a  tract  they  happened  to  pick 
up,  than  they  put  in  their  own  brothers  and 
sisters  in  Christ.  A  seminary  such  as 
Bethany  tests  the  spirits;  maintains  the 
Brethren  beliefs,  values,  and  practices,  and 
passes  them  on  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion. I'm  often  dismayed  when  I  go  into  a 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  find  they  are 
trying  to  model  themselves  after  some 
other  denomination.  I  am  even  more  dis- 
mayed when  they  are  doing  it  and  don't 
even  realize  it!  1  think  the  Brethren  offer  a 
valuable  understanding  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. I  think  we  have  much  to  offer  to  this 
troubled  world.  Let  us  stop  apologizing  for 
our  Brethren  faith.  Let  us  stop  modeling 
ourselves  after  other  denominations.  Let  us 
bravely  and  strongly  offer  our  faith  with  its 
uniqueness  to  the  world. 


A  rom  last  year's  Annual  Conference 
everyone  seems  to  have  become  aware  of 
Bethany's  financial  needs.  The  seminary 
does  have  a  financial  problem  but  it  is  not 
something  to  panic  about.  Bethany,  as  of 
this  year,  has  always  been  able  to  cover  the 
cost  of  operating  expenses  until  after  the 
Challenge  Offerings.  The  Challenge 
Offerings  were  only  to  be  a  short  term 
means  of  meeting  our  financial  needs. 
Bethany  was  becoming  embarrassed  when 
year  after  year  it  had  to  go  back  to  the 
churches  with  another  emergency 
Challenge  Offering.  Annual  Conference 
promised  Bethany  it  would  help  to  develop 
a  method  of  long-term  financing  so  that  it 
would  not  have  to  go  year  after  year  with 
emergency  challenge  offerings  wondering  if 
it  would  be  able  to  pay  next  year's  budget. 
The  1974  Conference  made  two  decisions 
regarding  the  seminary. 

First,  it  rejected  a  proposal  that  would 
have  allowed  Bethany  to  lease  a  portion  of 
its  land  to  a  shopping  center  corporation. 
This  leasing  of  the  land  would  have  given 
the  seminary  about  a  million  dollars  which 
could  have  been  invested  and  used  to  es- 
tablish an  endowment  fund.  The  seminary, 
as  it  now  exists,  is  completely  dependent 
upon  the  Brotherhood  both  for  its  students 
and  its  financing.  An  endowment  fund  may 
have  allowed  the  Seminary  to  start  becom- 
ing independent  of  the  Brotherhood.  As  is 
evident  from  many  of  our  Brethren  colleges 
and  retirement  homes,  once  a  Brethren  in- 
stitution becomes  independent  of  the 
Brethren,  it  becomes  less  responsive  to  the 
will  of  the  Brotherhood.  We  now  have  a 

28  MESSENGER  June  1975 


Seminary  with  Brethren  administrators. 
Brethren  faculty.  Brethren  students  and  it 
is  teaching  Brethren  beliefs,  doctrine,  and 
values.  Once  we  force  it  to  go  elsewhere  for 
funding  and  for  students  and  for  faculty  it 
may  soon  lose  its  uniqueness  and  become 
just  like  any  other  seminary  and  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  will  be  virtually 
without  a  graduate  school  of  theology. 

I'm  proud  of  Bethany!  Are  you?  This  is  a 
crucial  time  for  the  Brotherhood.  We  must 
decide  if  we  want  a  seminary  and  if  we 
want  one  we  must  support  it — both  by 
making  it  financially  sound  and  by  en- 
couraging our  youth  to  attend  as  students. 
We  must  begin  calling  our  young  men  and 
women  to  the  ministry  and  encouraging 
them  to  attend  Bethany.  I  agree  with  Hart- 
man  Rice's  statement  at  the  1974  Annual 
Conference.  He  said,  "1  believe  the  Con- 
ference vote  was  the  mind  of  Christ.  Now 
let  us  support  it."  By  the  world's  standards 
this  may  have  seemed  a  foolish  move.  By 
God's  standards  it  may  have  been  the  cor- 
rect move. 

The  second  thing  the  conference  decided 
was  to  set  up  a  separate  Bethany  Seminary 
Fund.  Before,  the  seminary  was  funded  in 
part  from  the  Brotherhood  Fund.  The 
Conference  asked  that  each  congregation 
give  its  Partners  in  Mission  allocation  for 
Bethany  directly  through  the  special 
Bethany  Fund.  Each  church  has  three  years 
to  make  this  transition.  Make  yourself  a 
committee  of  one  and  check  this  year's 
budget  to  see  if  your  church  has  made  the 
transition.  If  each  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  would  just  give  $3  a  year  to 
the  seminary  there  would  be  no  financial 
problem.  If  there  are  300  members  in  your 
church  this  would  mean  $900  a  year  to  be 
budgeted  and  given  to  the  seminary. 


B. 


►ethany  is  not  using  its  funds  foolishly.  1 
know  each  of  our  faculty  members  could 
get  an  increased  salary  at  some  other 
seminary  but  stays  because  of  a  deep  love 
and  loyalty  to  the  Brethren.  The  faculty  is 
cut  back  to  a  minimum  with  Bethany  shar- 
ing academic  curriculum  with  a  neighbor- 
ing seminary — Northern  Baptist.  One  year 
Bethany's  professor  will  teach  an  introduc- 
tory course,  for  example,  "Introduction  to 
the  Old  Testament,"  and  the  next  year 
Northern  Baptist  Seminary  will  offer  the 
course.  The  curriculum  is  combined  so  that 
any  course  at  Northern  Baptist  can  be 
taken  by  Bethany  students  and  any  student 
at  Northern  Baptist  can  take  courses  at 


Bethany  Seminary,  cutting  costs  con- 
siderably. Bethany  and  Northern  Baptist 
have  combined  their  budgeted  money  for 
library  resources  and  are  moving  toward 
combining  their  libraries.  This  keeps  both 
seminaries  from  providing  duplicate  serv- 
ices and  buying  duplicate  books.  Bethany 
cooperates  with  a  total  of  seven  other 
theological  schools.  By  paying  regular  tui- 
tion at  Bethany  one  can  take  courses  at  any 
of  the  eight  theological  schools.  So  if  there 
is  a  course  you  would  like  and  Bethany 
doesn't  offer  it  you  can  handily  enroll  for  it 
at  one  of  the  other  seminaries. 

As  1  visit  different  churches  in  the 
Brotherhood  I  am  often  asked,  "Do  the 
Bethany  professors  teach  that  certain  Bible 
references  are  fantasies  such  as  the  virgin  • 
birth,  Jonah,  and  the  burning  bush?"  My 
answer  to  this  is  that  in  my  two  years  and 
seven  Bible  courses  at  Bethany  I  have  not 
heard  one  Bethany  professor  make  a  state- 
ment that  would  deny  the  authority  of  the 
scriptures,  or  that  the  Bible  was  inspired  by 
God,  or  that  the  Bible  is  divorced  from 
reality.  I  have  not  heard  one  professor  refer 
to  anything  in  the  Bible  as  a  fantasy. 
Bethany  does  teach  biblical  criticism.  It 
does  teach  of  recent  archaeological  finds 
which  shed  light  on  the  biblical  Word.  It 
does  make  reference  to  some  of  today's 
best  scholarly  interpretations  related  to  the 
Bible. 

I'm  glad  it  does.  Biblical  criticism, 
archaeological  digs,  and  biblical  scholar- 
ship have  not  denied  the  authenticity  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  but  have  added  valuable 
new  information  which  has  helped  affirm 
the  authenticity  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

I  am  amazed  when  people  say  that  they 
believe  every  word  in  the  Bible  is  true  and 
is  inspired  by  God  but  yet  are  afraid  of 
biblical  scholarship.  If  one  really  believes 
in  what  one  says,  one  will  not  be  afraid  of 
biblical  scholarship  because  it  will  only 
help  substantiate  faith  and  not  destroy  it. 

I  hope  this  article  has  given  you  a  better 
understanding  of  our  seminary.  If  you  care 
to  know  more,  I  would  suggest  you  invite 
one  of  Bethany's  professors  for  a  weekend 
visit. 

I  hope  now  you  can  join  with  me  in 
celebrating  in  the  wondrous  ways  the  Lord 
is  working  through  our  seminary.  I  hope 
you  will  join  with  me  in  supporting  our 
seminary  financially.  But  even  more  impor- 
tantly, I  hope  you  will  encourage  men 
and  women  to  attend  our  Christian  institu- 
tions and  allow  their  lives  to  be  touched 
by  the  hand  of  God.     D 


Ji.  ff  ^  f. 


w. 


'e  often  reflect  on  the  three  primary 
ingredients  that  make  up  the  Big  Meeting, 
in  these  latter  years  called  our  Annual 
Conference.  There  is  the  struggle  for  deci- 
sion on  matters  of  faith,  polity,  and  mis- 
sion, that  we  call  business.  There  occurs 
the  proclamation  of  the  Word,  that  we 
often  label  as  inspiration.  And  then  there  is 
that  more  intangible,  yet  omnipresent  in- 
gredient, the  reunion  of  our  extended  fami- 
ly or  cultural  clan,  to  which  we  attach  the 
word,  fellowship.  To  this  more  traditional 
trinity,  the  emerging  popularity  of  the  big 
Sunday  school,  the  Insight  Sessions, 
suggests  the  educational  importance  of  the 
annual  gathering.  Long  ago  we  sensed  the 
value  of  conference  debate  as  a  robust  ex- 
perience in  Christian  education.  More 
recently  I  have  added  to  my  list  of 
rationalizations  for  our  yearly  pilgrimage 
the  feeling  that  if  Brethren  are  willing  to 
take  vacations  in  which  they  endure  to  the 
wee  hours  exciting  Christian  education 
ventures,  it  is  probably  foolish  to  attempt 
to  stop  them. 

Much  of  the  above,  however,  constitutes 
the  top  of  the  iceberg,  that  which  is  more 
visible,  the  side  of  Conference  which  is 
often  featured  in  pictorial  and  written  ac- 
counts in  Messenger  and  Agenda.  We  are 
all  aware  of  another  side  that  takes  place 


around  the  edges,  beneath  the  surface.  This 
other  side  is  more  difficult  to  measure  and 
to  objectify.  We  have  tried  to  express  these 
undercurrents  by  the  above  rubric, 
fellowship.  Much  more  than  fellowship  is 
involved,  however.  The  other  side  of  Con- 
ference encompasses  countless  quests  for 
identity,  gifts  of  unity,  exercises  in  dis- 
cipline, and  many  levels  of  personal 
struggles  and  commitments. 


Xt  was  from  my  experiences  at  Roanoke 
last  summer  that  I  have  felt  this  desire  to 
share  reflections  about  the  other  side  of 
Annual  Conference.  Only  two  years  before, 
I  had  struggled  with  the  feeling  of  whether 
1  was  really  "in  it"  or  basically  "out  of  it" 
as  Conference  moderator.  At  Cincinnati  in 
1972  I  had  known  a  tinge  of  conscience  in 
lavish  dinner  surroundings  with  headline 
speakers,  in  being  whisked  about  by  auto 
to  avoid  the  time-consuming  Brethren 
ritual  of  greeting  sisters  and  brothers,  and 
in  being  preoccupied  with  the  fine  points  of 
parliamentary  maneuvering.  At  times  I 
longed  to  be  where  it  seemed  the  real 
issues,  programs,  and  discussions  were  tak- 
ing place. 

It  was  at  Roanoke  two  years  later  that 
these  wishes  were  to  be  really  fulfilled.  I 


found  myself  foot-loose  and  free  of  all 
responsibilities.  1  had  traveled  with  my 
daughter  to  share  with  over  fifty  others  the 
floors  of  an  empty  house  overlooking  the 
scenic  apple  cider  view  of  the  Murray  farm. 
Because  of  periods  of  fasting,  we  were  even 
free  from  the  customary  negotiations  and 
time  involved  in  the  mechanics  of  eating. 
For  the  entire  week  1  was  free  to  alter 
plans,  to  relax  in  conversations,  to  meet 
new  sisters  and  brothers,  and  to  vary  my 
choices  from  the  smorgasbord  called  Con- 
ference. I  do  not  want  to  put  down  my 
service  as  moderator.  The  planning  of 
program  and  facilitating  of  business  is  very 
important.  And  from  what  I  have  shared 
above,  I  do  not  want  to  infer  that  ad- 
ministrative functions  are  singularly  tainted 
with  evil.  1  merely  wish  to  reflect  on  some 
values  from  the  other  side  of  Conference. 
Identity.  We  have  been  aware  that  our 
pilgrimage  to  Conference  has  often  been  an 
exercise  in  our  own  identity  struggle.  A 
good  brother,  who  was  located  on  the 
"fringes"  for  many  years,  has  shared  with 
me  the  psychological  health  that  he  has 
known  in  the  re-entry  process  involved  in 
the  last  several  annual  "tribal"  gatherings. 
Wholeness  has  been  nurtured  through  this 
strengthening  of  roots.  Many  who  come 
from  small,  struggling  congregations  are 


N 


M 


W 


Q 


"*'  „^*' 


D 


.  v*» 


The  other  side  of  Annual  Conference— fellowship! 


thrilled  to  feel  a  part  of  something  larger 
and  through  this  to  experience  a  stronger 
sense  of  identity  with  the  procession  of 
saints  through  the  centuries  and 
throughout  the  world.  A  Bethany  student 
from  another  tradition  visited  Conference 
and  felt  that  she  gained  a  truer  perspective 
on  the  people  called  Brethren  in  that  week 
than  in  a  couple  of  years  of  classes  at  the 
seminary.  Another  sister  who  felt  lonely  in 
some  of  her  concerns  at  the  local  level 
received  courage  to  be  more  faithful  to  her 
call  through  her  Conference  experience. 
Another,  who  had  never  been  exposed  to 
the  best  from  other  branches  of  the  body  of 
Christ,  received  a  vision  of  membership  in 
the  ecumenical  church  through  visiting 
speakers  and  reports  from  the  World 


Council  of  Churches.  Then  there  was  the 
beautiful  sight  of  a  sister  who  traveled 
from  a  great  distance  to  display  and  con- 
tribute the  work  of  her  hands  as  a  part  of 
the  identity-creating  settings  arranged  by 
recent  Brethren  artists. 

Then  there  is  our  favorite  Brethren 
game:  "Who  do  you  know  that  /  know?" 
One  variation  that  I  recently  encountered  is 
to  see  who  in  the  car  can  name  the  most 
persons  in  the  first  Brethren  groups  seen  in 
driving  into  the  Conference  city.  My  per- 
sonal approach  has  been  to  survey  the  im- 
mediate section  of  the  auditorium  to  deter- 
mine what  percentage  I  can  readily  iden- 
tify. This  usually  results  in  a  warm  sense  of 
belonging  and  a  deep,  secure  sense  of  iden- 
tity. Yet  we  often  fail  to  realize  that  the 
other  side  of  our  warm  feeling  of  accept- 
ance can  be  equally  a  clannish  message  of 
rejection.  More  recently  baptized  members 
with  names  like  Fujimoto  and  Wessolowski 
find  it  more  difficult  to  play  the  game  that 
ends  up  making  us  all  second  cousins. 

In  our  frustration  that  we  cannot  spend 
enough  time  with  those  we  have  not  seen 
for  so  long,  or  cannot  begin  to  have 
rendezvous  with  all  whom  we  wish  to 
see,  we  often  pass  those  who  are 
lonely  in  the  midst  of  the  extended 
family.  Last  summer  I  deviated 
from  my  usual  pattern  by  taking 
more  time  to  seek  out  those 
who  appeared  to  be,  at  least 
temporarily,  isolated.  An 
openness  to  those  who  are  long- 
ing to  become  a  part  of  the 
tribe  should  also  be  an  in- 
tegral part  of  our  identity. 
For  our  deepening  identity  in 
one  family  in  the  great  stream 
of  Christian  history  and  our  ap- 
propriation of  the  biblical  theme  of 
nonconformity  ideally  should 
enhance,  rather  than  detract  from, 
our  love  of  others. 
Unity.  Last  fall  it  was  my  joy  to  be 
the  only  non-Quaker  observer  at  a 
theological  study  conference  constituting 
the  many  varieties  of  Quakerism.  It  is  ob- 
vious that  they  have  known  even  more 
schisms,  factions,  and  polarities  than  have 


One  of  the  great  joys  of  Conference  is 
the  chance  rendezvous  with  an  old  friend, 
but  also  needed  is  an  openness  to  those 
longing  to  become  a  tribal  member  too. 


the  Brethren.  In  reflecting  on  our  relatively 
greater  sense  of  unity  without  any  reason 
to  feel  smug,  my  public  relations  side  im- 
mediately thought  of  the  unifying  role  of 
Bethany  Seminary  through  the  years. 

In  contrast  to  the  great  pluralism  of 
seminaries  experienced  in  Quaker  circles 
before  the  more  recent  emergence  of  the 
Earlham  School  of  Religion,  it  does  seem 
that  a  greater  degree  of  unity  has  been  a 
possible  fruit  of  having  only  one  seminary. 
But  our  one  big  conference,  in  contrast  to 
the  pluralism  of  yearly  meetings  among 
Friends,  has  no  doubt  been  a  more  major 
factor.  1  shall  never  forget  staying  in  an  old 
motel  many  years  ago  in  which  two 
Brethren  who  had  never  met  and  were 
from  opposite  geographical  and  ideological 
sectors  of  the  brotherhood  spent  long 
hours  deeply  involved  in  discussions  con- 
cerning the  state  of  the  church,  many  of 
which  were  far  from  what  was  being 
debated  on  the  floor  of  Conference.  I 
remember  at  another  Conference  how  a 
Bethany  senior  and  an  elder  from  one  of 
the  "plain"  churches  were  both  surprised  to 
discover  how  very  much  they  had  in  com- 
mon. Last  summer  1  was  pleased  when  a 
young  radical  and  a  midwestern  farmer 
found  one  another.  They  discerned  much 
in  common  as  the  youth  did  not  fit  the 
farmer's  previous  stereotypes  and  the 
midwestern  brother  was  far  from  the 
suspected  agribusiness  orientation  of  some 
farm  organizations.  In  leaving,  I  was 
moved  as  1  observed  them  exchanging  ad- 
dresses for  the  purpose  of  keeping  in  touch. 


a 


'uring  Conference,  factions  and 
caucuses  often  gather  separately  but  always 
in  the  context  and  as  a  part  of  the  larger 
body.  Some  of  the  best  discipline  which 
takes  place  in  our  Brotherhood  occurs  as 
the  factions  are  both  seriously  heard  and 
judged.  Conference  at  its  best  avoids  either 
a  self-righteous  possession  of  the  truth  or  a 
laissez  faire  liberalism  that  glorifies 
differences  so  that  we  can  each  think  what 
we  want  to  think.  In  the  spirit  of  Paul's  ad- 
monitions to  the  Corinthians,  factions 
must  "be  among  you  in  order  that  those 
who  are  genuine  among  you  may  be 
recognized"  (1  Cor.  11:19).  Divisions  are 
not  to  be  glorified  in  themselves.  We 
should  not  erect  a  theology  to  idolize  diver- 
sity. Rather,  divisions  are  only  good  if 
they  lead  to  greater  faithfulness,  truth, 
and  unity. 


Annual  Meeting  at  New  Enterprise,   Pa.,  1877.   "I  would  prefer  to  work  at  the  issue  of  Annual  Conference  expense  by  urging  planners 
to  take  more  seriously  some  of  the  calls  for  greater  simplicity.    Why  not,  for  just  one  year,  experiment  with  a  camp-like  setting?" 


Commitments.  We  have  frequently  been 
aware  of  the  first  meetings  of  future 
spouses  and  the  future  destinies  of  pastoral 
families  determined  around  the  edges  of 
the  big  auditorium.  One  year  my  wife  Lois 
and  I  had  a  chance  meeting  with  John 
Eberly  and  ended  up  responding  to  his  call 
to  host  a  German  student  in  our  home  and 
congregation.  We  have  often  wondered 
since  how  many  such  momentous  and  far- 
reaching  personal  decisions  are  made  at 
each  gathering  of  the  largest  Brethren  con- 
gregation. 1  have  been  amazed  how  the 
Conference  setting  provides  an  atmosphere 
in  which  persons  will  immediately  share  in- 
tensely and  intimately  of  their  struggles 
because  they  know  our  time  together  is 
limited.  I  have  had  many  who  have  been 
with  me  almost  daily  at  Bethany  share 
more  deeply  in  a  few  hours  than  they  had 
in  the  previous  three  years  we  had  been 
together.  Pastors  struggle  through  to 
decisions  to  stay  by  their  present  con- 
gregations or  whether  to  leave  or  not  to 
leave  the  ministry.  Personal  vocational  and 
faith  issues  are  dealt  with  in  prayer  and 
love.  At  Roanoke  it  was  a  joy  to  share  with 
small  cells  in  prayer  and  talking  through  to 
a  consensus  concerning  basic  directions  of 
faith  and  life.  Call  it  counseling,  call  it  dis- 
ciplining, call  it  "disciple-ing,"  call  it 
discerning  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  1  believe 
that  such  constitute  many  of  the  most  im- 
portant happenings  of  God's  presence  at 
Conference. 

What  all  of  this  has  to  say  about  our  fre- 
quent debates  over  the  frequency  of  Con- 
jference,  1  am  not  certain.  In  spite  of  the 


great  cost,  the  above  values  do  make  me 
more  conservative  in  reference  to  proposals 
to  eliminate  half  of  the  big  meetings.  The 
persistent  reluctance  of  delegates  to  lessen 
the  frequency  of  the  annual  pilgrimage  may 
be  attributed  to  self-centered  hedonism  and 
in  some  cases  to  the  opportunity  to 
perpetuate  paid  vacations  at  the  expense  of 
the  local  congregations.  On  the  other  hand 
there  may  be  a  conscious  and  unconscious 
affirmation  of  the  nature  of  the  unity,  iden- 
titv.  and  commitment  we  know. 


X  would  prefer  to  work  at  the  issue  of  ex- 
pense by  urging  planners  to  take  more 
seriously  some  of  the  calls  for  greater 
simplicity.  Why  not  for  just  one  year  ex- 
periment in  a  camp-like  setting  with  motels 
and  hotels  within  driving  distance  for  those 
not  in  cabins  or  the  many  varieties  of 
Brethren  camping  paraphernalia?  If 
necessary  a  large  circuslike  tent  could  be 
rented  for  the  big  meeting.  We  might  need 
to  send  some  members  of  the  Central  Com- 
mittee to  visit  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the 
Old  Orders  to  observe  the  facility  in  which 
they  entertain  large  gatherings  on  a 
brother's  farm.  Whatever  the  model,  it 
would  be  good  to  experiment  for  one 
year  with  a  setting  entirely  different  from 
the  large  conference  facility  intimately 
related  to  convention  planners  and  large 
hotels. 

There  is  yet  another  suggestion  that 
might  be  smuggled  in  as  a  result  of  our 
thinking  about  the  values  of  the  other  side 
of  conference.  I  have  sometimes  felt  the 


sense  of  fatigue  and  in  a  few  cases  resent- 
ment on  the  part  of  Brotherhood  staff 
members  following  weeks  of  planning  and 
facilitating  the  running  of  the  meeting  and 
meetings.  Planning  the  details  of  special 
luncheons  and  meetings,  setting  up  special 
exhibits,  staffing  merchandising  and  inter- 
pretation efforts,  and  general  availability 
for  a  myriad  of  service  duties  all  help  make 
Conference  the  experience  that  the  rest  of 
us  enjoy. 

After  serving  sometimes  joyfully  and 
sometimes  reluctantly  for  years,  however, 
some  staff  members  have  longed  for  the 
vacation  and  paradise  of  never  having  to 
attend  another  Conference.  So  why  not 
work  half  of  the  staff  even  harder  in  order 
to  free  the  other  half  to  participate  in  both 
sides  of  Conference  without  major  respon- 
sibilities? Or  even  better,  why  not  publicize 
and  draft  more  volunteer  help  or  purchase 
a  few  more  services?  1  have  felt  that  there 
would  be  a  tremendous  value  for  both  staff 
and  Brotherhood  to  free  blocks  of  time  for 
our  leadership  informally  to  take  the  pulse 
of  the  Brotherhood  and  joyfully  participate 
in  the  above  aspects  of  the  other  side  of 
Conference. 

In  all  of  this  1  do  not  want  to  minimize 
the  central  place  of  what  goes  on  in  Con- 
ference business  sessions  or  the  rich  variety 
of  planned  activities  or  the  great  ex- 
periences of  celebration  when  thousands  of 
us  worship  together.  Such  is  an  indispens- 
able side  of  Conference.  But  I  have  wanted 
to  witness  that  at  Roanoke  it  was  wonder- 
ful to  be  a  part  of  the  salvation  ingredients 
of  the  other  side.  D 

June  1975  messenger  31 


LIFE-STEWARDSHIP 


c 


/oncern  about  lack  of  Christian 
simplicity  in  contemporary  funeral  and 
burial  customs,  denial  of  dignity  for  the  dy- 
ing, and  the  need  for  viable  human  organs 
and  tissues  to  restore  health  in  the  living 
led  the  Panther  Creek  congregation  in 
Northern  Plains  District  to  petition  Annual 
Conference  in  1973  to  study  the  following 
topics: 

—  the  Christian  meaning  of  the  funeral 
— stewardship  in  funeral  costs  and  the 

disposition  of  estates 
— medical  and  pastoral  care  of  the  dying 
— donation  of  human  bodies  for  medical 

research  and  transplanting. 
A  study  committee  elected  by  the  1973 
Annual  Conference  reported  progress  in 
1974  and  requested  additional  time  to 
make  a  final  report,  which  was  granted.  At 
Dayton  this  month  the  committee's  report 

32  MESSENGER  June  1975 


will  be  presented  to  Annual  Conference  for 
consideration  by  the  delegate  body. 

The  study  committee  is  made  up  of:  Iva 
Brunner,  Michigan  City,  Ind.,  nurse;  Wan- 
da Button,  Conrad,  Iowa,  homemaker: 
Larry  C.  Gray  bill,  Pottstown,  Pa.,  pastor, 
(committee  secretary^  Dennis  Gump, 
Dayton,  Ohio,  attorney:  Wilbur  Mc- 
Fadden,  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  medical 
doctor:  Wilbur  Miller,  Somerset.  Pa.,  mor- 
tician: and  Clyde  R.  Shallenberger. 
Baltimore.  Md..  hospital  chaplain,  (com- 
mittee chairperson). 

LIFE-STEWARDSHIP 

The  writer  of  Ecclesiastes  reminds  us  that 
"there  is  a  time  to  be  born  and  a  time  to 
die"  (Eccles.  3:2).  We  anticipate  and 
celebrate  the  time  of  birth  not  only  at  the 
time  but  annually  for  years  to  follow.  But 


the  time  of  dying  is  avoided  by  a  denial 
that  takes  many  forms. 

While  it  is  difficult  for  many  to  accept,  it 
is  a  fact  of  life  that  at  some  time,  at  some 
place,  and  under  some  circumstance,  every 
one  of  us  will  die.  We  intensify  the  difficul- 
ty of  our  dying  by  our  denial  of  it.  If  only 
we  could  take  dying  out  of  the  "dark 
closets"  to  which  we  have  relegated  it  and 
examine  it  in  the  light  of  our  Christian 
faith,  the  topic  need  not  be  the  forbidden 
one  that  it  has  become. 

This  report  to  the  1975  Annual  Con- 
ference focuses  on  six  major  areas:  A 
biblical  view  of  the  body,  historical 
positions  regarding  the  funeral  and  burial, 
the  Christian  funeral,  the  church  as  sup- 
port community.  Christian  stewardship  in 
relation  to  medical  need,  the  funeral  and 
estate  planning,  and  recommendations. 


dying  examined  in  the  light  of  Christian  faith 


Biblical  view  of  the  body.  In  the  Creation 
account  in  Gen.  2  we  find  that  man  is 
completely  dependent  upon  the  grace  of 
God  for  his  personal  existence:  "Then  the 
Lord  God  formed  man  of  dust  from  the 
ground,  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life;  and  man  became  a  living  be- 
ing" (Gen.  2:1).  Apart  from  the  breath,  or 
Spirit,  of  God,  the  human  body  is  merely 
worthless  dust. 

T  hroughout  most  of  the  Old  Testament 
(except,  for  example,  in  Dan.  12:2  and  Is. 
26:19),  there  was  no  belief  in  life  after 
death  for  the  individual  personality, 
although  one  did  in  a  sense  live  on 
through  the  nation  Israel  and  one's  own 
descendants. 

Though  human  flesh  was  created  from 
the  dust  of  the  earth,  it  did  not  have  a 
negative  connotation  in  the  Hebrew  mind. 
Indeed,  even  after  the  person  died  and  God 
had  received  the  person's  breath  back  unto 
Himself,  the  body  was  to  be  treated  with 
care  and  respect.  It  was  a  disgrace  to  not 
be  buried  (2  Kings  9:10;  Prov.  30:17; 
Jer.  16:4,  22:19). 

While  the  Jews  did  not  embalm  (an  ex- 
ception being  Joseph  in  Egypt),  by  the  time 
of  Christ  they  did  wrap  the  body  in  linen 
swaths  and  prepare  it  by  using  spices, 
probably  as  a  form  of  ceremonial  purifica- 
tion (see  John  11:44;  19:39-40). 

In  the  New  Testament,  Paul  describes 
the  body  variously  as  a  frail  "earthen 
vessel"  filled  with  the  "treasure"  of  God  (2 
Cor.  4:7),  as  a  temporary  "tent"  or  "taber- 
nacle" (2  Cor.  5:1-5)  and  as  a  "temple  of 
the  Holy  Spirit"  (I  Cor.  6:19).  Again,  we 
see  that  the  physical  body  is  frail  and 
destined  for  corruption,  but  it  is  not 
evil  in  itself. 

The  New  Testament  differs  from  the 
Old,  however,  in  its  doctrine  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead.  What  determines 
the  nature  of  the  resurrection  body?  There 
was  no  consensus  among  the  Pharisees  as 
to  what  degree  the  body  would  be 
"material"  or  "spiritual."  Some  Jewish 
apocalyptic  writers  taught  that  persons 
would  be  raised  with  their  old  physical 
marks  and  deformities.  Rabbis  who 
stressed  the  material  nature  of  the  resurrec- 
tion body  were  concerned  with  the  problem 
I  of  resurrection  of  suicides  or  executed 


lions  or  drowned  in  water.  When  Jesus 
himself  appeared  after  his  resurrection,  his 
new  body  did  bear  the  marks  of  the  nails  in 
his  hands  and  the  wound  in  his  side  (John 
20:26-28). 

The  weight  of  the  scriptural  evidence, 
however,  disproves  the  fear  that  disfigure- 
ment or  dissection  or  cremation  will  hinder 
the  person  in  his  resurrected  state.  Before 
the  ascension,  the  body  of  the  resurrected 
Jesus  still  bore  the  scars  of  his  crucifixion. 
However,  the  ascended,  glorified  Lord  seen 
by  Saul  on  the  road  to  Damascus  had  a 
different  "body"  described  as  "brilliant 
light"  (Acts  9:3;  22:6).  In  I  Cor.  15,  Paul 
emphasizes  the  radical  difference  in  nature 
between  the  corruptible  physical  body  and 
the  "spiritual"  body  of  the  resurrection  (vv, 
37-41).  As  a  seed  dies  and  dissolves  (vv.  37- 
38),  only  to  rise  with  a  very  different  body 
from  which  it  was  sown,  so  is  the  spiritual 
body  radically  different  from  the  physical 
body.  In  using  the  seed  analogy,  Paul 
emphasizes  God's  sovereignty  and  God's 
grace  in  the  creation  of  the  spiritual  body; 
"God  gives  it  a  body  as  he  has  chosen,  and 
to  each  kind  of  seed  its  own  body  (v.  38). 


X, 


.he  New  Testament  teaches  that  the 
nature  of  the  resurrection  body  depends 
not  upon  the  condition  of  the  corpse  but 
upon  the  relationship  that  one  has  had 
with  the  Risen  Lord  during  one's  lifetime. 
The  individual's  quality  of  faithfulness  to 
Christ  is  reflected  in  the  resurrection  body 
(described  as  a  "garment"  in  Rev.  3:4,  18; 
16:15)  that  God  provides  for  him.  It  is  the 
Holy  Spirit  within  the  believer  who  is  the 
basis  of  the  person's  hope  for  resurrection 
to  eternal  blessedness:  "If  the  Spirit  of  him 
who  raised  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwells  in 
you,  he  who  raised  Christ  Jesus  from  the 
dead  will  give  life  to  your  mortal  bodies 
also  through  his  Spirit  which  dwells  in 
you"  (Rom.  8:11.  See  also  Eph.  1:13-14;  1 
Cor.  5:5,  15:45). 

Another  way  in  which  Paul  describes  the 
intimate  relationship  between  Jesus' 
resurrection  and  the  believer's  resurrection 
is  that  the  believer's  resurrection  actually 
begins  at  baptism,  when  the  person 
becomes  "one  spirit"  with  the  Lord  (I  Cor. 
6:17),  and  "puts  on"  Christ  (GaL  3:27).  The 
Christian,  in  union  with  the  Risen  Lord 


and  the  fellowship  of  believers,  is  undergo- 
ing a  process  of  transformation  (see  Gal. 
4:19;  2  Cor.  3:18;  5:5)  that  will  be  com- 
pleted at  Christ's  Second  Coming,  when 
the  believer  will  receive  an  imperishable, 
glorified  body  (I  Cor.  15:51-54)  and  "be 
like  him  (Christ)"  (I  John  3:2).  It  is  this 
relationship  of  the  believer  with  the  Risen 
Lord  that  assures  the  person  of  fellowship 
with  the  Lord  even  in  the  bodiless  state 
after  death  and  before  the  resurrection 
(Luke  23:43;  Phil.  1:23;  2  Cor.  5:6-8). 

Concerning  the  afterlife  and  the  resurrec- 
tion, the  Christian's  focus  should  not  be  on 
the  state  of  the  physical  body — which  is 
transient  and  corruptible — but  rather  on 
the  Risen  Christ,  who  said,  "I  am  the 
Resurrection  and  the  Life,  he  who  believes 
in  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live,  and 
whoever  lives  and  believes  in  me  shall 
never  die"  (John  1 1:25-26). 

Historical  positions  regarding  the  funeral 
and  burial.  In  American  culture,  public 
viewing  of  the  body  has  become  part  of  the 
assumed  events  in  connection  with  the  final 
ceremonies  given  to  the  dead.  This  is  so 
only  in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  It  is 
not  so  in  any  other  country. 

Brethren  refiect  the  cultural  norm.  In  a 
sampling  made  of  the  delegates  at  the  1974 
Annual  Conference  in  Roanoke,  Va.,  57 
percent  of  them  regarded  funeral  customs 
(i.e.,  means  of  disposition,  public  viewing 
of  the  body,  etc.)  as  generally  satisfying. 
The  public  viewing  that  has  become  the 
customary  procedure  in  our  country  has 
given  rise  to  a  major  industry  surrounding 
the  preparation  of  the  body  for  that  view- 
ing; i.e.,  embalming  and  the  reconstructive 
and  restorative  procedures  used  to  improve 
the  appearance  of  the  body,  so  that  it  will 
be  acceptable  to  view.  Then  it  became 
necessary  to  have  a  place  for  that  viewing, 
and  so  "viewing  rooms"/ "slumber  rooms" 
have  been  provided. 

Embalming  is  another  funeral  custom 
that  is  very  rare  in  every  part  of  the  world 
except  on  the  North  American  continent. 
In  other  cultures  there  appears  to  be  little 
appreciation  for  the  value  of  embalming 
since  it  is  an  expensive  procedure.  Em- 
balming is  usually  done  only  for  those  of 
high  social  or  political  status  or  in  cases 
where  the  body  must  be  shipped.  There  are 

June  1975  messenger  33 


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also  no  other  countries  where  an  effort  is 
made  to  reconstruct  the  features  of  the 
newly  dead  or  to  improve  the  appearance 
of  the  body  by  restorative  procedures. 
And,  as  one  might  expect,  there  is  very  lit- 
tle viewing  of  the  body.  Burial  is  usually 
within  48  hours  after  death  has  occurred. 


X^uneralization  tends  to  be  a  reflection  of 
the  whole  viewpoint,  the  Weltanschauung. 
the  world  outlook,  the  basic  philosophy  of 
the  life  of  the  culture  in  which  it  is  found, 
according  to  Habenstein  and  Lamars.  In 
some  cultures  death  is  considered 
fatalistically.  Because  of  great  poverty  in 
some  parts  of  the  world,  life  is  misery,  and 
death  is  often  greeted  as  a  release  from 
misery.  It  is  almost  something  to  be 
celebrated.  In  America  we  do  not  regard 
death  fatalistically.  We  place  such  an 
emphasis  on  health  and  well-being  and 
confidence  in  modern  medicine  that  we 
tend  to  regard  death  as  human  failure. 
Americans  respond  to  death  with  aversion. 
Perhaps  this  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  it 
seems  so  necessary  to  prepare  the  body  in 
such  a  way  that  it  look  as  lifelike  as  possi- 
ble, to  appear  to  be  only  sleeping. 

In  the  early  history  of  our  church,  the 
care  of  the  dead  was  very  much  a  church 
matter.  When  a  member  of  the  church 
died,  a  simple  coffin  was  constructed,  the 
family  or  a  neighbor  washed  and  laid  out 
the  body  of  the  deceased,  and  the  funeral 
service  was  held  in  the  church  prior  to  the 
burial. 

A  number  of  queries  came  to  Annual 
Conference  in  the  1800s  concerning  the 
conduct  of  Brethren  funerals,  such  as  the 
one  in  1876:  "Is  it  right  for  members  to  get 
those  fine,  costly  and  fashionable  burial 
cases  to  bury  their  dead  in,  and  to  employ 
a  fashionable  hearse  to  convey  them  to  the 
burying  ground?"  The  answer  of  Con- 
ference was;  "We  decide  it  is  not  right  for 
Brethren  to  do  so." 

The  answers  to  all  the  queries  empha- 
sized the  need  for  simplicity  and  plainness 
in  funerals.  One  of  the  aspects  of  our 
modern  funerals  that  seems  to  have  led  us 
away  from  "simplicity  and  plainness"  in 
funerals  and  has  been  influential  in  in- 
creasing the  costs  of  undertakers'  services 
has  been  the  acceptance  of  the  custom  of 
public  viewing  of  the  body. 

This  is  not  to  imply  that  the  viewing 
serves  no  function.  Public  viewing  can 
provide  a  means  for  expressing  sympathy 
to  the  family  of  the  deceased  and  for  work- 


'^ 


ing  through  one's  own  emotions  of  grief 
We  live  in  a  day  when  more  people  die 
away  from  home,  often  in  distant  medic; 
institutions  or  through  sudden,  tragic  cir 
cumstances.  Viewing  the  body  can  make 
those  who  survive  more  aware  of  the  rea 
ty  of  sudden,  accidental,  or  lingering  deatl(5^ 
Seeing  helps  us  to  believe.  The  prepared 
and  restored  body  can  provide  an  image 
for  recalling  the  deceased. 

The  committee  recognizes  that  viewing 
the  body  may  help  those  closest  to  the 
deceased  comprehend  the  reality  and  the 
finality  of  death.  But  a  public  viewing      h 
should  never  be  necessary.  Recall  of  the  h 
deceased  should  focus  on  the  person  rath  a 
than  on  the  lifeless  body.  Perhaps  we        li 
should  accept  the  Jewish  custom  of  haviv « 
the  family  greet  the  people  in  the  home    e 
during  the  five  days  following  the  death    ffl 
a  loved  one. 

It  seems  that  the  custom  of  public  viev 
ing  which  necessitates  embalming  and 
restoration  is  a  major  factor  causing 
funerals  to  become  increasingly  expensiv 
Simple  burial  within  forty-eight  hours      ii 
should  decrease  the  cost  significantly  anc»i 
should  be  considered  good  stewardship.  * 
is  now  possible  to  join  a  memorial  ifl 

society — a  people's  cooperative  organiza-li« 
tion  whose  purpose  is  to  obtain  dignity,  » 
simplicity,  and  economy  in  funeral  « 

arrangements.  A  memorial  society  assists  ii 
its  members  in  selecting  a  funeral  directoi  si 
and  in  getting  the  services  they  want.        N 

I 
The  Christian  funeral.  The  most  ap-  ii 

propriate  place  for  the  funeral  of  a  Chris  |] 
tian  is  in  the  church  where  the  person's  J 
faith  has  been  nourished  and  affirmed.  Tl  ii 
funeral  or  memorial  service  should  be  am  i 
experience  of  worship  that  affirms  our  iro 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ  and  the  eternal  life  I-  a 
gives  us.  While  on  occasion  there  may  btl  :i 
other  factors  to  consider  such  as  a  type  c  li 
architecture  not  suited  to  a  funeral  servic  K 
or  someone  whose  small  circle  of  friendsl  i 
might  feel  lost  in  a  large  sanctuary,  the  « 
house  of  worship  is  still  the  best  location  1 
for  a  service  that  celebrates  life,  recognizi  It 
death,  and  affirms  eternal  life.  The  role  c  il 
a  worshiping  community  at  the  time  of  1 
death  is  to  sustain  and  encourage  those  i 
members  of  the  community  who  feel  mo!  I 
keenly  the  loss  that  death  brings.  il 

The  worship  of  the  gathered  communi'  !| 
is  a  healing  experience.  It  enables  medita 
tion  and  reflection  on  the  ultimate  \t 

questions  of  life.  The  funeral  service  in  tliii 
church  gives  opportunity  for  forms  of  exid) 


jssion  that  are  not  easily  provided 
ewhere.  It  makes  it  possible  to  sing  great 
mns  of  our  faith.  Fine  soloists  may  stir 
tender  feelings  but  the  great  hymns  of 
r  faith  sung  by  the  congregation  tend  to 
ifirm  the  awareness  of  the  supporting 
)up.  In  the  time  of  emotional  crisis  that 
ith  brings,  worship  can  make  a  vital 
itribution  to  the  work  of  normal  grief 
d  healthy  mourning. 

In  making  arrangements  for  the  disposi- 
n  of  one's  body,  alternatives  to  burial 
ght  to  be  seriously  considered.  In  the 
vey  made  at  the  1974  Annual  Con- 
ence,  42  percent  of  the  delegates  in- 
ated  that  they  had  considered  such  alter- 
ives.  Among  those  alternatives  "dona- 
n  of  body"  and  "cremation"  were  the 
;s  most  frequently  checked.  In  such  in- 
nces  an  appropriate  memorial  service 
;ht  to  be  held  with  the  community  of 
:h  of  which  the  deceased  was  a  part. 


he  committee  addressing  this  query 

Js  no  scriptural  reason  to  forbid  crema- 
tifi.  It  will  be  by  God's  sovereignty  and 
tl'  grace  of  Jesus  Christ  that  the  believer 
wl  receive  a  new  resurrection  body.  It  is 
He  that  cremation  is  forbidden  by  the 
J  vish  Mishna  and  was  also  resisted  by  the 
circh  fathers.  Tertullian  and  Origen,  for 
s  imple,  forbade  cremation  on  the 
gunds  that  it  was  cruel  to  the  body. 

Jowever,  neither  the  church  fathers  nor 
tl  later  Catholic  Church  has  ever  taught 
tit  burning  prevents  resurrection.  Up  un- 
tithe  present  century,  the  proponents  of 
c  mation  tended  to  be  anti-clerical, 
iiiostic,  and  disbelieving  in  the  resurrec- 
tii.   Thus,  the  church's  reluctance  con- 
cming  cremation  was  more  a  defense 
a.inst  what  it  interpreted  to  be  attacks  on 
tl  doctrine  of  resurrection  than  the  con- 
v:ion  that  cremation  was  wrong  in  itself. 

Mtcrnatives  to  burial  followed  by  a 
nmorial  service  help  to  de-emphasize  the 
"  idily  remains"  and  place  the  emphasis 
o  the  life  of  the  deceased  and  on  our  hope 
ir  he  things  of  the  spirit.  Two  very  prac- 
tiil  reasons  for  alternatives  to  burial  are: 
( I' land  used  as  burial  ground  for  the 
d  d  may  be  better  used  for  the  living; 
J  I  (2)  vital  organs  are  often  buried  that 
ciild  possibly  be  better  used  to  enhance 
;i  for  the  living. 

T;  church  as  support  community.  Salva- 
tii  is  found  in  the  fellowship  of  the  living 
bly  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  church.  Paul  con- 


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EPISTLES 

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Colin  Morris 


GETTING  STRAIGHT  ABOUT  THE  BIBLE 

The  Creation 
Interpreting  Scripture 
The  Apocfdypse 
Life  on  Other  Planets 

Does   science   contradict  the   Bible? 
Does  Revelation  really  predict 
the  end  of  the  world  in  our  time? 
Did  spacemen  create  mankind?  Dr. 
Horace  Weaver  sorts  out  truth 
from  sensationalism.  He  demon- 
strates that  modern  scientific  discov- 
eries do  not  iveaken  the  biblical 
account  of  creation  and  points  out 
abuses  of  the  Bible  from  the  alle- 
gories of  St.   Augustine  to  popular 
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June  1975  messenger  35 


ceives  of  individual  Ciiristians  as  being 
bound  together  not  merely  in  a  social  unity 
but  in  an  organic  unity:  "For  as  in  one 
body  we  have  many  members,  and  all 
members  do  not  have  the  same  function,  so 
we.  though  many,  are  one  body  in  Christ. 
and  individually  members  one  of  another" 
(Rom.  12:4-5).  He  elaborates  upon  this  in  1 
Cor.  12:4-31.  Because  we  recognize  that  we 
are  vitally  dependent  upon  each  other,  we 
must  suffer  with  and  care  for  one  another. 
"If  one  member  suffers,  all  suffer  together; 
if  one  member  is  honored,  all  rejoice 
together"  (v.  26). 


At  is  the  task  of  the  church  to  be  sup- 
porting, loving,  and  serving  wherever  there 
is  suffering,  pain,  or  need  of  any  kind.  This 
support  needs  to  be  expressed  before  a  per- 
son is  faced  with  the  crisis  of  death  and 
should  include  assisting  members  to  un- 
derstand death  in  the  Christian  perspective. 
As  part  of  a  general  emphasis  on  the  sim- 
ple life,  the  church  should  encourage  and 


support  simplicity  in  the  disposition  of  the 
body. 

Local  congregations  should  appoint  a 
committee  to  assist  those  faced  with  critical 
illness  and  or  death.  Responsibilities  of 
such  a  committee  would  include  assisting 
families  facing  critical  illness,  helping 
families  with  funeral  arrangements,  sup- 
port, meals,  etc.,  upon  request  and  en- 
couraging active  participation  by  the  con- 
gregation in  an  elective  study  course  on 
"Life's  Common  Crisis." 

To  give  support  to  congregations  follow- 
ing this  course  the  Brotherhood  hopes  to 
make  available  educational  materials  and 
encourage  workshops  and  or  courses  that 
could  include  topics  in:  (I)  Psychological 
Stages  of  Dying  and  Grief.  (2)  Community 
Resources  Available.  (3)  Wills  and  Estate 
Planning.  (4)  Christian  Burial,  and  (5) 
Donation  of  Organs  and  Bodies. 

Because  the  denial  of  death  is  so 
prevalent  in  American  culture,  many  find 
dying  difficult  to  discuss.  Likewise,  prepar- 
ing in  advance  for  one's  own  death  or  for 


Coming      Vi    \ 
South?    \J 

The 

churches 

of 

Florida 

and 

Puerto  Rico 

are 

your 

warmest 

friends 


ARCADIA,  N.  Mills  Ave.  at  Hickory  St.,  Arcadia 
33821;     Joseph     S.      Rittenhouse,     pastor. 
CASTANER,   Box  34,  Castaner,  Puerto  Rico 
00631;     Guilliermo     Encarnacion,     pastor. 
CLAY  COUNTY,  P.O.  Box  185,  Middleburg 
32068;  A.  E.  Lanier,  pastor.  FORT  MYERS, 
Pacific   &    San    Bernadine   Sts.,   Palmona 
Park,  North  Fort  Myers  33903;  C.  H.  Petry, 
pastor.   JACKSONVILLE,   4554    Prunty   Ave., 
Jacksonville  32210;  Charles  McGuckin,  pastor. 
LORIDA,  m  Lorida  33857;  Ira  S.  Petre,  pastor. 
MIAMI    COMMUNITY,     10855    S.W.    26th    St., 
Miami  33165;   Rodney  Busard,  pastor.  MIAMI 
FIRST,    18200    N.W.    22nd    Ave.,    Opa    Locka 
33054;  Paul  Henz,  pastor.  MORNING  STAR,  665 
N.E.  40th  St.,  Pompano  Beach  33064;  Sam  W. 
Longenecker,  pastor.  ORLANDO,  3839  S.  Fern- 
creek  Ave  ,   Orlando  32806;  Wilbur  A.  Martin, 
pastor.    ST.    PETERSBURG,    7040    38th    Ave., 
North,  St.  Petersburg  33710;  Edgar  S.  Martin, 
pastor,  SEBRING,  Oak  Ave.  &  Pine  St.,  Sebring 
33870;   John   C.   Middlekauff,   pastor.   TAMPA, 
18th  Ave.  &  48th  St.,  Tampa  33605;  Clarence 
R.   Bowman,  pastor.  WINTER  PARK,  1721  Har- 
mon,  Winter  Park  32789;  Guy  R.   Buch,   pas- 
tor.     DISTRICT      OFFICE,      Box 
296,   St.   Cloud   32769,  tele- 
phone 305  892-6550;  Merle 
Crouse,     district     executive. 


ox 


Church  of  the  Brethren/ District  of  Florida  and  Puerto  Rico 


the  death  of  a  loved  one  is  difficult.  The 
tragic  consequence  is  that  the  individual 
who  is  experiencing  dying  and  wants  to 
talk  about  it  is  often  denied  the  oppor- 
tunity to  do  so.  Dr.  Elisabeth  Kubler- 
Ross.  noted  psychiatrist  and  thanatolo- 
gist,  has  defined  five  stages  through  which 
individuals  might  move  as  death  comes. 
They  are  (1)  Shock  and  denial,  (2)  Anger, 
(3)  Bargaining,  (4)  Depression,  and 
(5)  Acceptance. 


T. 


-hose  closest  to  an  individual  may  find 
that  they  cannot  deal  with  their  feelings 
about  death  and  abandon  the  dying  person 
at  a  time  when  loved  ones  are  needed  most. 
The  dying  person  may  need  our  presence  to 
help  realize  the  truth  that  "even  though  I 
walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death.  I  fear  no  evil,  for  Thou  art  with  me" 
(Ps.  23:4). 

Grief  is  a  natural  reaction  to  loss  and  es- 
pecially to  the  loss  of  another  person.  It  is 
mental  pain  that  we  feel  at  loss;  mourning 
is  the  expression  of  that  pain.  It  is  tragic 
that  many  within  the  Christian  community 
are  made  to  feel  guilty  about  the  normal 
process  of  grief  as  though  grieving  were  an 
indication  of  an  anemic  faith.  St.  Paul  does 
not  discourage  grieving  but  suggests  "... 
that  you  may  not  grieve  as  others  who  have 
no  hope"  (1  Thess.  4:13). 

Christian  stewardship  in  relation  to 
medical  need,  the  funeral,  and  estate  plan- 
ning. From  the  beginning,  those  who  have 
been  "healers"  have  thought  of  death  as  the 
enemy.  But  the  modern  physician,  unlike 
the  counterpart  of  even  one  generation 
ago,  has  the  resources  to  keep  biological 
systems  functioning  even  though  the 
patient  has  become  a  mere  system  of 
organs  and  tissues,  defined  in  terms  of  dis- 
ease and  non-disease,  and  separated  from 
the  spiritual  and  religious  part  of  the  whole 
person.  Death  is  still  the  enemy,  but  it  is  a 
scientific  enemy  found  and  fought  in  in- 
stitutions. Approximately  80  percent  of  all 
deaths  occur  in  hospitals  or  nursing  homes. 
The  result  is  that  the  care  of  the  dying  has 
become  institutionahzed,  made  remote  and 
impersonal.  (The  busy,  professional  at- 
tendants may  be  "doing  something,"  but 
the  needs  of  the  dying  are  often  neglected.) 

Recent  studies  have  shown  that  the 
problem  of  dying  has  become  a  problem  of 
loneliness  on  the  part  of  the  patient,  and 
that  the  patient  may  in  fact  experience 
what  is  feared  most — abandonment.  Con- 


36  MESSENGER  June  1975 


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t. 

ventional  medical  treatment,  aimed  at  the 
disease  process,  is  often  a  method  that  rein- 
forces the  patient's  feelings  of  isolation  and 
the  terror  of  the  unknown.  The  disease 
continues  to  be  treated,  but  the  person  may 
be  neglected,  isolated  from  family,  friends, 
and  community. 


T. 


-he  query  implies  concern  for  "heroic 
medical  measures  that  merely  maintain  life, 
but  deny  the  terminally  ill  the  dignity  of 
dying  in  peace."  This  is  a  problem  in  some 
instances,  though  seldom  intentional.  Ac- 
cording to  a  recent  survey,  the  vast  majori- 
ty of  doctors  recognize  no  special  duty  to 
keep  terminally  ill  patients  alive.  (The  1974 
Annual  Conference  survey  shows  that  55 
percent  of  the  respondents  did  not  feel  that 
"the  doctor  should  keep  you  alive  as  long 
as  possible."  However,  in  large,  research- 
oriented  institutions,  it  is  more  likely  that 
"everything  possible"  will  be  tried,  with  no 
member  of  the  treatment  team  being  will- 
ing to  admit  defeat  or  to  take  responsibility 
for  the  new  phase  of  treatment  of  the  per- 
son. Moreover,  the  patient  is  isolated  from 
home;  thus  cultural  and  community 
strengths  cannot  be  utilized  at  this  very  im- 
portant time.  The  dying  patient  is  reduced 
to  a  set  of  complaints,  symptoms  and 
physical  findings,  and  the  question  is 
seldom  asked:  "Did  the  patient  die 
peacefully,  with  self-esteem,  dignity  and  in 
control  of  his  limited  options?" 

The  patient  often  is  fed,  bathed,  sent  for 
tests.  X-rayed,  intubated,  awakened. 


sedated,  medicated— sometimes  without 
any  active  participation  in  the  decisions. 
The  patient  —  not  the  doctor,  family, 
church,  or  society — has  the  right  to  be  con- 
sidered in  these  decisions,  and  acknowledg- 
ing this  right  contributes  to  the  individual's 
dignity  and  humanity. 

The  problem  of  "heroic  medical 
measures"  at  the  time  of  death  is  not  purely 
a  problem  for  the  physicians,  for  far  too 
many  people  believe  that  something  more 
can  be  done  for  the  fatally  ill  when  in  reali- 
ty nothing  can.  The  ever  widening  expect- 
ancy of  treatments  for  cancer,  heart,  and 
kidney  diseases,  for  example,  makes  the 
acceptance  of  death  more  and  more  dif- 
ficult, not  only  for  the  physician,  who  feels 
some  sense  of  obligation  to  maintain  treat- 
ment until  the  very  end,  but  also  for  the 
families,  who  fear  the  ensuing  guilt  when 
"everything  possible"  isn't  done.  Even 
patients  who  probably  suspect  that  they  are 
dying  may  not  face  the  issue,  but  may  fan- 
tasize potential  breakthroughs  for  their 
particular  disease. 

There  is  justification  for  our  concern 
about  misapplication  of  "heroic  medical 
measures."  A  few  examples  are  truly 
horror  stories  of  continued  suffering,  enor- 
mous expense,  and  the  breakdown  of  the 
remaining  family  for  the  support  of 
vegetative  "life."  Few,  if  any,  are  comfort- 
able with  this  outcome,  and  many,  through 
the  signing  of  a  "living  will,"  hope  actively 
to  prevent  such  an  occurrence.  The  living 
will  is  a  signed  and  witnessed  document 
that  states  that  "at  such  a  time  when  there 


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June  1975  messenger  37 


ANNUAL  CONFERENCE  BULLETINS 

HERITAGE  TOUR-Brethren  Heritage  Tour 
June  24,  12:30-430  p.m.  To  places  of 
special  interest  to  Brethren  in  the  Miami 
Valley.  Air  conditioned  bus  leaves  from  and 
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per  person:  Vinna  Helstern,  425  Arlington 
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RECOGNITION  DINNER  — For  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Paul  M  Robinson,  June  26  at  Dayton, 
Tickets  in  Convention  Center  lobby  Letters 
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is  no  reasonable  expectation  of  my  recover- 
ing from  physical  or  mental  illness,  I  re- 
quest that  1  not  be  kept  alive  by  artificial 
means  or  heroic  measures,  and  that  1  be 
allowed  to  die  with  dignity."  A  growing 
movement  now  asserts  that  there  is  a  right 
to  die,  as  well  as  a  right  to  live,  and  that 
the  right  to  die  is  often  violated  by  the 
prolonged,  excruciating,  and  expensive 
medical  interventions  that  keep  people 
alive  who  would  be  better  off  dead. 

Unfortunately,  it  is  still  much  more  com- 
mon that  too  little  attention  is  given  to  the 
dying  person,  rather  than  too  much,  and  it 
is  here  that  we  should  focus  our  energies. 
We  need  to  know  more  than  we  do  about 
the  care  of  the  dying,  with  emphasis  on  the 
patient  as  a  sensitive  and  sensible  human 
being,  and  more  about  how  best  to  help  the 
anxious,  strained,  and  suffering  family  and 
friends,  during  and  after  the  event  of  dying. 
Ultimately,  good  care  of  the  dying  will  be  a 
test  of  the  teamwork  of  all  involved  — 
family,  pastor,  medical  personnel,  and 
others,  so  that  a  person's  last  days  can  be 
lived  with  self-possession  and  self-respect 
whenever  humanly  possible.  This  is  good 
stewardship  of  life. 

Good  stewardship  can  also  be  expressed 
by  the  donation  of  one's  body  for  teaching 
and  or  research  and  donation  of  viable 
organs  for  transplantation  to  a  needy,  liv- 
ing individual. 

Annually  50,000  American  people  are 
affected  with  uremia,  a  disease  caused  by  a 
malfunctioning  kidney(s).  Of  that  number, 
7.000  are  good  candidates  for  hemodialysis 
while  they  await  a  possible  kidney  for 
transplantation.  Of  these  7,000  prime  can- 
didates who  wait,  only  1,000  of  them  can 
be  accommodated.  This  means  that  six  out 
of  seven  likely  candidates  will  die,  largely 
because  there  are  so  few  donor  kidneys 
available. 

Unknown  hundreds  of  near  sightless 
people  could  have  a  measure  of  their  sight 
restored  if  there  were  a  sufficient  number 
of  persons  who  would  will  their  corneas  for 
transplantation  at  the  time  of  their  death. 
Temporal  bones  can  give  hearing  to  some 
who  are  deaf  if  they  are  made  available. 
Other  organs  and  bones  and  tissues  can 
give  new  meaning  to  those  who  live  if  those 
who  die  prearrange  to  make  these  parts 
available. 

It  is  poor  Christian  stewardship  to  throw 
away  (bury)  at  time  of  death  that  which 
can  possibly  sustain  meaningful  life  for 
another. 

It  might  be  well  to  recall  the  parable  of 


the  unfaithful  steward  who,  rather  than 
putting  to  work  that  which  was  entrusted 
to  him,  buried  it  in  the  ground  where  it  did 
no  one  any  good. 

The  procedure  for  the  donation  of 
bodies  and  or  organs  might  differ  from 
state  to  state.  However,  there  is  in  ex- 
istence a  National  Uniform  Anatomical 
Gift  Act  that  makes  it  possible  for  an  in- 
dividual, while  in  good  health,  to  pre- 
arrange the  donation  of  body  and  or 
organs  for  teaching  and  or  transplanta- 
tion. Under  this  act  such  prearranged 
donation  by  the  donor  is  legally  binding, 
i.e.,  it  cannot  be  reversed  by  anyone  other 
than  the  donor. 

If  your  intention  is  to  bequeath  a  specific 
organ  or  tissue  for  transplantation,  this 
must  be  done  in  such  a  way  that  the  organ 
or  tissue  can  be  received  while  still  in  a 
viable  state.  That  is,  arrangements  ought  to 
be  handled  in  some  form  other  than  or  in 
addition  to  your  will.  Members  of  your 
family  and  the  executor  of  your  estate 
ought  to  be  advised  as  to  your  desires  in 
this  matter  so  that  they  can  anticipate  this 
donation  at  time  of  death. 


T. 


he  disposition  of  one's  estate  should  be 
a  matter  of  great  concern  for  every  Chris- 
tian who  desires  to  practice  good 
stewardship.  It  has  been  said  that  "you 
can't  take  it  with  you,  but  you  may  direct 
where  it  goes."  However,  one  who  does  not 
make  a  will  loses  that  privilege.  When  a 
person  has  no  will,  the  state  assumes  the 
distribution  of  the  property,  perhaps  in  a 
way  that  would  greatly  displease  that  per- 
son. 

The  1974  Annual  Conference  survey 
shows  that  98.5  percent  of  the  delegate 
body  felt  that  having  a  will  was  important. 
Yet  only  54  percent  of  those  filling  in  the 
questionnaire  indicated  that  they  had 
prepared  one. 

Some  advantages  of  making  a  will  are: 

1.  You  can  make  sure  the  beneficiary  of 
your  choice  receives  the  property. 

2.  You  can  appoint  your  own  executor, 
which  in  turn  permits  you  to  dispense  with 
bonding. 

3.  You  are  able  to  add  longevity  to  your 
estate  planning. 

4.  Tax  savings  are  possible  when  the 
marital  and  charitable  deductions  are 
utilized.  There  has  already  been  initiated  a 
Brethren  Fellowship  of  Donors  —  members 
of  which  designate  a  portion  of  expected 
tax  savings  through  estate  planning  to  the 


neral  Board,  seminary,  church  colleges, 
i  other  Brethren  institutions. 

commendations.  The  committee,  having 
tgaged  in  considerable  discussion, 
rearch  and  interviewing  makes  the 
1  lowing  recommendations  to  the  con- 
gtuency  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren: 

1.  That  we  resist  the  pressures  of  our 

£  ture  to  expend  exorbitant  amounts  of 
r)ney  in  supporting  funeral  customs  and 
f  ictices  that  tend  to  make  the  dead 
a  pear  "life  like,"  denying  the  reality  of 
dith.  We  encourage  a  simple,  dignified 
f  leral  or  memorial  service  with  no  public 
vwing. 

2.  That  church  architects  and  building 
CTimittees  in  planning  new  buildings  or  in 
novating  existing  ones  give  consideration 
t  the  church  as  the  appropriate  place  for 
f  ieral  or  memorial  services. 

I.  That  each  congregation  in  the 
latherhood  participate  in  a  study  course 
c  workshop  on  "Life's  Common  Crisis." 
Sch  course  or  workshop  ought  to  include 
aleast  the  following  topics:  Psychological 
s  ges  of  dying  and  grief,  community 
rpurces  available,  wills.  Christian  burial, 
dhation  of  bodies  and  organs,  and  the 
Ciristian  belief  in  resurrection. 

I.  That  congregations,  when  ap- 
pjpriate,  assist  individuals  in  prearranging 
tlir  funeral/ memorial  services. 

J.  That  individuals  talk  with  their 
finilies  and  pastor  about  their  wishes  con- 
cining  funeral  preparations  and  prolonged 
ndical  treatment  in  case  they  become  un- 
a  e  to  make  decisions  for  themselves. 

).  That  alternatives  to  burial  be  con- 
sered  as  a  principal  of  Christian  dignity 
ad  stewardship. 

'.  That  each  congregation  sponsor  an 
ephasis  on  Christian  wills  at  least 
aiually. 

i.  That  persons  be  made  aware  of  the 
n;d  for  bodies  for  medical  investigation 
al  teaching  and  of  the  need  for  viable 
o;ans  for  transplantation. 

>.  That  each  congregation,  accepting  its 
t'S  as  a  support  community,  establish  a 
cnmittee  to  assist  families  and  individuals 
a:imes  of  serious  illness  arid  death.  Such  a 
cnmittee  could  also  help  to  establish  a 
FUowship  of  Donors. 

10.  The  committee  further  recommends 
tilt  the  General  Board,  through  its  staff, 
pi)duce  appropriate  reference  materials 
fi  local  congregational  study  of  the 
tiiics  related  to  this  paper  on  Life 
S^wardship.     □ 


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nS  moo6y  pRess 

11  vJ     TME  NAME  VOLJ  CAN  TRUST 


Deo!  MCS.  ISO  W  Chicago  A 


June  1975  messenger  39 


by  H.  Lamar  Gibble 


Part  of  the  problem 


In  February  I  participated  in  the  World 
Council  of  Churches  Indochina  Forum,  a 
Forum  convened  to  study  the  role  of  the 
churches  in  reconstruction  and  reconcilia- 
tion efforts  in  Indochina.  My  five  days  of 
intensive  dialogue  that  was  a  part  of  this 
experience  as  head  of  the  country  party 
that  visited  the  former  Republic  of  Viet- 
nam (RVN)  exposed  me  to  a  wide  variety 
of  persons  and  groups  in  the  RVN.  from 
government  representatives  to  groups 
somewhat  left  of  center  on  the  political 
spectrum,  and  convinced  me  of  the 
bankruptcy  of  the  policy  the  US  held 
vis-a-vis  the  RVN. 


A, 


L.I1  that  1  saw  and  heard  in  Vietnam 
confirmed  my  suspicions.  A  corrupt 
government  in  Saigon  was  repressing  basic 
freedoms,  and  the  continuing  conflict  was 
bringing  misery  to  millions. 

What  I  experienced  and  felt  in  regard  to 
the  contradictions  in  stated  US  and  RVN 
goals  and  policies,  although  very  distress- 
ing, was  not  surprising.  What  was  sur- 
prising were  the  conversations  pointing  to 
evidence  that  even  charitable  and 
humanitarian  programs  of  assistance  can 
also  be  dehumanizing  and  a  part  of  the 
problem  rather  than  the  solution.  This  ex- 
perience was  disconcerting  because  I  had 
believed  that  human  need  was  to  be  met  by 
concerned  Christians  wherever  it  was 
found.  Matt.  25:31-46  seemed  to  be  clear  in 
that  regard.  But  in  our  conversations  with 
many  Vietnamese,  pleas  for  justice  and 
peace  seemed  to  be  of  more  immediate 
concern  than  humanitarianism. 

A  leading  Saigon  attorney  suggested  that 
throughout  the  war  US  humanitarian  aid 
was  aimed  at  "humanizing  the  war" — at 
giving  the  war  a  more  human  face.  He 
went  on  to  suggest  that  non-governmental 
humanitarian  programs,  such  as  those  con- 
ducted by  the  churches,  were  "less 

40  MESSENGER  June  1975 


dangerous"  because  they  were  smaller  in 
scope  but  even  so  were  a  part  of  the 
problem  because  those  agencies  were  only 
allowed  to  provide  their  services  as  long  as 
they  were  not  in  conflict  with  the  objectives 
of  the  government  of  the  RVN. 

Another  criticism  was  raised  that  foreign 
humanitarian  programs  often  generate  ex- 
pectations within  people  that  can  never  be 
met  locally  and  apart  from  the  continua- 
tion of  the  foreign  program  on  the  long- 
term  basis,  tending  to  cultivate  a  dehu- 
manizing and  unacceptable  dependency. 

Why  were  we  more  concerned  in  the 
churches  with  humanitarian  aid  than  with 
policies  in  our  country  that  allowed  war  to 
continue,  further  depleting  the  productive 
capacity  of  Vietnam?  It  is  because  we  have 
felt  that  humanitarian  assistance  has  few  or 
no  political  implications,  while  working  for 
peace  and  reconciliation  involves  political 
realities  and  choices  that  are  often  am- 
biguous and  present  moral  dilemmas. 
Another  reason,  I  suspect,  is  that  the 
results  of  humanitarian  assistance  is  often 
more  evident  and  tangible  (a  refugee  fed,  a 
family  resettled,  a  child  in  school)  than 
peace  work.  Still  another  complicating  fac- 
tor is  that  we  benefit  financially  from  a 
permanent  war  economy. 

The  question,  however,  is  much  larger 
than  Vietnam  or  Indochina.  These 
questions  confront  us  because  the  need  for 
humanitarian  assistance  is  so  often  inex- 
tricably related  to  unjust  systems  of  op- 
pression that  have  spawned  conflict  and 
thrust  people  into  situations  of  need.  The 
struggle  for  peace,  justice,  and  reconcilia- 
tion remains  primary  but  humanitarian 
assistance  cannot  forever  be  delayed  for 
more  optimal  conditions.  Given  such 
situations,  "as  wise  as  serpents  and  inno- 
cent as  doves"  is  the  watchword  and  these 
guidelines,  it  seems  to  me,  are  imperative: 

•  acute  human  need  must  be  met 
irrespective  of  ethnic  background  or 


religious  or  political  creed,  and  by  methods 
sensitive  to  human  rights  and  dignity. 

•  local  criteria  must  be  sought  out  and 
understood  and  the  peoples'  integrity 
respected. 

•  programs  must  reflect  maximum  in- 
digenous participation  and  leadership. 

•  the  best  available  ecumenical  and  non- 
governmental and  governmental  agency 
assessments  and  judgments  must  be  sought 
in  order  to  comprehend  the  often  complex 
implications  and  effects  of  the  assistance 
being  offered. 

•  repressive  and  unjust  situations  de- 
mand sensitive  and  creative  approaches  to 
secure  liberalization  and  liberation. 

•  continual  assessment  and  review  of 
programs  are  necessary  to  ensure  commit- 
ment to  Christian  principles  and  to  avoid 
compromise  with  corrupt  or  repressive 
forces  that  affect  the  well-being  of  the  per- 
sons being  served. 


H. 


-umanitarian  assistance  cannot  simply 
be  concerned  with  the  morality  of  assisting 
persons  in  need  (a  "good"  that  is  readily 
evident  and  acceptable),  but  it  also  must  be 
concerned  with  the  key  questions  related  to 
conflict  situations:  Why  are  there  violent 
conflict  situations?  What  is  the  nature  of 
violence  and  conflict?  Are  programs  of 
humanitarian  assistance  erasing,  or  helping 
to  perpetuate,  violence,  and  conflict?  In 
this  arena  there  seems  to  be  few  if  any  clear 
and  unambiguous  answers.  One  thing  is 
clear:  the  struggle  for  justice,  peace,  and 
reconciliation  can  never  be  artificially  sep- 
arated from  our  "cup  of  cold  water."  D 


l^tLDD^DTlDDn]©! 


Licensing/ 
ordination 

Terry  Adkins,  ordained  Jan. 
26,  1975,  Santa  Ana,  Pacific 
Southwest 

James  Hosteller,  licensed 
Dec,  29,  1974,  East  Chippewa, 
Northern  Ohio 

Patrick  Leonard  Meliott, 
licensed  Feb,  1975,  Cedar 
Grove,  Shenandoah 

L,  Jay  Minnich,  ordained 
March  2,  1975,  Stony  Creek, 
Souihern  Ohio 

,lohn  Snell,  licensed  June  16, 
1974,  Santa  Ana,  Pacific 
SoLilhwesl 

Ronald  E,  Wyrick,  ordained 
(cb,  23,  1975,  Waynesboro, 
Shenandoah 

Lee  Zachman,  ordination 
transferred  from  Con- 

gregational Church  to  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  Dec,  1974 

Pastoral 
Placements 

Merrill  Branson,  to  Center, 
Western  Pennsylvania 

Wendell  Carmichael,  re- 
signed Buck  Creek,  South/Cen- 
tral Indiana 

Earl  F,  Cater,  from  student, 
to  Brooklyn,  Northern  Plains 

John  Geary,  from  Mount 
Joy,  Western  Pennsylvania,  to 
Wooddale,  Western  Penn- 
sylvania 

Ray  Hileman,  to  part  time, 
11  Middlecreek,  Western  Penn- 
■  sylvania 

James  Hostetler,  to  North 
Bend,  Northern  Ohio 

Peter  Kaltenbaugh  Jr,,  to 
Rummel,  Western  Pennsylvania 

Olen  Landes,  to  interim  pas- 
tor. Pme  Ridge,  Shenandoah 

Gerald  R.  Mease,  from 
Fredericksburg,  Northern 

Plains,  to  Morrill-Sabetha, 
Western  Plains 

J.  Weldon  Myers,  to  Johnson 
Cit\'-Jackson  Park,  South- 
eastern 

Bobby  Phillips,  from 
Greenmount-Mount  Zion. 

Shenandoah,  to  Meyersdale, 
Western  Pennsylvania 

Dolar  Ritchey,  resigned 
Spring  Creek,  South/Central 
Indiana 

Paul  M.  Robinson,  from 
Bethany  Theological  Seminary, 
Illinois/ Wisconsin,  to  Crest 
Manor,  South  Bend,  Northern 
Indiana 

Earl  D.  Rowland,  from  Ann- 
ville,  Atlantic  Northeast,  to 
Spring  Run,  Middle  Penn- 
sylvania 

Donald  O,  Shankster,  from 
secular,  to  Mount  Carmel, 
Southeastern 

Richard     Shreckhise,     from 

Bethany      to      Carlisle-Boiling 

"n  Springs,  Southern  Pennsylvania 

Harold  Springstead,  from 
secular,  to  Muskegon, 

Michigan 

Earl  F.  Stovall,  from  student, 


Bridgewater  College  to  Pine 
Grove  of  Melbeth  Grove, 
Shenandoah 

Stan  Sutton,  to  interim 
pastor,  Howard,  South/Central 
Indiana 

John  D.  Tilson,  to  Rowland 
Creek,  Southeastern 

Arthur  H,  Whisler,  from 
secular,  to  Shepherd,  Michigan 

Stephen  White,  student,  to 
Bella  Vista,  Los  Angeles  and  La 
Verne  Fellowship,  Pacific 
Southwest 

Earl  M,  Zigler,  from  re- 
tirement, to  associate  pastor, 
part  time,  Bridgewater,  Shenan- 
doah 

Wedding 
Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  G.  Bales, 
Stel,  Mo.,  55 

Mr,  and  Mrs.  G,  Herbert 
Bridenbaugh,  Martinsburg,  Pa,, 
53 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Carl  Easton, 
De  Graff,  Ohio,  58 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  W,  W,  Gish, 
McPherson,  Kans,,  60 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Ben  Haines, 
Richmond,  Mo,,  64 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Buford  Hale, 
Norborne,  Mo,,  52 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Ezra  E,  Hess, 
Mount  Joy,  Pa,,  50 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  John  Hogan, 
Hardin,  Mo,,  59 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  H,  Lester 
Houff,  Weyers  Cave,  Va.,  58 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Oscar  Kendall, 
Kokomo,  Ind,,  60 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  George 
Larimore,  Garrett,  Ind,,  60 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  John  Leyda, 
Norborne,  Mo,,  58 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Jess  Metsker, 
Denver,  Colo,,  71 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Leonard 
Mitchell,  Sebring,  Fla,,  50 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Leroy  Mohler, 
Ephrata,.  Pa,,  60 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  A,  P, 
Musselman,  Sebring,  Fla,,  65 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Paul  Roller, 
Ligonier,  Pa,,  50 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Rawley  Sandy, 
Norborne,  Mo,,  58 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Lester  L, 
Steele,  Martinsburg,  Pa,,  53 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Estill  O.  Still, 
Richmond,  Mo.,  53 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
Thomas,  Johnstown.  Pa.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  Wolf, 
Bunker  Hill,  Ind.,  67 

Deaths 

Lloyd  Albin,  35,  Quinter, 
Kans.,  Feb.  15,  1975 

Mae  Albright,  93,  Bridge- 
water,  Va.,  Feb.  II,  1975 

Gladys  Arnold,  73,  Peters- 
burg, W.  Va.,  Jan.  18,  1975 

Clarence  Beall,  68,  Beaver- 
ton,  Mich.,  Jan.  28,  1975 

Elizabeth  Bicknese,  90,  Santa 
Ana,  Calif.,  Sept.  15,  1974 

John  H.  Blough,  77,  La 
Verne,  Calif.,  Feb.  17,  1975 


Annie  M.  Bowman,  78, 
Boones  Mill,  Va.,  Dec.  28,  1974 

Estelle  Brant,  72,  Brodbecks, 
Pa.,  Feb.  7,  1975 

Clarence  D.  Burkholder. 
McPherson,  Kans.,  Jan,  19, 
1975 

Robert  L,  Byrd,  77. 
Bridgewater,  Va,,  March  2, 
1975 

Susie  Cartwright,  95,  Cando, 
N,  Dak,,  Feb,  18,  1975 

Nelson  Clapper,  62,  Loraine, 
Ohio,  Feb,  12,  1975 

Ray  Coonev,  78,  Santa  Ana. 
Calif,,  Feb,  15,  1975 

Austin  Craig,  85,  Hun- 
tingdon, Pa,,  Jan,  17,  1975 

Hazel  Craig,  54,  Mount 
Sidney,  Va„  Dec,  18,  1974 

J,  Ivan  Crawford,  60,  Flat 
Rock,  III,,  March  5,  1975 

James  Davis.  74.  Roanoke. 
Va,.  Feb,  20.  1975 

Mrs,  Howard  Dickey,  North 
Manchester,  Ind,,  Dec,  31,  1974 

Edward  Dooley.  56,  Clover- 
dale,  Va..  Feb.  5.  1975 

Martha  Rebecca  Eckhart.  80. 
Glen  Arm.  Md.,  Nov.  6.  1974 

William  C.  Edmonds.  43. 
Maurertown.  Va.,  Feb.  19.  1975 

Harper  Eslinger.  79,  Sebring. 
Fla,.  Jan,  23.  1975 

Marcia  Ann  Ferrell.  30, 
Pomona,  Calif,,  March  6.  1975 

Flora  Miller  Fisher,  90,  Mex- 
ico, Ind,,  Feb,  20,  1975 

Josiah  Rora,  100,  Dallas 
Center,  Iowa,  Feb,  14,  1975 

Cecil  L,  Fox,  81,  Oldsmar, 
Fla,,  Feb,  22,  1975 

Nellie  Frantz,  65,  Lebanon, 
Pa„  Feb,  9,  1975 

Margaret  Fuhrman,  64, 
Manchester.  Md,.  Feb,  24,  1975 

Melvin  L,  Gans,  71,  Cottage 
Grove,  Ore,,  Feb,  16,  1975 

William  Aaron  Hall,  78, 
Cloverdale,  Va„  Feb,  26,  1975 

Virginia  Halteman,  74,  Elgin, 
III,,  Jan,  18,  1975 

Minnie  Weddle  Harman,  84, 
Halifax,  Va„  Feb,  6.  1975 

Pearl  Hawbecker,  88,  Shan- 
non, III,,  March  1,  1975 

Elma  E,  Helmick,  82, 
Cumberland,  Md,,  Nov,  26, 
1974 

John  G,  Hershey,  76,  Lititz, 
Pa„  Feb,  26,  1975 

Helen  Wolf  Hoke,  58, 
Manheim,  Pa„  Feb,  8,  1975 

Rosamond  I,  Howerton,  83, 
Cloverdale,  Va.,  Feb.  5,  1975 

Alva  Huber,  91,  Glendora. 
Calif..  March  I.  1975 

Myrtle  Huffman,         91, 

Roanoke,  Va.,  Feb.  6,  1975 

Todd  Hunt,  6,  Mexico,  Ind., 
Feb.  8,  1975 

Amanda  Jarrett,  66,  Elkhart, 
Ind.,  Feb.  9,  1975 

Lettie  Keeny.  84,  New  Ox- 
ford, Pa.,  Feb.  11,  1975 

Effie  Keyes,  95,  Mexico, 
Ind.,  March  7,  1975 

Grace  Simmers  King,  69. 
Harrisonburg,  Va.,  Feb.  23, 
1975 

Ruth  D.  Lees,  83,  Waterloo, 
Iowa,  Feb.  25,  1975 


J,  King  Leffier,  56, 
Myerstown,  Pa,,  Dec,  24,  1974 

Mary  Leffler,  82,  Myerstown, 
Pa,,  Jan,  9,  1975 

Wilson  Leonard  Sr,,  76, 
Ligonier,  Pa,,  Jan,  24,  1975 

Mattie  Long,  88,  Greenville, 
Ohio,  Feb,  6,  1975 

Alice  Marsh,  91,  Redondo 
Beach,  Calif,,  January  1975 

Emily  R,  Martin,  84, 
Oakland,  Md„  Dec,  I,  1974 

Alice  Marvin,  95,  Cerro  Gor- 
do, 111,,  Feb,  14,  1975 

Mahlon  C,  Masterson,  103, 
Washington,  D,C,,  Nov,  17, 
1974 

David  McCornack,  70, 
Roanoke,  Va„  Jan,  II,  1975 

Frank  McCrossen,  72, 
Dayton,  Ohio,  Nov,  26,  1974 

Sara  McDonald.  42, 

Cumberland,  Md.,  Jan.  14, 
1975 

Frank  McGonigle,  Nicker- 
son,  Kans.,  Nov.  2,  1974 

Alberta  E.  McKinney.  65, 
Beverly  Hills,  Ra..  Nov.  10, 
1974 

Elsie  M.  Michael,  65, 
Nokesville,  Va..  March  5,  1975 

Olin  Middlekauf,  88,  Mount 
Morris,  III.,  Jan.  24,  1975 

Amelia  Eby  Miller,  89,  Lititz, 
Pa.,  Feb.  24.  1975 

Elizabeth  Replogle  Miller, 
92,  Martinsburg,  Pa.,  July  29, 
1974 

Guy  Miller,  81,  Richvalley, 
Ind.,  Nov.  15,  1974 

Helen  Miller,  70,  Mish- 
awaka,  Ind.,  Feb.  23,  1975 

John  R.  Miller,  65,  Wood- 
bury, Pa.,  Nov.  25,  1974 

William  C.  Molison,  77, 
York,  Pa.,  Jan.  6,  1975 

Arthur  M.  Moore,  94, 
Hollansburg,  Ohio,  Dec.  24, 
1974 

Roy  Moore,  86,  Santa  Ana, 
Calif.,  Sept.  26,  1974 

Velma  Moore,  64,  Dayton, 
Ohio,  Jan.  5.  1975 

Laura  Morris,  91,  Richmond, 
Ind.,  Jan.  12,  1975 

William  T.  Moyer,  70, 
Waynesboro,  Va.,  Feb.  14,  1975 

Minnie  F.  Neff,  74,  Harrison- 
burg, Va.,  Jan.  22,  1975 

Etha  Neker,  78,  North  Man- 
chester, Ind.,  Jan.  21,  1975 

Grace  Nelson,  76, 

Harrisburg,  Pa.,  Dec.  27,  1974 

Bessie  L.  Paul,  82,  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  Jan.  9,  1975 

Ivah  Jane  Paul,  91, 
Fordland,  Mo.,  Jan.  23,  1975 

George  Peat,  78,  Lanark,  III., 
Jan.  18,  1975 

J.  Bunyan  Peters,  92, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  Feb.  4,  1975 

Clara  Petersen,  83,  San 
Diego,  Calif.,  Jan.  15,  1975 

Terrell  W.  Phenice,  34, 
Honolulu,  Hawaii,  Jan.  10, 
1975 

Georgie  Flora  Plunkett,  85, 
Boones  Mill,  Va.,  Dec.  26.  1974 

Elmer  Randier.  71,  Mount 
Joy,  Pa.,  Jan.  22,  1975 

Ralph  G.  Rarick,  81, 
Elkhart,  Ind.,  Jan.  17,  1975 


Owen  Rich,  79,  Richmond, 
Ind.,  Jan.  16,  1975 

Mary  Marker  Rippetoe,  76, 
Greenville,  Ohio,  Dec.  7,  1974 

James  Elwood  Rodgers,  49, 
Eden,  N.C.,  Dec.  22.  1974 

Earl  B.  Rohrer,  80,  Lititz, 
Pa.,  Jan.  10,  1975 

Harley  Ronk,  82,  Marion, 
Ind.,  Jan.  12,  1975 

C.  Merle  Rummel,  68,  New 
Paris,  Pa.,  Dec.  9,  1974 

Mary  Schleinitz,  54,  Dayton, 
Ohio.  Nov.  24.  1974 

A.  Lucille  Schroyer.  55. 
College  Park,  Md.,  Jan.  18, 
1975 

Leonard  Schultz  Sr.,  71, 
Greenville,  Ohio,  Oct.  13,  1974 

Ethel  Secrest,  82,  Roanoke, 
Va.,  Jan.  19,  1975 

Roy  J.  Showalter,  83,  Can- 
ton, Ohio.  Jan.  16,  1975 

Elmer  W.  Showns,  81,  New 
Market,  Va.,  Nov.  15,  1974 

Mary  Jane  Miller  Simmons, 
83,  Bridgewater,  Va.,  Dec.  8, 
1974 

Maurice  D.  F.  Slifer,  96, 
Frederick,  Md.,  Jan.  2,  1975 

Larry  Smallwood,  17,  Mar- 
cum,  Ky.,  Jan.  3,  1975 

Jesse  Smith,  89,  Marcum. 
Ky..  Dec.  18.  1974 

Jim  Smith.  82,  Marcum,  Ky., 
Nov.  16,  1974 

Mrs.  W.  Harlan  (Frances) 
Smith,  79,  North  Manchester, 
Ind.,  Feb.  21.  1975 

Levi  K.  Sollenberger,  79. 
Martinsburg.  Pa..  Jan,  5.  1975 

Jean  Spoon,  80,  Dayton, 
Ohio,  Jan,  13,  1975 

George  Strycker,  76.  Goshen, 
lnd„  Feb,  4,  1975 

Sylvan  Studebaker,  62,  Penn- 
ville,  Ind,,  Jan,  20,  1975 

Otis  Taylor,  87,  Mound  City, 
Mo„  Jan,  12,  1975 

Ora  Bacil  Thomas,  72, 
Leeton,  Mo,,  Feb,  II,  1975 

Dennis  L.  Thompson,  80, 
Mount  Perry,  Ohio,  Oct,  21, 
1974 

Henry  H.  Torrence,  72, 
Toledo,  Ohio,  Dec.  19,  1974 

Russell  O.  Umphress,  62, 
Seymour,  Ind.,  Dec.  4,  1974 

Liela  J.  Wahon,  80,  Castro 
Valley,  Calif,  Dec.  26,  1974 

Guy  G.  Warfield,  56, 
Norwich,  Ohio,  Jan.  22,  1975 

Anna  Weaver,  Proctor, 
Mont.,  Aug.  24,  1974 

Ernest  Weaver,  62,  Dayton, 
Ohio,  Oct.  22,  1974 

Mabel  Wenger,  87.  Neffsville, 
Pa.,  Dec.  31,  1974 

Henry  Wertz,  94,  Quinter, 
Kans.,  Jan.  25,  1975 

John  Williams,  49,  Allen- 
town,  Pa.,  Jan.  12,  1975 

Edna  Wisseman,  74, 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Dec.  29,  1970 

Harold  W.  Wolfe,  61, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Aug.  8,  1974 

Paul  Wolfe,  65,  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  Aug.  12,  1971 

William  Homer  Zigler,  94, 
Bridgewater,  Va.,  Dec.  28,  1974 

Elsie  Zimmerman,  54, 
Baltimore,  Md.,  Oct,  25,  1974 

June  1975  messenger  41 


p(S(Q)pDS(ii[ps][rD©[h 


A  his  is  the  story  of  how  to  enable  a 
church  really  to  grow,  to  set  attendance 
goals  and  then  meet  them. 

In  five  years  the  Long  Beach  Church  of 
the  Brethren  has  doubled  the  average 
attendance  at  worship  to  300  and  participa- 
tion in  the  church  school  has  increased  to 
200.  Once  among  the  group  of  churches 
that  had  been  losing  members,  the  con- 
gregation now  is  gaining.  "Seventy-four 
new  members  in  1974"  was  the  watch- 


Dr.  James  S.   Flora.  Long  Beach's  pastor 

word  all  through  1974.  On  the  last  Sunday 
of  the  year  the  goal  was  attained. 

Long  Beach  is  a  city  of  365,000,  part  of 
metropolitan  Los  Angeles  with  10,000,000 
people — half  the  population  of  the  state 
and  the  second  most  populous  area  in  the 
nation.  Brethren  have  been  ministering 
here  for  almost  70  years. 

When  the  church  desired  to  call  a  new 
pastor  in  1970,  it  sought  one  who  knew 
how  to  enable  a  church  to  grow  large 
without  people  getting  lost  in  numbers. 
The  call  was  issued  to  James  S.  Flora  of 
the  Palmyra  church  in  Pennsylvania. 

Pastor  Flora  was  ever  ready  to  try 
something  new.  He  and  the  church  sought 
exposure  to  the  larger  area  by  having  a  15- 
minute  radio  program  for  two  years.  When 
they  believed  they  had  reached  their  objec- 
tive, they  relinquished  this  form  of 
reaching  out  and  sought  another.  Perhaps 
the  one  single  event  that  started  the  ball 
rolling  about  three  years  ago  was  the 
beginning  of  an  exciting  "bus  ministry." 

Pastor  Jim  had  graduated  from  Bethany 
in  1956  and  had  further  training.  But  new 
challenges  and  needs  were  present,  so  in 

42  MESSENGER  June  1975 


Long  Beach:  Chris 


1972  he  enrolled  in  a  doctoral  program  at 
the  California  Graduate  School  of 
Theology.  There  he  was  introduced  to  the 
bus  ministry  as  a  means  of  more  rapid 
church  growth. 

The  Board  of  Administration  of  the 
Long  Beach  church  first  agreed  to  rent  a 
van  weekly  and  start  a  bus  route  in  the  sur- 
rounding neighborhood.  It  wasn't  long 
before  the  church  purchased  a  van  to  con- 
tinue its  new  ministry.  Today  the  congrega- 
tion operates  a  60-passenger  bus  and  two 
vans  every  Sunday  to  bring  in  about  70 
community  boys  and  girls.  A  further  ex- 
pansion of  this  ministry  is  being  con- 
sidered. 

If  you  want  to  find  excitement  in  a  Sun- 
day school  program,  suddenly  add  this 
many  new  children  to  the  rolls.  It  brings  a 
thrill  along  with  a  few  problems  such  as 
discipline,  space  in  classrooms,  and  having 


enough  materials.  But  the  new  life  in  the 
church  school  makes  it  worthwhile. 
Carolyn  Barnhart,  chairperson  of  the 
Christian  Education  Commission,  and  the 
staff  of  teachers  are  thorough  and  patient. 

A  further  step  in  the  church's  enlarging 
ministry  came  two  years  ago  when  Roy 
Richey,  retired  pastor  from  many  years  ex- 
perience in  Indiana  and  the  surrounding 
area,  came  on  the  staff  as  associate  pastor. 
The  two  pastors  worked  closely  together 
with  lay  leadership  in  determining  needs 
and  opportunities. 

The  first  step  in  the  ground  work  was 
some  goal  setting.  Almost  without  excep- 
tion, progress  is  made  in  proportion  to  the 
goals  at  hand.  When  Jim  and  Roy  an- 
nounced the  goal  of  "74  new  people  for 


Christ  in  1974,"  the  members  of  the  con- 
gregation hardly  took  it  seriously.  But 
when  Pastor  Roy  asked  each  member  to 
sign  a  commitment  card  stating  that  that 
person  would  "pray  every  day  for  at  least 
40  new  members  by  Easter,"  the  congrega- 
tion suddenly  experienced  the  new  power 
that  comes  from  nearly  200  persons  pray- 
ing every  day  for  their  church.  By  the  end 
of  the  year  31  persons  had  been  baptized 
and  43  had  joined  the  church  by  transfer  of 
letter  or  reaffirmation  of  faith. 

Coupled  with  daily  prayer  was  a  consis- 
tent visitation  program.  Pastors  Jim  and 
Roy  discovered  that  the  one  thing 
desperately  needed  in  their  city  ministry 
was  an  "evangelistic  approach."  Therefore 
a  regular  visitation  program  was  added  to 
the  bus  ministry.  Pastor  Roy  headed  this 
weekly  Thursday  evening  program.  At 
present  it  continues  on  a  biweekly  basis; 
and  regular  visitors  such  as  Kenny  Cool, 
Jerry  Welty  and  Larry  Barnhart  are  now 
training  others  to  make  an  effective  per- 
sonal witness  for  Christ. 

The  vision  to  grow  and  meet  emerging 
needs  caught  up  youth  and  older  members 
as  well.  A  growing  ministry  with  and  for 
youth  is  being  carried  on  under  the 
leadership  of  Bud  and  Diana  Davis.  There 
are  nearly  50  junior  and  senior  high  youth 
now  involved  in  the  regular  Sunday 
schedule.  In  addition  there  is  a  regular 
Monday  evening  Bible  study  group  that 


Above  center:  Greeting  the  worshipers 
Above:  Goodies  close  the  morning  program 
Right:  A  60-passenger  bus  brings  them  in 


the  goal  setter 


meets  in  the  Davis  home.  These  youth  are 
part  of  the  100  people  gathered  weekly  in 
three  Bible  study  groups. 

During  the  1960s,  under  the  leadership 
of  Pastor  Leroy  Doty,  the  Long  Beach 
Brethren  Manor  was  constructed  adjacent 
to  the  church  facilities.  This  retirement 
home  contains  296  apartments  and  houses 
over  300  senior  citizens.  Joseph  R.  Jen- 
nings, an  active  member  of  the  church,  is 
the  administrator.  About  75  residents  of 
the  manor  are  members  of  the  Long  Beach 
church.  Pastor  and  Mrs.  Richey  reside 
there  and  frequently  visit  as  a  team  among 
residents. 

Others  besides  youth  and  the  older  peo- 
ple have  become  part  of  the  growing 
ministry.  Recently  a  new  special  education 
class  was  started  for  several  retarded 
children.  The  vacation  church  school  more 
than  quadrupled  from  where  it  was  a  few 
years  ago. 

One  of  the  most  demanding  new 
programs  is  the  large  children's  church 
program  during  the  Sunday  morning 
worship  hour.  Most  of  the  children  coming 
on  the  buses  had  no  parents  present  with 
whom  to  sit  during  worship.  The  fact 
necessitated  the  development  of  a  complete 
children's  church  program.  The  two 
nurseries  handle  the  babies  and  toddlers. 
Children  from  kindergarten  through  grade 
two  are  directed  by  qualified  adults  in  a 
large  room.  The  older  boys  and  girls, 
grades  3-6,  come  into  the  sanctuary  for  the 
first  portion  of  the  worship  hour,  which  in- 
cludes a  junior  sermon.  Then  they  move  to 
the  fellowship  hall  for  various  activities 
such  as  crafts,  films,  stories,  and  singing.  A 
total  of  some  80  to  90  children  are  involved 


in  this  special  pro- 
gram. They  enjoy  a 
refreshment  period 
on  the  lawn  each 
Sunday  just  before 
going  home.  Includ- 
ed in  this  program 
is  a  "pilot  Cub 
Scouts  program" 
that  is  held  during 
the  worship  hour.  It 
is  one  of  just  two 
such  efforts  in  the 
entire  city. 

A  beautiful  result 
of  the  expanding 

witness  is  the  contact  with  ethnic  groups. 
Since  the  bus  ministry  began,  some  30 
to  35  black  children  attend  regularly  as 
well  as  several  orientals.  Dorothy  Palmer 
is  a  highly  skilled  church  school  teacher 
who  is  black:  she  and  her  husband, 
Richard,  were  recently  elected  deacons  in 
the  congregation. 

The  Long  Beach  church  is  not  ingrown. 
Over  the  years  it  has  established  a  tradition 
of  outreach  and  service.  It  is  one  of  the  70 
churches  in  the  Long  Beach  area  Council 
of  Churches.  The  church  is  also  active  in 
the  Pacific  Southwest  Conference.  Both 
Pastor  Flora  and  laypersons  give  vital 
leadership  in  both  of  these  larger  groups  of 
churches  working  together. 

The  church  takes  seriously  the 
stewardship  of  buildings  and  grounds. 
A  unique  feature  involves  a  congrega- 
tion of  Samoan  Christians  who  use  the 
building  for  their  weekly  services.  They 
migrated  from  the  South  Sea  Samoan 
Islands,  4,000  miles  away,  and  carry  out 
their  worship  services  in  both  Samoan 
and  English  languages. 

The  facilities  are  becoming  more  widely 
used  for  the  community  with  three  Scout 
groups  and  other  non-profit  organizations 
using  them.  The  church  bus  is  available 
occasionally  to  outside  groups.  Under 
construction  is  "Little  Park,"  a  sizable 
plot  of  ground  beside  the  church  designed 
for  church  and  community  recrea- 
tional use.  In  granting  it  approval  the  city 
council  and  the  mayor  gave  the  project 
special  commendation. 

Any  person  in  need  of  material  aid  who 
comes  to  the  church  door  is  given  food 
from  the  "Pastor's  Pantry"  or  clothing 
from  a  well-supplied  clothing  closet.  A 


blood  bank  was  recently  established  in  the 
church's  name  through  the  Red  Cross. 

1975  is  the  25th  anniversary  of  the 
church  on  its  present  site.  The  attractive, 
colonial  style  buildings  including  sanc- 
tuary, chapel,  educational  and  fellowship 
facilities,  and  parsonage  drew  the  attention 
of  the  city.  On  May  II,  1973,  the  city 
Chamber  of  Commerce  presented  the 
church  with  an  "Environmental  Beautifica- 
tion  Award"  for  being  the  most  beautiful 
older  church  structure  in  Long  Beach. 

First  Church  is  interested  in  presenting 
Christ  to  our  society  in  a  meaningful  way. 
Brethren  doctrines  are  taught  and  preached 
each  Sunday.  Baptisms,  bread  and  cup 
communions,  love  feasts,  anointing  serv- 
ices— these  are  at  the  heart  of  the  ministry 
of  the  church.  Within  the  membership 
there  are  almost  25  different  denomi- 
national backgrounds,  all  finding  Christian 
expression  in  one  single  congregation. 
Together  the  members  seek  to  uphold  (1) 
the  Bible  as  central  in  teaching  and 
preaching,  (2)  an  outreach  ministry  as  all 
important — going  out  to  find  and  reach 
people  for  Jesus  Christ,  (3)  keeping  the 
Good  News  of  Christ  and  his  Church 
before  as  many  people  as  possible.  A  com- 
munity news  letter  is  sent  periodically  to 
about  1,300  community  residents. 

Having  reached  some  goals.  First 
Church  is  out  for  more.  The  congregation 
has  received  leadership,  so  it  wants  to  give. 
The  church  plans  to  challenge  three  or  four 
persons  to  become  licensed  ministers  this 
year.  New  members?  You  guessed  it  —  "75 
in  '75."  Long  Beach  brings  the  living, 
vibrant  Gospel  to  a  needy  world.     D 

by  R.  Truman  Northup 

June  1975  messenger  43 


[rss(Q)[U][r©s^ 


MISSION 
EDUCATION 


We  Brethren  need  to  know  about  the  ways 
in  which  we  as  a  denomination  are 
responding  to  God's  call  to  be  in  mission  in 
the  world.  We  Brethren  need  to  know 
about  ways  in  which  we  as  individuals  and 
as  congregations  can  decide  to  respond  to 
God's  call  to  be  in  mission  in  the  world. 

The  Messenger  is  a  continuing  source  of 
information  about  people  and  programs  in 
mission  around  the  world.  In  addition,  we 
recommend  some  additional  resources  to 
you  as  individuals,  as  families,  and  as 
congregations. 

World  Map  Pac 

One  of  our  congregations  has  a  world  map 
hanging  on  a  bulletin  board  in  the  entry  of 
the  church  building.  They  cut  out  articles 
from  Messenger  of  activities  around  the 
world  and  pinpoint  the  locations  on  the 


map.  Once  a  month,  "moments  for  mis- 
sion" are  included  as  a  part  of  the  service 
of  worship  during  which  a  10-minute  pres- 
entation is  made  about  some  work  that  the 
Brethren  do  somewhere  in  the  world. 

Persons  in  that  congregation  have  no 
difficulty  identifying  themselves  as 
Brethren  who  are  working  actively  in  the 
world.  They  know  they  are  part  of  the 
whole  world. 

A  slick-surfaced  24"x34"  world  map, 
some  self-adhesive  stickers,  suggestions  for 
its  use,  and  the  most  recent  listing  of  the 
location  of  personnel  of  the  World 
Ministries  Commission  are  included  in  the 
World  Map  Pac  available  for  $4.50  from 
the  Brethren  Press,  1451  Dundee  Ave., 
Elgin,  111.  60120. 

Making  Mission  Happen 

This  book  is  available  for  $3.50  from  the 
Brethren  Press  or  from  Friendship  Press 
P.O.  Box  37844,  Cincmnati,  Ohio  45237 
(add  50(t  handling  charge). 

It  aims  to  assist  the  congregation  in 
carrying  on  an  effective  mission  education 
program.  This  practical  book  gives  ways 
and  means  for  doing  the  job.  The  first  and 
second  sections  consist  of  quotations  of 
current  mission  ideas.  The  third  section 
discusses  organization,  activities,  and 
resources  for  mission  education  in  the  con- 
gregation and  community. 

You  can  write  to  Elgin  for  information 


about  people  and  program  related  to  the 
Brethren  in  mission  in  Africa,  or  in  South 
America,  or  in  this  country.  You  can  ask 
for  statements  of  how  Brethren  understand 
mission  these  days.  You  can  ask  for  infor- 
mation on  particular  programs  like 
SHARE,  New  Windsor,  or  BVS. 

Make  your  question  a  specific  one.  Ask 
for  something  in  particular.  Information 
pieces  will  be  sent  in  response  to  your  re- 
quest. These  come  without  cost  to  you. 
Send  requests  to  Educational  Resourcing 
System,  1451  Dundee,  Elgin,  111.,  60120. 

From  Friendship  Press 


■Unmntial  catalog  i975-76BBt 

Friendship  Press 
Resources 

tor  the  church  in  mission 

11 


The  1975-76  catalog  of  Friendship  Press 
resources  describes  resources  that  can  be 
used  both  at  church  and  at  home.  In  addi- 
tion to  study  resources,  there  are  books  for 
children,  youth,  and  adults,  that  are  just- 
for-fun  reading. 

The  Bold  Believers  Series  includes 
biographies  of  exciting  persons  like  Sarah 
Chakko  who  was  the  first  woman  and  the 
first  Indian  to  become  president  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches. 

Important  resources  as  we  celebrate  the 
American  Bicentennial  include  books  on 
religious  freedom,  worship  resources, 
resources  presenting  contributions  and 
concerns  of  Afro-Americans,  Indian 
Americans,  and  Hispanic  Americans,  as 
well  as  resources  that  deal  with  how  the 
religious  faith  speaks  to  American  issues. 

A  copy  of  the  catalog  will  be  sent  to 
your  pastor  through  Agenda  in  August. 
— Shirley  J.  Heckman 


44  MESSENGER  June  1975 


'm/Q)\rd  Hir^im  m^mmhm(n]'tQ)\ni 


Act  now  on  amnesty 


by  James  E.  Tomlonson 

Clemency  is  not  amnesty!  This  reality  is 
now  becoming  clear  for  the  American  peo- 
ple and  the  religious  community.  Attempts 
have  been  made  by  our  political  leaders  to 
take  our  attention  away  from  the  real 
issues  involved.  In  some  ways  this  has 
succeeded. 

But  the  fact  remains  the  American  com- 
munity needs  definitive  leadership  that  will 
bring  us  from  the  mark  of  a  generation  of 
war  to  a  positive  posture  of  peace. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  Annual 
Conference  expressed  this  deep  concern  in 
June  1973.  Our  official  statement  on 
amnesty  there  asserted  that  "...  thousands 
of  persons  today  have  felt  the  effects  of  the 
dividing  wall  of  hostility  that  has  been 
generated  by  war.  Social  relationships  in 
the  family  and  between  families  have  been 
damaged  ..." 

It  is  to  heal  this  brokenness  that  we  are 
called. 

In  June  1973,  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
statement  came  through  like  a  voice  crying 
in  the  wilderness.  Efforts  to  effect  changes 
in  Congress  and  the  Administration 
seemed  almost  futile  but  very  essential.  We 
declared:  "...  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
regards  this  situation  with  concern  and 
sorrow  not  only  because  we  believe  that 
war  is  sin,  but  also  because  we  understand 
that  the  Gospel  message  can  bridge  the 
walls  of  hostility  that  exist  between  exiles, 
families,  and  government." 

This  listing  of  broken  relationships, 
along  with  a  call  to  each  member  and 
church  congregation  to  " . . .  provide  a  sup- 
portive community  for  all  persons  who 
desire  reconciliation  with  their  government, 
families,  and /or  local  communities," 
provided  the  backdrop  for  the  General 
Board  in  October,  1974,  to  call  for  a 
ministry  to  persons  caught  up  in  the 
"clemency"  proclaimed  by  President  Ford 
a  month  earlier. 

President  Ford's  proposal  was  not 
amnesty.  He  said  very  clearly,  "...  I  reject 
amnesty  and  I  reject  revenge."  The  latter, 
however,  is  exactly  what  we  have  gotten,  a 
punitive  program  of  earned  re-entry  which 
implies  that  the  young  objector  was  wrong 
and  the  nation  at  war  was  right.  The 


President's  call  was  for  "...  an  earned  re- 
entry into  a  new  atmosphere  of  hope,  hard 
work,  and  mutual  trust." 

In  reality,  we  got  a  program  that  was 
helpful  only  to  a  few  and  harmful  to  many. 
Less  than  12%  of  a  possible  500,000  per- 
sons eligible  for  earned  reentry  found 
themselves  taking  any  part  in  the  program. 

Where  does  this  leave  the  church  and 
American  society?  In  a  state  of  conflict  and 
confusion.  We  have  heard  a  call  for  hope 
while  experiencing  despair  and  disillusion- 
ment. We  have  seen  many  young  objectors 
who  are  still  without  their  civil  rights  or  the 
opportunity  to  make  even  a  short  home 
visit.  Thus  we  are  caught  between  hope  and 
despair  with  our  own  call  for  dealing  from 
a  position  of  compassion. 


T, 


-here  were  many  examples  of  intrigue 
and  injustice  within  the  "clemency" 
program.  For  instance,  some  called  the 
publicized  government  phone  numbers  to 
seek  information  only  to  have  their  conver- 
sations tapped  and  traced.  Others  who 
lived  outside  the  US  for  nearly  five  years 
found  that  charges  had  been  dropped  on 
their  cases  years  ago  or  that  there  were 
never  any  charges  filed.  Others  served  up 
to  18  months  or  more  in  prison  for  draft 
violations  and  found  themselves  being  re- 
quired to  serve  additional  periods  of 
"reconciliation  service"  as  determined  by 
the  Presidential  Clemency  Board.  And  the 
list  could  go  on. 

In  the  midst  of  this  is  our  church's  call 
for  breaking  down  the  dividing  walls  of 
hostility  and  for  repairing  the  brokenness 
within  families  and  communities. 

For  several  months  the  publicity  given 
the  clemency  program  took  the  issue  of 
amnesty  away  from  the  American  people. 
Now,  however.  Congress  has  placed  the 
issue  back  within  our  grasp.  During  these 
first  months  of  the  94th  Congress,  the  issue 
of  amnesty  will  be  dealt  with  in  terms  of 
committee  discussions,  public  debate,  and 
the  possible  reporting  out  of  a  bill  or  bills 
to  the  floor  of  Congress,  it  is  in  this  con- 
text we  now  have  the  opportunity  to  act. 

It  is  difficult  to  report  and  call  for  action 
here  on  an  issue  in  a  particular  way 
because  by  the  time  this  article  appears  a 


bill  may  have  changed  its  number  and/ or 
thrust.  Therefore,  we  need  to  speak  in 
general  terms  of  congresspersons  who  seem 
committed  to  principles  of  justice. 

During  these  months,  both  Senate  and 
House  Committees  will  be  acting  on  this 
issue.  In  the  Senate,  one  will  be  the  Sub- 
committee on  Administrative  Practice  and 
Procedure,  chaired  by  Senator  Edward  M. 
Kennedy  (D-Mass.).  One  in  the  House  is  a 
Subcommittee  of  the  House  Committee  of 
the  Judiciary,  chaired  by  Congressperson 
Robert  W.  Kastenmeir  (D-Wisc).  Each  of 
these  committees  will  conduct  hearings  that 
could  lead  to  the  reporting  out  of  amnesty 
bills  for  debate  and  action.  This  is  one 
juncture  at  which  we  can  become  involved. 

An  important  way  to  plug  in  to  this  con- 
gressional process  is  to  deal  directly  with 
both  our  own  representatives  and  with 
members  of  these  committees.  It  is  through 
the  committee  structure  that  basic 
decisions  are  made  for  most  legislation. 

We  need  to  visit  or  write  our  senators 
and  representatives  to  express  our  views.  It 
is  also  important  to  contact  the  chairper- 
sons of  the  two  committees.  We  need  to 
state  our  concerns  and  express  support  for 
a  Congressional  unconditional  amnesty. 
Asking  them  to  respond  with  their  views 
and  anticipated  actions,  enlisting  their  sup- 
port and  asking  them  to  keep  us  informed 
on  their  actions,  and  requesting  specific  in- 
formation causes  these  persons  to  focus  on 
the  issue.  Our  letters/contacts  are  then  less 
likely  to  be  lost  in  the  process  of  automa- 
tion. We  want  our  input  to  have  impact 
and  not  to  just  be  counted  as  part  of  a 
stack  of  mail. 

For  Brethren  it  is  important  to  act  now! 
We  were  and  are  currently  very  much  at 
the  center  of  the  counseling  community. 
During  the  height  of  the  ongoing  Vietnam 
conflict  we  provided  counsel  and  support, 
and,  in  some  cases,  even  facilities  for  in- 
dividuals acting  in  response  to  their  con- 
sciences. For  some,  this  included 
resistance. 

Now,  we  are  being  called  upon  again  to 
support  them — our  sons,  neighbors  and 
community  members — in  need  of  an  open, 
supportive  community.  We  can  respond  by 
supporting  efforts  toward  a  general  amnes- 
ty for  all  war  resisters.    D 

June  1975  messenger  45 


by  Robert  Tully 


i.nnual  Conferencegoers  this  year  have  the  op- 
portunity to  be  part  of  a  special  celebration.  Camp 
Mack,  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Waubee  near 
Milford,  Ind.,  is  marking  fifty  years  of  the  Brethren 
camping  experience. 

Out  of  young  people's  conferences  held  in 
rented  facilities,  1921-24,  arose  the  desire  for  a 
camp  "of  our  own."  That  desire  led  to  dreams, 
plans,  construction,  and  the  opening  of  Camp 
Alexander  Mack  July  27,  1925.  Deeter  Hall,  a  new- 
ly constructed  log  cabin,  served  as  administrative 
headquarters.  Sarah  Major  Hall,  barely  ready, 
served  as  assembly  hall,  dining  hall,  and  girls 
dorm.  Boys  and  their  counselors  slept  in  tents. 

Today  Camp  Mack,  serving  the  two  Indiana 


districts,  has  a  year-round  program  that  offers  not 
only  facilities  for  camps  and  conferences,  but  an 
outdoor  living  educational  environment  on  200 
acres  of  camp  property.  Probably  the  camp's  most 
famous  feature  is  located  in  the  auditorium:  a 
twelve-panel  mural  history  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  by  Brethren  artist  Medford  D.  Neher. 

June  15  is  marked  for  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary 
Mass  Meeting.  A  Golden  Anniversary  Youth 
Camp  will  be  held  August  17-23.  Brethren  who  are 
interested  in  attending  these  commemorative 
events,  or  in  seeing  the  camp  again — or  for  the  first 
time — should  contact  Arden  Ball,  Resident  Direc- 
tor, Camp  Mack,  Milford,  Indiana  46542.  Phone 
(219)  658-4831.  n 


46  MESSENGER  June  1975 


Clockwise:  An  aerial 
view  of  Camp  Mack  on 
the  shores  of  Lake 
Waubee.  A  1930s  scene 
of  leaving  day.  L.  W. 
Shultz,  a  founder  of 
Camp  Mack,  in  an  early 
photograph.  1929  camp 
leaders  pose  in  front  of 
Deeter  Cabin.  The  pres- 
ent-day scene — Becker 
Lodge  houses  the  dining 
hall  and  is  the  head- 
quarters for  the  eastern 
section     of    the    camp. 


"I  recommend  Love, 
Honor  &  Be  Free  to 
women  of  all  ages, 
married  or  single, 
who  are  still  unsure 
of  their  role  in  the 
light  of  Scripture." 

— Mrs.  Ken  Taylor 


> 


-BE-FI^E 

A  Christian  Woman's 
Response  to  Today's  Call 
for  Liberation 

h^  Maxine  Hancock 

"Be  free,"  you  say!  How? 
I  take  the  Bible  seriously,  and  it 
says  right  there  in  Ephesians 
6:22,  "Wives,  submit."  What's 
today's  Christian  woman  to 
do  . . .  dismiss  Paul  as  a  first 
century  Chauvinist?  Or  meekly 
give  in  to  the  "barefoot, 
pregnant  and  in  the  kitchen" 
image? 

Neither,  says  Maxine  Hancock. 
"The  more  closely  I  conform  to 
the  teachings  of  the  Word  of 
God,"  she  says,  "the  happier, 
freer,  and  more  fulfilled  I  am." 
Read  Maxine  Hancock's 
practical,  Bible-based,  life- 
tested  advice  in  LOVE,  HONOR 
&  BE  FREE. 

Cloth  $5.95 

At  your  Christian  bookstore  or  write 

7J9(  moo6y  pRess 

i  1  WM     THE  fVJANIE  VOU  CATM  TRUST 


Depl.  MCS,  150  W-  Chicago  Ave..  Chicago.  Illinois  60610M 


June  1975  messenger  47 


©dSteiTDaiD 


Pastor,  prophet,  and  power 


An  imaginative  form  of  Christian  discipleship  has 
been  launched  in  the  nation's  capital.  Through  a 
venture  sparked  by  the  Church  of  Our  Savior, 
some  30  persons  are  engaged  in  a  wrestling  with 
two  often  distinct  types  of  power— spiritual  and 
political. 

Their  wrestling  is  not  in  the  abstract.  Rather, 
the  focus  of  their  concern  as  a  group  is  a  specific 
legislative  issue.  Further,  as  individuals  they  seek 
to  relate  on  a  one-to-one  basis  to  a  particular 
member  of  Congress  who  carries  leadership 
responsibility  on  that  issue. 

Through  Dunamis  groups — the  word  dunamis 
taken  from  the  Greek  word  for  power — the  per- 
sons commit  themselves  to  a  deepening  of  faith  and 
to  a  channeling  of  power  into  the  political  realm. 
Mindful  of  the  power  given  the  disciples  at 
Pentecost,  these  present-day  disciples  seek  to  bring 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  bear  upon  political 
structures.  Personal  discipline,  group  accountabili- 
ty, Bible  study,  and  intercessory  prayer  are  integral 
to  the  Dunamis  approach. 

The  need  for  such  a  mission  group  was  pointed 
up  recently  in  an  address  we  heard  Sen.  Mark  Hat- 
field give  to  religious  communicators.  When 
church  representatives  come  calling  on  govern- 
ment, he  said,  he  feels  the  moral  or  social  position 
they  espouse  usually  is  set  forth  effectively.  But 
rarely  does  he  discern  from  these  same  leaders  an 
understanding  of  or  interest  in  the  dilemma  that  of- 
ficials may  face  in  arriving  at  a  decision  or  in  de- 
fending an  unpopular  stance.  He  insists  "the 
church  has  not  sufficiently  realized  the  potential 
impact  and  importance  of  its  pastoral  responsibili- 
ty to  those  in  political  power." 

As  another  on-the-scenes  observer  put  it,  the 
politician  may  be  so  bombarded  with  visitors, 
letters,  schedules,  and  other  demands  as  to  find  lit- 
tle or  no  opportunity  to  think  deeply  and  openly 


on  issues.  Or  be  so  engrossed  in  maintaining  an  im- 
age of  righteousness  as  to  lose  sight  of  that  which  is 
right.  Or  be  so  caught  up  in  serving  the  public  as  to 
lose  touch  with  oneself. 

What  Dunamis  people  seek  to  cultivate  are 
relationships  in  which  they  can  be  both  pastoral 
and  prophetic.  They  seek  to  be  pastor  and  prophet 
to  persons  who  carry  the  awesome  responsibility  of 
government  by  praying  for  these  persons  daily,  by 
studying  at  depth  the  issues  to  which  these  persons 
are  called  to  give  leadership,  by  interacting  with 
them  as  opportunities  can  be  arranged,  by  building 
a  relationship  in  which  the  living  Christ  is  en- 
countered. 


Th, 


.he  Dunamis  model  is  refreshing  on  many 
counts.  It  does  not  argue  personal  salvation  over 
social  action  or  vice  versa;  it  entails  both.  It  neither 
reveres  nor  disdains  those  elected  to  positions  of 
authority;  it  recognizes  the  church  has  gifts  to 
share  with  them  in  their  tasks.  It  does  not  preach  or 
speak  to  them  with  an  all-knowing  attitude;  it 
aspires  for  a  relationship  of  mutual  freedom  and 
respect.  At  times  it  may  do  little  more  than  help  the 
elected  official  live  by  the  courage  of  conviction, 
and  to  facilitate  that  conviction  being  arrived  at 
through  contemplation. 

The  Dunamis  goals  and  disciplines  commend 
themselves  to  varied  situations — within  the  local 
parish  and  community  as  well  as  in  national 
government.  Begin  by  thinking  of  instances  where 
you  and  a  cluster  of  persons  with  similar  concerns 
might  be  pastor  and  prophet  to  others  with  special 
needs  or  special  responsibilities.  Outline  the  dis- 
ciplines that  will  enable  you  to  be  bearers  of  New 
Life.  Enumerate  the  gifts  that  are  yours  to  give  as 
people  called  of  God.  And  finally,  reach  out,  in 
confidence  and  love. — h.e.r. 


48  MEiSENGER  June  1975 


Brethren  reprints  from 

yesterday^s  America-^ 
in  paperback 


Inglenook  Doctor  Book,  Introduced  by  Walter  C. 
Alvarez,  M.D.,  Emeritus  Senior  Consultant,  Mayo 
Clinic — Dr.  Walter  C.  Alvarez  describes  the  Inglenook 
Doctor  Book,  first  issued  in  1903,  as  a  "charming  and 
delightful  look  at  the  not-too-distant  American  past." 
Like  the  Inglenook  Cook  Book,  the  Doctor  Book  consisted 
of  remedies  and  cures  "contributed  by  sisters  of  the 
Brethren  church,  subscribers  and  friends  of  the  In- 
glenook Magazine." 

Today's  readers  will  find  in  the  book  a  source  of 
humor  and  earthy  wisdom  as  well  as  a  mirror  of  a 
heritage  reflecting  the  necessities  of  an  earlier, 
simpler,  and  harsher  life. 


Anna  Elizabeth:  A  Girl  of  the  Plain  People,  Lucile 
Long — You've  heard  about  the  Christopher  Sowers, 
Peter  Becker,  Peter  Miller,  Conrad  Beissel.  If  all  that 
seems  so  long  ago  and  far  away,  perhaps  the  most 
convenient  way  to  learn  more  about  the  1740's  in 
Pennsylvania  is  to  discover — or  rediscover — the  world 
of  Anna  Elizabeth. 

Lucile  Long's  story  of  a  twelve-year-old  Brethren 
girl,  growing  up  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  in  1747-48, 
first  appeared  as  a  serial  in  the  Gospel  Messenger  in 
1942.  It  is  now  available  in  a  bright  colored  paperback 
edition,  with  a  new  introduction  by  the  author. 


INGLENOOK  DOCTOR  BOOK 

ANNA  ELIZABETH:  A  Girl  of  the  Plain  People 


Name . 


Address. 


City,  State,  Zip. 


$1 .50  each,  30C  postage  and  handling 

THE  BRETHREN  PRESS  T^k 

1451  Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  IL60120 


when  economic  need  threatens  the  joy  of 
retirement,  it  is  time  for  someone  to  act. 
And  the  church  does!  Through  the 
Ministerial  and  Missionary  Service  Fund, 
assistance  is  given  to  long-time  servants  of 
the  church.  This  year,  grants  are  going  to 
fifty-seven  individuals,  most  of  whom  are 
in  their  eighties.  The  main  source  of  support 
is  the  Brotherhood  Fund  which  is  made 
possible  by  congregations  and  individuals. 
Help  the  church  help  those  whose  ____ 
lives  have  been  a  ministry  to  others.  ■ 
Send  your  gift  to  the  Brotherhood 
Fund  today. 


M  &  M  SERVICE  FUND 


Name . 


St./RFD 
City 


I 


State - 


.Zip. 


Congregation. 
Amount  $ 


District. 


ANNUAL  CONFERENCE  OFFERING  1975 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  BOARD,  1451  DUNDEE  AVE.,  ELGIN,  IL  60120 


messenger 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN         JULY  1975 


DISASTER 
STRIKES 


©©[TQl^SDT]!^^ 


Dsl^l^sir^ 


Celebration  and  Reconstruction.  Richard  l.  Landrum 

writes:  "If  the  flag  is  to  stand  inside  Christ's  church  at  all,  it  stands 
there  as  a  reminder  that  we  have  responsibilities  outside  the  celebration 
of  this  kingdom  on  Sunday  morning." 

Rekindling  the  Spark,  in  our  cover  story  Randy  Miller  lifts  up 
the  Disaster  Response  Network  as  the  flint  that  rekindles  the  hidden 
spark  of  spontaneity  in  giving  that  our  Brethren  forerunners  displayed 
for  each  other  and  for  their  community. 

Ark  Image.  Paul  Grout  gives  new  insight  into  the  story  of  Noah  and 
the  Ark.  He  says,  "The  echo  of  the  slamming  Ark  door  rings  down 
through  the  ages  as  a  sign  of  wrath  and  hope." 

Ark.  Messenger  presents  original  interpretations  of  the  occupants  of 
Noah's  Ark.  The  results  encompass  humor,  social  and  ecological 
statements,  and  a  wide  range  of  styles  and  techniques. 

Glossolalia:  The  Spiritual  Gift  Least  Understood. 

Matthew  M.  Meyer  takes  an  objective  look  at  glossolalia,  or  "speaking 
in  tongues,"  the  most  controversial  and  confusing  aspect  of  the 
charismatic  movement. 

The  Lord  and  Elder  Swallow.  A  91-year-old  Brethren  elder 
has  had  a  long  and  fruitful  pilgrimage  with  the  Lord.  It  all  began  when 
he  stole  a  Bible  in  the  Philippines  in  1901.  Still  going  strong  —  now  as  a 
sort  of  guru  for  "the  boys  and  girls  of  the  highways"  of  the  San  Fran- 
cisco area  —  Elder  James  F.  Swallow  tells  his  story  to  Messenger's 
managing  editor. 


In  Touch  introduces  Noble  Sherck  of  Goshen.  Ind.;  J.  Perry  Prather  of 
Ashland,  Ohio;  and  Ralph  Royer  of  Jos,  Nigeria  (2)  . . .  Outlook  reports  on 
evangelism  counselors,  life-style  workshop,  Indochina  refugees,  PVS,  BVS 
retreat,  Roger  Ingold,  Manifesto,  Robert  Byerly  (start  on  4)  , . .  Underlines  (7) 
. . .  Here  1  Stand  statements  by  Dale  Aukerman  and  Stephen  B.  Reid  (30)  . . . 
People  &  Parish  stories  from  Charlottesville,  Va.;  Newton,  Kans.;  Louisville, 
Ohio;  Elgin,  111.;  La  Verne,  Calif.;  Frostburg,  Md.  (32)  . . .  Film  Review  (34)  . . . 
Turning  Points  (35)  ...  Editorial  (36) 


EDITOR 

Howard  E    Royer 
MANAGING  EDITOR 
Kermon  Thomason 
ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 
KennetK  I    Morse 
DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 
Clyde  E   Weaver 
PUBLISHER 
Galen  B   Ogden 

VOL    124,  NO   7  JULY  1975 

CREDITS:  Cover,  12  fourth  from  lop.  Dick 
Roller,  3.  6  Edward  J,  Buzinski.  8.  24  art  by  Ken 
Stanley,  10.  12  third  from  top  Ken  Kreider,  12 
second  from  top  Tuscaloosa  \e\vs:  top.  bottom 
left  Tom  Ryan;  bottom  right  BVS  office,  1.1  Ray 
Good,  15  Philadelphia  Museum  of  Art,  16-20 
Communications  Arts.  21  Three  Lions,  24.  27 
photos  by  Kermon  Thomason,  32  Leland  Wilson, 
33  drawing  by  Alvin  Lewis,  34  Fihti  Infontiation. 


Mi-sshNotR  IS  the  oflicial  publication  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug,  20.  1918.  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct,  17, 
1917,  Filing  date.  Oct,  I,  1974,  Misssenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service,  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version, 

Subscription  rates:  $5,00  per  year  for  indi- 
vidual subscriptions;  $4,00  per  year  for  Church 
Group  Plan;  $4,00  per  year  for  gift  subscriptions; 
$2,75  for  school  rate  (9  months);  life  subscription. 
$75,00,  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from 
Messenger  and  send  with  new  address. 
Allow  at  least  five  weeks  for  address 
change.  Messenger  is  owned  and 
published  monthly  by  the  General 
Services  Commission,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Board.  1451  Dundee 
Ave,,  Elgin,  111,  60120,  Second-class 
postage  paid  at  Elgin.  111,.  July  1975,  Copyright 
1975.    Church   of  the   Brethren   General    Board. 


■ 


WITHOUT  JUMPING  TO  CONCLUSIONS 

As  one  ol  very  lew  ordained  non-whil 
Church  of  the  Brethren  ministers  here  i 
America.  1  wish  to  express  my  concern  over  th 
Annual  Conference  Bulletin  about  the  Rhodt 
sian  exchange  student  in  the  May  Messengef 
Without  jumping  to  any  conclusion,  which 
must  confess  a  strong  impulse  to  do,  let  me  ask 
few  questions: 

1,  Why  was  it  necessary  to  specify  that  th 
Rhodesian  student  was  white? 

2,  Is  this  racial  identity  as  advertised  her  (th 
student's)  preference  or  Messenger's? 

3,  What  additional  benefit  that  may  be  dis 
tinctively  Christian  is  served  by  indicating  sue 
an  identity? 

4,  Did  the  ad  go  through  the  Messenge 
editorial  or  whatever  board? 

I  believe  we,  meaning  our  denomination  a 
well  as  our  publication,  must  do  a  lot  more  tha 
carry  an  article  or  two  on  John  Perkins'  ministr 
and  missionary  work  in  Nigeria,  Let  us  b 
biblical  about  it. 

Ka  Tong  G,'\w 
Maywood,  111. 

(We  appreciate  your  not  jumping  to  conclu 
siiin.  The  bulletin  in  question  was  not  inlende, 
as  "racial  identity."  Rather,  it  reflected  the  un 
fortunate  political  situation  in  Rhodesia,  wher 
a  white  minority  government  rules  a  large  pop 
ulation  of  African  blacks.  The  family  placing  th 
bulletin  simply  felt  that  Brethren  who  would  re 
spond  to  the  request  would  do  so  because  of  in 
terest  in  Africa  and  the  Rhodesian  poliiicc 
situation.  And,  if  so,  they  considered  it  relevan 
to  know  which  side  of  that  divisive  situation  th 
student  represented.  That  was  the  sole  purpos. 
of  the  identity.  A  rough  parallel  might  be:  "Mid 
die  East  exchange  student  (Arab)  . . .  " — Ed.) 

DISCERNING  THE  GOSPEL 

We  enjoy  Messenger.  It  seems  to  have  quiti 
a  bit  of  "Gospel"  to  it  yet. 

We  have  been  getting  the  magazine  in  ou 
home  all  58  years  of  married  life, 

Harlev  F.  Hoover 
Albany,  Ore. 

OBSCENITIES  ON  TV 

During  recent  months  the  ever-increasing  ust 
of  profanity  and  obscene  language  in  all  types  o 
tv  shows  with  the  exception  of  religious  ones  ha; 
become  a  source  of  great  concern  to  us. 

We  are  writing  a  letter  of  protest  to  the  thret 
major  networks  and  have  instituted  a  campaigr 
among  our  friends  to  do  likewise.  We  feel  this  tc 
be  our  duty  as  Christian  witnesses. 

Isn't  there  something  that  our  church  can  do 
perhaps  through  our  Washington  Office?  A' 
least  those  who  feel  that  this  is  a  growing 
menace  to  the  Christian  life  should  write  theii 
opposition  to  the  networks.  Perhaps  Messengef 
could  promote  a  campaign. 

Dean  and  Adaline  Weibly 
Lansing,  N.  Y. 


pagjs  (n)ini(B 


HOW  ARE  WE  KNOWN? 

Today  we  received  the  May  Messenger.  That 
was  the  best  number  yet.  I  really  liked  "Im- 
pressions of  Niger"  and  Joel  Thompson's  "All  in 
the  Ecumenical  Family." 

Our  April  Messenger  was  with  us  as  we  sat 
recently  in  the  bus  depot  in  Springfield,  Mo.  A 
young  man,  seeing  it,  asked  us  if  we  were 
Brethren.  Then  he  said  he  was  a  student  at 
McPherson  College.  We  told  him  we  were  stu- 
ent  Roxy  Royer's  grandparents  and  he 
remembered  to  tell  her  that  he  had  seen  us.  And 
all  because  of  that  Messenger, 

That  just  emphasizes  the  feeling  I  had  in 
Nigeria  as  a  missionary.  The  Moslems  pray  and 
let  folk  know  their  religion,  but  the  Christians  — 
how  are  they  known?  I  was  reminded  of  that  on 
the  Yola  ferry  when  a  Moslem  began  to  pray.  I 
wondered  how  many  of  the  others  on  the  ferry 
raft  were  Christians,  but  1  had  to  ask  to  find  out. 

Gladys  Rover 
La  Verne,  Calif. 

DISCERNING  AND  CRITICAL 

During  the  past  few  days  I've  read  and  reread 
the  editorial  in  the  April  Messenger  "A  Discer- 
ling.  Critical  Minority." 

1  simply  want  to  say  that  this  article  came  to 
me  at  a  very  appropriate  time  and  served  as  one 
if  the  finest  sermons  I've  known  in  a  long  time. 

Roger  Ingold 
ios,  Nigeria 

SURPRISE  ON  THE  NEWSSTAND 

It  was  a  very  pleasant  surprise,  as  a  newcomer 
to  Arcadia,  Fla.,  to  walk  into  the  grocery  store 
nd  see  Edward  Ziegler's  Simple  Living 
isplayed  on  the  newsstand.  I  purchased  a  copy 
nd  found  within  it  another  surprise — a  glimpse 
nto  the  life-style  of  Jason  and  Julie  Bauserman. 
ast  January,  while  the  snow  swirled  outside,  I 
njoyed  their  cozy  home;  and  watched  them 
repare  and  share  with  me  a  meal  of  organically- 
rown  foods.  As  I  stepped  out  into  the  winter 
torm,  I  asked  myself,  "Are  these  two  gifted  per- 
ons  wasting  their  talents  or  are  they  pioneers  on 
lew  trails  to  the  abundant  life?" 

Finding  their  story  in  Simple  Living  1200 
niles  from  their  home  is  a  thrill  indeed!  Con- 
;ratulations  to  Brethren  Press  for  putting  Sim- 
le  Living  on  the  newsstands.  Many  Americans 
.re  going  to  be  grateful  for  its  message. 

Joe  Rittenhouse 
Wcadia,  Fla. 

ULL  OF  TRUTH  AND  HELP 

I  was  given  the  March  Messenger  to  read  the 
tory  "The  Night  Jesus  Came  to  Love  Feast."  I 
on't  know  when  I  have  ever  read  anything  so 
ronderful,  so  full  of  truth  and  help  as  in  this  ar- 
icle.  Is  there  any  way  I  could  get  a  few  copies  of 
his  story?  Please  send  me  a  few  if  you  have 
hem.  I  know  of  some  whom  this  might  help. 
Dorothy  Baker 
ames  Creek,  Pa. 


AN  ISSUE  IN  REVIEW 

Messenger,  April  1975,  tops  all  previous  tops! 
Layout,  front  and  back  cover,  center  spread  — 
great.  Almost  every  page  of  contents  merits 
comment,  but  1  will  limit  to  following. 

Especially  liked  the  editorial.  1  have  long  kept 
a  file  labeled  "Fanatics  for  Freedom,"  pending 
time  to  draft  an  article  with  "cases"  illustrating 
the  excellent  points  you  make. 

Manchester  students  participating  in  proba- 
tion today  ("Students  and  Offenders,"  p.  10)  had 
forerunners  in  the  1940s,  when  several  graduates 
were  recruited  by  pioneer  Cook  County  (III.) 
Juvenile  Court.  A  contemporary/professional, 
the  long-time  assistant  director  of  probation, 
Irene  Kawin,  now  retired,  used  to  report  the 
court's  great  satisfaction  with  the  skill  and  com- 
mitment of  Manchester  recruits.  They  would 
hire  all  MC  graduates  available. 

Donald  Durnbaugh's  excellent  article  on 
Sarah  Major  mentions  her  conversion  by  a 
woman  preacher.  I  am  in  the  process  of  finishing 
an  historical  vignette  for  Brethren  Life  and 
Thought  on  this  New  England  early  woman 
preacher  of  Puritan  non-Brethren  descent, 
Harriet  Livermore  ( 1788-1868).  Miss  Livermore 
was  accepted  in  some  Brethren  pulpits  and  was 
buried  by  her  Brethren  friend  and  benefactor, 
Margaret  Worrell,  in  her  lot  in  the  Germantown 
meeting  house  cemetery. 

Messenger  is  to  be  congratulated  on  the  ex- 
cellent contents  of  wide  interest  of  each  issue. 
Harvey  L.  Long 
Elmhurst.  111. 

NOT  CHRISTIAN  AND  NOT  BRETHREN 

I  am  concerned  over  two  statements  in  the 
May  Messenger.  On  page  4  the  present  form  of 
life  in  China  is  compared  to  Christianity  and 
praised.  Again,  on  page  34,  inference  is  made 
that  God  may  have  been  at  work  in  China's 
history  to  produce  what  is  compared  to  a 
Brethren  way  of  life. 

I  agree  that  what  is  described  in  these  articles 
sounds  almost  Utopian,  but  1  am  concerned  over 
what  isn't  taken  into  account  by  these  observers. 
The  present  Chinese  way  of  life  has  been  arrived 
at  at  the  cost  of  millions  of  lives.  Whole  classes 
were  exterminated  so  that  only  those  who  were 
willing  to  cooperate  could  live.  Does  this  sound 
Christian?  Is  this  the  way  God  works  in  history? 

I  have  no  answers.  I  am  not  a  right-wing  nut. 
I  have  great  concern  over  the  inequality  of 
wealth  in  the  world  and  for  the  millions  of  peo- 
ple who  are  hungry.  But  1  also  have  a  concern 
that  we  K  not  blind  to  other  equally  important 
considerations  when  we  seek  solutions  to  the 
world's  problems.  Considerations  like  political 
freedom,  intellectual  freedom,  and  religious 
freedom.  Agreed,  that  problems  would  be  much 
easier  to  solve  if  everyone  who  didn't  want  to 
cooperate  were  eliminated. 

But  this  is  nol  Christian  and  it  is  not  Brethren. 
Carolyn  Teach  Denlinger 
Tipp  City,  Ohio 


It  was  back  in  April,  when  spring  rains 
were  inundating  the  Elgin  area,  that 
Messenger's  editors  thought  of  picking 
up  the  Ark  theme  in  an  upcoming  issue  of 
the  magazine.  Come  to  think  of  it,  it  may 
have  been  further  back  than  that,  about 
the  time  the  Fox  river  was  overflowing 
from  the  thawing  winter  snow. 

Communication  Arts  magazine  kindly 
cooperated  with  us  to  present  the  exhibit 
of  Ark  paintings  in  the  color  section  we 
are  running  this  month.  Not  a  bad  idea 


the\  had,  inviting  different  persons  to 
offer  their  original  Ark  interpretations.  It 
could  be  used  in  your  church  or  Sunday 
school  on  a  special  study  topic. 

Paul  Grout,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  a 
Bethany  Seminary  senior,  and  artist  and 
writer,  caught  our  enthusiasm  and  on 
short  notice  supplied  the  Bible  Study.  An 
Edward  Hicks  painting  of  Noah's  Ark, 
mentioned  in  a  Messenger  article  about 
the  artist  last  December,  fitted  beautifully 
as  an  illustration  for  Paul's  article. 

The  deluge  of  Noah's  day  was  the 
greatest  natural  calamity  recorded  in 
history.  Present  day  disasters  pale  beside 
it.  Yet,  for  their  unfortunate  victims,  they 
suffice  as  good  substitutes.  Com- 
munications Intern  Randy  Miller 
researched  and  wrote  our  July  cover  story 
about  the  wholehearted  response  of  the 
Brethren  to  their  neighbors'  need  when 
such  disasters  strike. 

Matt  Meyer,  who  explains  glossolalia  to 
us,  is  Parish  Ministries  consultant  for 
evangelism.  Richard  L.  Landrum  is  pastor 
of  the  Stone  Church  in  Huntingdon,  Pa. 
This  month's  Here  I  Stand  contributors 
are  Stephen  Reid,  a  Bethany  Seminary 
student,  and  Dale  Aukerman,  Mid- 
Atlantic  peace  evangelist.  Film  reviewers 
Peter  P.  Schillaci  and  Bea  Rothenbuecher 
write  for  Film  Information,  a  service  of 
the  Communication  commission. 
National  Council  of  Churches.  In  Touch 
writer  Brian  Anderson  is  from 
Minneapolis,  Minn.  Lois  Teach  Paul, 
People  &  Parish  writer,  is  managing  editor 
of  Agenda. — The  Editors. 


July  1975  messenger  1 


Noble  Sherck:  Bible-toting  Supersalesman 


When  Noble  Sherck  gathers  his  feed 
customers  together  for  a  meeting,  he 
doesn't  open  the  session  with  a  racy 
story  or  raucous  joke.  He  reads  a 
bibhcal  passage. 

When  he  travels  the  country  roads 
of  his  Supersweet  sales  territory  near 
Goshen,  Ind.,  he  doesn't  keep  a  golf 
bag  in  the  back  seat  ready  for  a  quick 
game  with  a  customer.  He  keeps  in- 
stead a  supply  of  apples  that  he  shares 
with  his  customers  when  he  talks  with 
them  in  the  field. 

After  a  hard  day  of  work.  Noble 
doesn't  relax  by  plopping  himself 
down  in  front  of  a  tv  set  for  the  eve- 
ning. He  goes  home  and  plays  the 
piano  and  writes  poems. 

For  38  years  Noble  Sherck  has  been 
selling  feed  to — and  earning  the 
goodwill  of — the  dealers  and  farmers 
of  LaGrange  and  Elkhart  counties  in 
northern  Indiana.  More  than  a 
salesman,  he  has  to  be  a  financial 
counselor,  marketing  man,  accounts 
receivable  man,  civic  man,  chemist, 
diplomat,  churchman, . . .  "and  a  good 
husband  too,"  he  says. 

Noble  drives  between  600  and  800 
miles  a  week,  visiting  each  of  his  ten 
dealers  at  least  once  and  making  in- 
numerable calls  on  farmers.  He  helps 
solve  their  feeding  problems. 

Noble  is  a  man  of  strong  religious 


conviction — a  factor  of  some 
significance  in  a  farm  area  dominated 
by  Amish  and  Mennonites.  When  he 
deals  with  his  customers,  he  treats 
them  as  fellow  Christians — an  attitude 
that  is  respected  and  appreciated  by 
the  farmers  and  dealers. 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  religion  to 
pop  up  somewhere  in  a  discussion  of 
flaked  feed  or  total  digestible 
nutrients,  for  religion  is  as  much  a  part 
of  the  daily  lives  of  Noble  and  his 
customers  as  is  the  well-being  of  the 
farmers'  livestock. 

Although  almost  all  his  customers 
are  religious  people.  Noble  suggests  he 
would  use  the  same  sales  approach 
regardless  of  the  territory  in  which  he 
worked.  "And  I  would  sell  feed  too," 
he  added.  "You  just  have  to  be  what 
you  are." 

At  age  62,  Noble  admits  to  feeling  a 
bit  tired  at  times,  even  though  his 
enthusiasm  and  positive  attitude  re- 
main as  strong  as  ever. 

"First  of  all,  sell  yourself — then  you 
can  sell  anything,"  Noble  says.  "You 
must  also  have  the  right  attitude  and, 
along  with  that,  plenty  of  enthusiasm. 
Add  God  as  your  partner,  and  no  one 
can  stop  you."  —  Brian  Anderson 


infefelh 


Ralph  Royer:  Suited 


t 


Mission  boards,  it  seems  to  me,  hav 
always  attempted  to  work  from  an 
inoperable  premise:  Ideally  their  mis 
sionaries  should  be  endued  with  a 
passion  for  souls  that  can  surmount 
all  obstacles,  while  at  the  same  time 
having  that  passion  so  disciplined 
that  no  roots  of  their  own  souls  taktiu 
hold  in  the  land  of  their  endeavors 
Yet  the  most  effective  missionaries 
are  the  ones  most  likely  to  be  flawe(, 
by  lapses  of  that  discipline. 

Take  Ralph  Royer,  for  instance 
He  was  born  in  Nigeria  to  mis- 
sionaries Harold  ("Red")  and  Glady 
Royer.  He  grew  up  in  Nigeria  and 
learned  the  Margi  language  alongsid 
of  English.  After  college  in  the  US  h 
returned  to  Nigeria.  That  was  in 
1953.  Since  then,  except  for  short 
leaves  (even  in  the  times  when  mis 
sionaries  were  expected  to  take  year  „ 
long  furloughs)  Ralph  has  lived  and,,! 
worked  in  the  land  and  among  the 
people  he  loves.  Nigeria  is  home. 
There  Ralph  met  and  married  Flossij. 
Miller,  a  missionary  nurse,  and  theii 
three  daughters  have  spent  their  pre  ,( 
college  lives  in  their  parents' 
"homeland." 

Knowing  his  "fellow  Nigerians"  a; 
he  does  (they  call  him  Bzir  V'irgwi, 
"son  of  Virgwi."  the  village  where  hiL 
was  born  in  1932),  Ralph  has  been 
effective  as  an  administrator  in  the 
education  work  of  the  Church  of  th' 
Brethren  Mission  (CBM).  After 
several  years  as  a  primary  school 
teacher,  he  became  in  1959  supervise 
of  the  mission's  primary  school 
system  (the  area  then  had  few 


cl 


2  MESSENGER  July  1975 


lel 

vernment-run  schools.)  In  the  late 
60s  he  was  instrumental  in  the 
ooth  turnover  of  that  system  to 

local  governments. 
Worked  out  of  that  job,  Ralph 
xt  took  on  the  task  of  superinten- 
nt  of  Waka  Schools,  an 
Licational  complex  of  a  large 
chers'  college  and  a  secondary 
lool.  In  1972,  that  position  being 
minated  as  Waka  moved  toward 
nover  as  well,  the  Royers  took  an 
ignment  as  houseparents  at 
Merest  School,  an  institution  begun 
the  1940s  for  CBM  missionary 
Idren,  but  gradually  expanded  to 
lude  other  missions  and  Nigerians 
well. 

Vow  a  new  challenge  has  been 
;sented  to  Ralph  and  Flossie.  With 

$145,000  food  production 
)gram  for  Niger  Republic  voted 
t  October  by  the  General  Board, 
Iph  has  been  tapped  to  survey  that 
hel  country  north  of  Nigeria  and 
)pose  directions  for  the  project. 
iVith  Ralph's  years  spent  in 

leria,  his  intimate  knowledge  of 

lean  culture,  his  educational 
:kground  in  agriculture,  his  facility 
languages  — Margi,  Bura,  Hausa, 
ne  Fulani  and  Kanuri  (he  is  busy 
dying  French  now)  —  World 
nistries  has  picked  a  natural  for 

job!  — K.T. 


J.  Perry  Prather:  Hed  do  it  again 


Reflecting  on  more  than  sixty  years 
in  the  ministry,  J.  Perry  Prather  can 
recall  vividly  the  day  the  church 
called  him  to  preach  (the  first  Satur- 
day in  October,  1914),  and  he  has 
some  strong  convictions  concerning 
the  church  in  1975. 

There  was  an  all-day  council 
meeting  at  the  North  Bethel  church 
near  Mound  City.  Missouri,  on  that 
October  day  when  Perry  was  unani- 
mously elected  to  be  a  minister.  But 
for  him  the  call  came  from  God,  and 
"immediately  my  whole  life  plan  was 
changed." 

A  year  later  Perry  was  a  student  at 
Bethany  Bible  School,  but  his  train- 
ing was  just  beginning.  Later  he 
graduated  from  McPherson  College 
and  Yale  Divinity  School.  And 
together  with  Hope  Deardorff,  whom 
Perry  married  in  1921,  he  was  now 
prepared  to  accept  a  series  of  signifi- 
cant pastorates  in  Brethren  churches; 
Ashland,  Ohio;  West  Dayton  (now 
Mack  Memorial),  Ohio;  Detroit, 
Michigan;  Waterloo,  Iowa;  and  Ash- 
land, Ohio  (in  a  second  pastorate). 
Since  retirement  the  Prathers  have 
served  in  more  than  75  churches  of 
13  different  denominations.  They  are 
now  living  in  Ashland. 

As  a  pastor  who  was  sensitive  to 
the  needs  of  people.  Perry  sometimes 
found  it  necessary  to  move  ahead  of 
the  church  at  large,  as  when  in  the 
twenties  he  pioneered  in  developing 
church  membership  materials,  when 
in  the  forties  he  launched  a  daily 
devotional  booklet,  or  when  he 
helped  organize  local  councils  of 


churches  and  developed  religious 
news  programs  for  radio  and  televi- 
sion. 

About  the  church  today  and  its 
needs,  J.  Perry  Prather  can  be  quite 
specific.  Regarding  the  ministry,  he 
says,  "I  have  served  in  the  free 
ministry,  moving  into  the  salaried 
ministry.  1  feel  a  grave  danger  looms 
in  overprofessionalizing  the 
ministry."  He  feels  that  church  choirs 
have  vastly  improved  through  the 
years,  but  warns  against  "dead  for- 
malism" in  worship.  He  regrets  that 
"the  laying  on  of  hands  is  passing  out 

of  our  church  life People  take  too 

lightly  the  call  to  service." 

Perry  calls  for  reemphasizing  the 
anointing  service:  "Healing  was  at  the 
heart  of  Christ's  ministry,  and  must 
be  in  ours."  Another  basic  concern  is 
for  evangelism;  "Nothing  is  com- 
parable to  winning  men  for  Christ. 
The  most  powerful  force  on  earth  is  a 
human  soul  on  fire  for  God." 

After  more  than  sixty  years  in  the 
ministry,  J.  Perry  Prather  says  he 
would  do  it  again.  "God  has  a  great 
work  for  our  church  in  the  future." 
He  is  especially  appreciative  of  the 
support  his  wife  Hope  has  given  him 
("a  marvelous  strength  in  my 
ministry").  He  continues  to  pray  that 
the  church  will  come  alive,  asserting 
that  "our  greatest  need  is  to  keep  our 
spirits  aglow  and  on  fire  for 
Christ."— K.l.M. 


July  1975  MESSENGER  3 


Fort  Chaffee's  message 
'Don't  slam  the  door!' 

It  is  midnight  at  Fort  Chaffee.  Arkansas, 
but  in  the  Church  World  Service  office  the 
lights  still  burn  and  volunteer  Rita  Beam 
types  the  final  file  copies  of  the  day's 
refugee  processing.  A  spring  storm  brews 
in  the  skies  over  the  Vietnam  refugee  camp 
as  an  exhausted  Galen  Beery  progresses 
slowly  from  one  building  to  the  next  in  the 
pre-storm  sprinkle  with  the  last  little  group 
of  the  day.  A  paper  signed  here,  a  docu- 
ment verified  there,  an  indispensable  form 
photo  copied  in  another  building  . . .  Final- 
ly, as  the  rain  begins  to  fall  in  earnest,  he 
announces  to  a  weary  ex-GI.  his  Viet- 
namese wife,  and  her  sister  that  final 
government  approval  has  been  granted. 
Tears  join  the  raindrops  on  her  face  as 
refugee  Nhung  Hoang  realizes  she  is  free  to 
join  her  sister  and  brother-in-law  as  a  new 
American.  She  gropes  for  English  words  to 
tell  her  gratitude. 

Since  May  12.  Church  World  Service 
(CWS)  has  operated  a  refugee  resettlement 
office  at  Fort  Chaffee  (and  at  Eglin  Field. 
Fla.,  and  Camp  Pendleton.  Calif.)  as  a  link 
in  the  chain  of  voluntary  agency  offices 
wrestling  with  the  problem  of  finding  new 
lives  for  the  some  130.000  Vietnamese 


who  left  South  Vietnam  after  its  collapse  in 
April. 

Mac  Coffman.  director  of  the  Brethren 
Service  Center.  New  Windsor.  Maryland, 
who  directed  the  Fort  Chaffee  office  until 
mid-June,  tersely  defines  the  job  of  CWS: 
"To  make  sponsorship  available  to  the 
refugees  and  work  out  a  good  resettlement 
for  them,  not  just  a  placement  to  get  them 
out  of  the  camp." 

To  do  that.  Coffman  and  his  successor. 
Galen  Beery,  with  a  staff  of  Americans  and 
refugees,  coordinate  responses  from  the 
Protestant  groups  represented  in  CWS.  Of 
the  29.000  refugees  who  have  come  to  Fort 
Chaffee.  CWS  hopes  to  resettle  10.000.  and 
more  if  sponsorship  response  is  favorable. 

First  glance  impressions  of  the  Fort 
Chaffee  camp  suggest  a  small  southern 
college  campus  on  freshman  registration 
day.  but  closer  scrutiny  reveals  the  real 
trauma  suffered  behind  the  facade.  The 
refugees  mask  with  a  polite  demeanor  an 
array  of  acute  anxieties — loved  ones  lost  or 
left  behind  in  circumstances  perhaps 
forever  unknown,  memories  of  un- 
speakable war  horrors  witnessed  or  en- 
countered, the  panic  of  flight,  and  above 
all  now  the  uncertain  future  ahead  in 
America. 

In  the  US  government  offices  and  those 
of  CWS  and  the  other  voluntary  agencies 


A  noiher  Vietnamese  refugee  placed:  Galen  Beery  (right)  looks  on  with  satisfaction  as  the 
Michael  Speers  of  Joplin.   Missouri,  get  final  clearance  stamp  for  Nhung  Hoang  (left). 


the  bedlam  that  prevailed  in  May  has  been 
gradually  reduced  to  a  complicated  but 
workable  system.  Galen  Beery  compares 
the  red  tape  to  "a  garden  hose  with  a  kink 
in  it.  You  can't  just  give  it  a  flip  and 
straighten  it.  You  have  to  work  the  kink  all 
along  the  way  to  the  end  of  the  hose." 

Basically,  the  government  screens  the 
refugees  through  identification,  health,  and 
security  checks.  The  voluntary  agencies 
handle  the  actual  resettlement,  with  the 
government  okaying  the  final  release  from 
the  camp. 

The  refugees,  upon  initial  interviews,  are 
put  into  two  classifications — those  with 
sponsors  (relatives  or  someone  they  know 
in  the  US)  and  those  without.  Sponsors 
likewise  are  divided — those  with  specific 
refugees  in  mind  and  those  without.  Get- 
ting refugees  and  sponsors  who  know  each 
other  together  is  relatively  simple.  More 
time-consuming  is  the  matching  up  of  the 
others. 

Appealing  to  Church  of  the  Brethren 
congregations  to  respond  more  rapidly  to 
the  crisis,  Mac  Coffman  points  out  that  the 
resettlement  task  would  be  greatly 
facilitated  and  the  process  accelerated  if 
prospective  sponsors  would  refrain  where 
possible  from  setting  limitations  on  whom 
they  can  accept,  and  respond  in  a  more 
open  spirit  of  service  to  humankind,  agree- 
ing simply  to  accept  a  "unit"  (which  may 
consist  of  three  to  five  or  six  persons  — 
parents  with  children,  or  simply  family 
fragments)  and  strive  then  to  somehow  in- 
tegrate into  the  local  community  the 
refugees  they  receive.  Quick  responses  from 
open,  receptive  hearts  are  the  answer  to  the 
problem  of  refugees  lingering  unduly  in 
camps  like  Fort  Chaffee. 

At  best  the  resettlement  operation  is 
bound  to  take  months  to  complete,  and  if  a 
year  from  now  refugees  still  languish  in  these 
camps,  Americans  will  have  inflicted  in 
peace  yet  another  wound  on  the  gentle  peo- 
ple they  have  already  so  badly  served  in  war. 

A  hand-lettered  sign  on  the  screen  door 
of  the  CWS  office  implores  in  Vietnamese 
and  English.  "RA  VAOBONG  CUA  NHE 
cAm  on,  PLEASE  DO  NOT  SLAM 
THE  DOOR!"  Brethren  throughout  the 
Brotherhood  must  heed  that  message  too. 

(Submit  inquiries  about  sponsorship  of 
Vietnam  refugees  to:  Immigration  Office, 
Brethren  Service  Center,  Box  188,  New 
Windsor,  Md.  21776,  or  call  (301)  635 
3131.) 


In-service  retreat  an 
oasis  in  BVS  term 

Camp  Little  Grassy  Lake,  a  United 
Methodist  camp  in  southern  Illinois,  was 
the  setting  April  8-10  for  a  three-day  in- 
service  retreat  for  volunteers  on  project  in 
states  from  Indiana  to  the  west  coast.  The 
camp,  near  the  town  of  Makanda,  hosted 
the  group  of  27  volunteers,  plus  volunteer 
service  director  Charles  Boyer  and  assistant 
training  coordinator  Annamae  Rensberger. 

In-service  retreats  have  been  a  part  of 
the  volunteer  service  program  since  1970. 
Their  purpose  is  to  provide  BVSers  with 
the  chance  to  receive  support  and  renewal 
in  the  midst  of  their  period  of  service. 

In  addition  to  Bible  study  sessions,  sing- 
ing, and  sports,  a  great  deal  of  time  at  the 
retreat  was  spent  in  the  sharing  of  in- 
dividual project  experiences.  Most  of  those 
at  the  retreat  were  quite  involved  in,  and 
satisfied  with,  the  progress  of  their  proj- 
ects. Myra  Ingmanson,  a  volunteer  work- 
ing in  a  home  for  delinquent  girls,  com- 
mented, "I  was  torn  between  wanting  to 
come  to  this  retreat  and  wanting  to  stay  on 
project  with  my  girls,  even  though  the 
retreat  trip  meant  going  on  a  plane  ride, 
which  I'd  never  done  before." 

For  others  the  retreat  was  a  more  than 
welcome  chance  to  step  outside  their  proj- 
ect environment  and  get  a  clearer,  more 
objective  view  of  their  situation  from 
another  angle.  The  presence  of  a  support- 
ive, concerned  group  of  volunteers,  as 
some  struggled  with  feelings  of  doubt  gave 
many  the  needed  strength  and  courage  to 
go  back  to  their  projects  and  face  difficult 
challenges. 

Prior  to  1970,  and  in  operation  nearly 
since  the  inception  of  BVS,  were  the  end- 
of-service  retreats  for  BVSers  who  had  just 
completed  their  term  of  service.  Their  pur- 
pose was  to  give  veteran  volunteers  a 
chance  to  reflect  on  their  projects,  offer  ad- 
vice and  suggestions  to  BVS  coordinators, 
and  consider  their  future  roles  in  a  com- 
plex and  challenging  society.  However, 
many  BVSers,  having  left  their  projects 
and  gone  on  to  involvement  in  new  fields, 
were  not  interested  in  returning  to  some- 
thing they  felt  they  already  left  in  the  past. 

In  the  late  1960s  Chuck  Boyer.  after  a 
year  of  settling  into  his  role  as  BVS  direc- 
tor, determined  that  BVS  gatherings  would 
be  of  more  value  during,  rather  than  after. 


I'olunteer  services   director   Chuck    Boyer  greets  arriving   BVSers  for  in-servuc  rcircat 


a  volunteer's  stint  on  project.  So  he  ini- 
tiated the  shift  from  end-of-service  to  in- 
service  retreats. 

In  Europe,  BVSers  ser\ing  their 
minimum  two-year  term,  meet  for  a  BVS 
"annual  conference,"  coordinated  by 
Brethren  Service  representative  Dale  Ott. 
Held  in  a  different  location  each  year,  the 


site  for  the  week-long  retreat  was  in 
Yugoslavia  for  1975. 

"BVSers  abroad  as  well  as  at  home  can 
sometimes  get  to  feeling  pretty  isolated  on 
project,"  comments  director  Boyer.  "The 
in-service  retreat  provides  an  often  needed 
opportunity  for  volunteers  to  feel  a  kindred 
spirit  with  one  another  again." 


IVIanifesto  lifts  dream 
for  Third  Century 

In  preparation  for  the  celebration  of  the 
Bicentennial,  a  "Manifesto  for  Our  Nation's 
Third  Century"  has  been  adopted  by  a  com- 
mission of  the  American  Lutheran  Church. 
It  is  commended  for  use  as  a  working  docu- 
ment by  the  church's  agencies. 

Subtitled  "a  commentary  on  the 
American  Dream  in  light  of  the  Gospel," 
the  statement  holds  that  "our  loyalty  to 
.lesus  Christ  takes  precedence  over  any 
other  loyalty.  For  us,  the  dream  of  the 
Gospel  comes  before  the  American  dream." 

"We  further  declare  our  unshakable  con- 
\iction  that  through  allegiance  to  Christ 
and  his  vision  for  the  human  community 
we  can  serve  our  country  most  profoundly 
and  exercise  the  privilege  of  United  States 
citizenship  most  effecti\ely." 

The  675-word  manifesto  proclaims  that 
"as  pilgrim  people  of  God  we  step  boldly 
and  firmly  into  the  Third  Century. 

"We  look  to  Jesus  Christ  for  direction. 
Jesus  and  the  Prophets  give  us  the  vision  of 
a  world  made  new  for  a  life  of  social  justice 
and  mercy,  of  reconciliation  and  peace,  of 
promise  and  fulfillment.  The  Spirit  gives  us 
the  power  to  do  the  deeds  that  faith-active- 
in-kne  finds  to  do.  Our  hope  is  in  God. 

"We  will  join  forces  with  the  powerless, 
the  poor,  the  lonely,  the  exploited,  the 
deprived,  and  the  rejected.  We  will  resist 
any  governmental,  social,  economic,  or 


ideological  force  which  would  blunt  justice 
or  demean  persons.  We  will  work  with  any 
mo\ement,  party,  or  institution  which  will 
help  us  to  respect  all,  care  for  all,  and  aim 
at  freedom  for  all." 

"We  seize  with  joy  the  challenge  of 
reshaping  our  nation  in  its  Third  Century." 

Robert  Byerly  meets 
with  India  pastors 

To  further  the  peace  witness  of  the  Chris- 
tian Gospel  in  India,  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  World  Ministries  Commission 
sponsored  one  of  the  resource  leaders  for  a 
workshop  at  United  Theological  College  in 
Bagalore. 

He  was  Robert  A.  Byerly,  pastor  of  the 
Michigan  City  and  La  Porte  congregations 
in  Northern  Indiana  and  a  member  of  the 
General  Board.  He  formerly  was  head  of 
the  religion  and  philosophy  department 
and  professor  of  Bible  at  Elizabethtown 
College. 

A  representative  group  of  pastors  from 
across  India  participated  in  the  course  on 
"Pastoral  Ministry  and  the  Christian  Con- 
cern for  Peace."  It  was  to  this  group  Dr. 
Byerly  lectured  in  May  on  the  work  of  the 
peace  churches  and  the  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation. 

He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  Helen. 
They  also  visited  Church  of  North  India 
program  developments  in  Gujarat  State, 
the  area  of  long-time  Brethren  ministry. 


July   1975  MESSENGER  5 


Ingold  transfer  affirms 
Lardin  Gabas  strength 

"This  move  is  intended  to  convey  complete 
confidence  in  and  support  of  the  strength 
of  the  Lardin  Gabas  church  and  its 
leadership,"  remarked  World  Ministries  ex- 
ecutive secretary  Joel  K.  Thompson  in  an- 
nouncing the  relocation  of  Africa  represen- 
tative Roger  Ingold  in  the  Elgin  head- 
quarters. Ingold  and  his  wife.  Virginia, 
who  have  lived  and  worked  in  Nigeria  since 
1960,  will  move  to  Elgin  in  October.  A  son, 
David,  works  with  Lutheran  World  Relief 
in  Niger  (See  March  1975  Messenger,  page 
3). 

The  World  Ministries  head  gave  several 
other  reasons  for  the  relocation.  Most  im- 
portant, the  move  will  facilitate  Ingold's 
developing  new  programs  in  other  African 
countries,  and  it  will  give  him  easier  access 
to  related  mission  agencies  for  creating 
joint  programs. 

In  addition,  other  World  Ministries  staff 
need  the  counsel,  expertise,  and  insights  of 
the  Africa  representative  that  an  Elgin 
General  Offices  location  avails.  Conversely, 
the  representative  will  be  strengthened  by 
direct  contact  with  other  staff. 

Since  becoming  Africa  representative, 
Ingold  has  been  making  at  least  two  ex- 
tended trips  each  year  to  attend  commis- 
sion and  General  Board  meetings  and  An- 
nual Conference,  in  addition  to  occasional 
meetings  in  Europe.  Basing  him  in  Elgin 
will  free  him  from  a  considerable  amount 
of  travel. 

Recent  terminations  and  relocations  of 
Nigeria-based  personnel  have  concerned 
some  Brethren.  Some  see  it  as  retrench- 
ment, a  pulling  back  from  the  frontlines  of 
the  evangelistic  thrust  that  marked  the 
earlier  years  of  Brethren  missions. 

Queried  on  that  point,  Thompson  reaf- 
firmed support  for  the  furthering  of 
Christ's  kingdom  in  Nigeria  and  Africa. 

"The  goal  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Mission  in  Nigeria  has  always  been  to 
enable  the  emergence  of  an  indigenous 
church,"  replied  Thompson.  "Roger's 
relocation  is  calculated  to  strengthen  both 
Lardin  Gabas  and  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  continuing  partnership.  He  will 
continue  to  make  yearly  visits  to  meet  with 
Lardin  Gabas  leadership  in  program  plan- 
ning, budget  conversations,  theological  dis- 
cussions, and  dialogue  of  mutual  concern." 

To  facilitate  the  Africa  representative's 
transfer,  the  WMC  head  and  M.  Virgil  In- 
graham,  general  secretary  of  the  Brethren 
Church's  missionary  board  (associated  with 

6  MESSENGER  July  1975 


Roger  Ingold.   WMC  Africa  representative 

the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Nigeria  mis- 
sion work)  will  visit  Lardin  Gabas  in 
August. 

In  other  World  Ministries  personnel 
shifts.  Von  and  Elsie  Hall  continue  in 
WMC  employment,  but  have  been  second- 
ed to  Lutheran  World  Relief  for  communi- 
ty development  work  in  Niger.  J.  Roy  and 
Carol  Valencourt  are  being  succeeded  at 
the  Center  for  Theological  Studies  in 
Quito,  Ecuador,  by  Merlin  G.  and  Mary 
Grace  ShuU,  of  Gettysburg,  Pa.  James  B. 
and  Merle  Bowman,  missionaries  in 
Nigeria  since  1946,  terminated  that  service 
in  June. 

The  PVS  idea— end  of 
a  search  for  handles 

"I'm  convinced  that  most  people  want  to 
be  of  service,"  says  Pastor  Robert  Rowe  of 
the  Linville  Creek  church  in  Virginia,  "but 
it's  hard  without  specific  opportunities." 
With  the  advent  of  Parish  Volunteer  Serv- 
ice (PVS)  those  opportunities  abound  now 
across  the  Brotherhood. 

Parish  Volunteer  Service,  a  reach  out 
and  touch  program,  grew  out  of  the  serv- 
ice motif  that  has  long  been  a  part  of 
Brethren  heritage.  The  parish  or  home 
territory  counterpart  of  Brethren  Volunteer 
Service,  PVS  provides  a  wider  range  of  op- 
portunity for  Brethren  to  participate  in  a 
service  ministry,  give  recognition  to  per- 
sons who  are  already  giving  much  of 
themselves  in  service,  and  to  motivate 
Christians  to  live  their  beliefs.  Through 
such  a  program  the  life  of  local  con- 
gregations takes  on  a  sense  of  community. 

As  the  program  gains  momentum  over 
the  Brotherhood  many  variations  on  the 
theme  are  being  played.  All  volunteers 
have  approached  their  commitments  as  a 
joint  venture  with  their  church  fellowship 


and  have  been  rededicated  to  their  task  as 
an  offering  of  time  and  talent  to  God. 
What  those  talents  were,  and  the  involve- 
ment of  time  is  where  the  delight  of  diversi- 
ty is  found. 

A  case  in  point  is  the  Linville  Creek 
church  in  Shenandoah  District,  where  14 
PVSers  are  at  work  now.  Several  are  serv- 
ing at  the  Bridgewater  Home.  Priscilla 
Raney  is  a  spinner  and  weaver  who  teaches 
and  relates  through  her  art  to  the  residents. 
Frances  Moyers  and  Mary  Lineweaver 
spend  their  time  at  homemaking  tasks  and 
person-to-person  contact  that  has  meant  as 
much  to  the  PVSers  as  to  their  Bridgewater 
friends  and  has  sparked  a  concern  on  the 
part  of  one  worker  for  other  elderly 
homebound  and  lonely  persons. 

"This  is  one  of  the  things  that's  grown 
out  of  our  PVS  experience,"  says  Eugene 
Lantz,  witness  commission  chairperson  for 
Linville  Creek.  "One  project  will  suggest 
another.  The  choice  of  concern  and  oppor- 
tunity grows  both  in  the  church  and  com- 
munity. PVS  came  at  a  time  when  we  were 
searching  for  handles.  There  was  work  to 
be  done,  people  feeling  a  need  for  deeper 
personal  commitment  and  the  indication 
that  the  small  group  approach  to  com- 
munity should  strengthen  the  whole 
church.  Linville  Creek  grasped  the  handles 
offered  and  we  praise  God  for  what's 
happening." 

Other  projects  involve  volunteers  in 
counseling  and  working  at  a  shelter  for 
homeless  children;  sharing  concerns  with 
mothers  of  pre-schoolers;  doing  clerical 
work  for  a  camp  manager;  assisting  in 
pastoral  calling;  leading  a  Bible  study  and 
prayer  group;  managing  a  Clothes  Closet 
project;  and  helping  in  occupational 
therapy. 

The  PVSers  at  Linville  Creek  are  un- 
animous in  their  testimony  to  the  personal 
growth  they  are  experiencing.  They  credit 
their  pastor  as  the  prime  mover  of  the  proj- 
ect and  are  warm  in  their  response.  All  ex- 
press appreciation  for  the  feeling  of  a  car- 
ing community  and  support  that  the  laying 
on  of  hands  ceremony  conveys.  The  struc- 
ture of  the  program  itself — the  businesslike 
way  that  PVS  is  organized  and 
conducted — was  found  to  be  encouraging 
and  helpful. 

"As  a  pastor,  PVS  provides  the  frame- 
work in  which  I  can  operate,"  says  Robert 
Rowe.  "It  provides  specific  ways  through 
which  I  can  call  persons  to  Christian  serv- 
ice. PVS  is  really  the  essence  of  the  church. 
It  offers  nurture,  support,  training  for 
witness  and  service  to  one's  neighbors  in  a 
context  of  worship." 


vangelism  counselors 
et  three-year  plans 

he  new  sense  of  excitement  and  commit- 
nt  to  promote  evangelism  has  set  a 
omentum  that  will  find  expression  ail  over 
Brotherhood,"  was  the  way  Matt  Meyer, 
nsultant  for  evangelism  described  the 
'angelism  Counselors  Conference  that  met 
jril  28-30  in  Elgin.  Twenty-five  members 
the  denomination's  evangelism  team 
ared,  planned,  and  listened  to  guest 
iders,  who  provided  some  resources  for  ac- 
n.  Dr.  Rick  Gardner,  Brethren  editor  for 
blical  resources,  spoke  on  the  "NewTesta- 
pnt  Approach  to  Evangelism  for 
ethren."  Dr.  Ira  Galloway,  pastor  and 
rmer  chairman  of  the  United  Methodist 
t)ard  of  Evangelism,  and  Dr.  Donald 
nedict  of  Chicago's  Community  Renewal 
rvice  shared  from  their  perspective. 
"There  is  a  new  understanding  and  sense 
urgency  about  evangelism.  Our  emotional 
th  and  rational  faith  are  coming  together 
make  a  whole  Christian.  This  we  must  ex- 
rience  ourselves  and  offer  to  ourfragmen- 
ed  sisters  and  brothers  who  are  hungry  for 
t  such  a  sense  of  wholeness.  We  live  on  the 
reshold  of  the  greatest  opportunity  for 
urist  in  fifty  years  and  the  established 
urch  must  meet  it  or  be  left  behind,"  said 
•.  Galloway.  "First  we  build  a  supportive, 
urishing  community  of  faith  that  will  be 
:lusive,  is  not  threatened  by  change  or 
/ersity,  then  we  go  out  to  invite  others  to 
irist  and  the  church.  One  cannot  be 
Darated  from  the  other." 
The  evangelism  counselors  responded  by 
veloping  a  three-year  program  to  further 
uip  the  church  to  meet  such  a  challenge. 
;alizingthat  it  is  the  pastor  that  is  crucial  to 
i  evangelizing  process  in  the  local  church, 
district  evangelism  seminars  for  pastors 
:  scheduled  for  1 976.  They  will  be  training 
d  planning  sessions  for  renewal  and  up- 
te  on  specific  evangelism  programming, 
le  following  year  evangelism  conferences 
II  be  called  in  five  regional  locations  incor- 
rating  training  workshops  and  celebration 
church  leaders. 

"The  1 974  statistics  show  a  numerical 
3wth  in  the  denomination  for  the  first  time 
years.  We  feel  the  figures  reflect  the  thing 
t  seems  to  be  happening  in  our 
urches — a  growing  sense  of  awareness  of 
rselves  as  children  of  and  partners  in  mis- 
m  with  God  in  the  world.  This  feeling  is 
awing  as  evidenced  by  the  counselors, 
t's  keep  it  rolling,"  concludes  Dr.  Meyer. 


[La[n]dl(S[rDD[n]( 


THE   SPIRIT  OF   GIVING 


Grace    (Granny)    Dunwin, 


oldest 


member  of  the  Woodbridge,  Va. ,  church,  on  Palm  Sunday  told 
her  son  she  would  not  attend  church  on  Easter.   She  antici- 
pated the  congregation  would  present  her  with  an  orchid  and 
she  wanted  someone  else  to  have  the  honor.   On  Easter  eve 
Granny  died,  but  shortly  before  an  orchid  was  presented  her. 

When  Brethren  Disaster  Service  volunteer  worker  Ken 
Duckworth   fell  and  injured  his  back  while  working  in  Tusca- 
loosa, Ala. ,  the  local  people,  though  poor,  insisted  on 
taking  an  offering  to  help  cover  his  flight  back  to  West- 
minster, Md.   They  contributed  $150  toward  the  trip. 


MESSENGER  REFLECTIONS 


Kermon   Thomason' s   account  of 


the  Hersches   of  Manassas,  Va.  ("The  Shadow  of  a  Kingdom," 
November  1974)  earned  the  Best  Feature  Award  in  this  year's 
Religious  Public  Relations  Council  competition.  .  .  .  The 
plasma  scalpel  developed  by  Indiana  scientist  Bill   Link   and 
featured  as  Messenger's  July  1974  cover  story  had  its  first 
use  on  a  human  patient  this  spring.   It  was  used  success- 
fully in  treating  a  fire  victim. 


PEOPLE    YOU    KNOW 


Bethany  Seminary  professor  Robert 


Neff   will  participate  in  a  Conference  on  Anabaptism  in  Zu- 
rich, Switzerland  in  July.   Bob  and  his  family  have  been 
studying  at  Cambridge,  England  the  past  year.  .  .  .  Lu- 
cinda  M_.   Mays   died  April  13  at  Lancaster,  Pa.  ,  after  being 
in  declining  health  for  several  months.   Her  husband  Morley 
J.  Mays   is  president  of  Elizabethtown  College.  .  .  .  Edward 
M_.    Kintner ,   who  for  over  four  decades  taught  science  at 
Manchester  College,  died  April  1.   He  was  95.   He  had  been 
pastor  of  six  congregations,  elder  of  15. 

Shirley   J.  Heckman ,    Parish  Ministries'  consultant  for  ed- 
ucational ministries,  received  a  Ph.D.  in  social  foundations 
of  education  May  31  from  the  University  of  Denver.  .  .  .  Do- 
lores  E_.    Teufel    of  Pennsylvania's  Spring  Creek  church  has 
authored  a  sixth  volume  of  poems,  "Let  Freedom  Ring!"   It 
is  priced  at  $1  from  322  Meadow  Lane,  Hershey,  Pa.  17033. 

"ASSOCIATED"    RELATIONS    .  .  .  Robert   C_.    Campbell  ,    American 
Baptist  Churches  general  secretary  and  biblical  scholar,  is 
the  speaker  on  NBC's  "Art  of  Living"  radio  broadcasts,  July 
through  September.  .  .  .  L.  Elaine   Halstead ,    a  regional  con- 
sultant with  Comprehensive  Building  Service  of  the  American 
Baptists,  has  located  her  office  at  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren headquarters,  Elgin,  111. 

OLD  AND  NEW    ...  First  Church,  York,  Pa.,  invites  former 
meinbers  and  friends  to  its  80th  anniversary  celebration 
July  20.   Planned  are  an  old-fashioned  Sunday  School  hour, 
a  worship  service,  an  afternoon  program  of  fellowship  and 
recreation,  a  picnic  supper,  and  a  vespers  and  choral  pro- 
gram.  Former  pastors  Edward   K.    Ziegler,    Bernard  King,    and 
M_.    Guy   West   will  participate.  ...  A  Brethren  fellowship 
group  in  the  Flagstaff,  Ariz. ,  area  plans  its  first  gather- 
ing Sept.  7.   Information  on  persons  who  may  be  interested 
should  be  sent  to  Robber t  £.  Keim,    1141  University  Heights 
Drive,  Flagstaff,  Ariz.  86001. 

July   1975  MESSENGER  7 


Celebration  and 
reconstruction 

by  Richard  L.  Landrum 


1  have  served  two  churches  that  were 
caught  in  the  polarization  of  the  sixties  and 
quarreling  over  the  flag  of  the  United 
States.  While  pastoring  in  Topeka,  Kans., 
we  decided  to  keep  the  flag  in  the  sanc- 
tuary, even  though  I  personally  wanted  it 
out  of  the  sanctuary  because  I  felt  we  were 
celebrating  a  higher  loyalty  in  worship  than 
the  state.  During  that  time  the  church  I 
presently  serve  in  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  was  ex- 
periencing the  same  conflict,  but  the  deci- 
sion was  to  keep  the  flag  out  of  the  sanc- 
tuary. In  both  congregations  there  was 
much  pain.  I  suspect  that  congregations 
over  the  Brotherhood  shared  the  same  pain 
as  we  struggled  with  civil  rights,  the  Indo- 
china war,  and  civil  disobedience. 

Since  coming  to  Huntingdon  in  the  early 
1970s,  1  encouraged  the  congregation  to 
bring  the  flag  back  as  an  act  of  reconcilia- 
tion. The  flag  now  stands  in  the  corner  of 
the  sanctuary.  I  still  prefer  that  the  flag  fly 
over  the  courthouse,  the  public  school  and 
the  capitol — and  also  in  the  fellowship  hall 
of  the  church,  but  not  in  the  sanctuary. 
However,  I  realize  that  the  issue  has  at 
least  two  sides.  There  are  patriotic  values 
of  liberty  and  justice  symbolized  in  the  flag 
that  Christians  can  celebrate. 

So  1  can  live  with  the  flag  inside  or 
outside  the  sanctuary,  but  we  must  keep 
working  at  the  creative  tension  between 

8  MESSENGER  July  1975 


church  and  state.  The 
essential  perspective 
to  keep  in  mind  is 
that  Christ  is  Lord 
over  Caesar.  The 
Bible  helps  us  keep 
that  Christian  per- 
spective. The  Bible 
calls  for  a  celebration 
that  reconstructs 
all  of  life  under 
the  Lordship  of 
Christ. 

Luke  tells  us  that 
Jesus  is  in  his 
hometown  at  the 

beginning  of  his  public  ministry.  He 
stands  up  in  the  synagogue  in  front  of  his 
neighbors  to  read  from  Isaiah.  When  he 
has  finished  the  passage,  he  says,  "Today 
this  scripture  has  been  fulfilled  in  your 
hearing."  Some  spoke  well  of  this  young 
son  of  Nazareth,  but  others  blew  their 
tops!  They  even  made  an  attempt  on  his 
life.  Before  the  sun  went  down  Jesus  found 
himself  expelled  from  his  own  hometown. 
Why  were  they  so  offended?  Because  the 
local  boy  just  dared  to  speak  of  himself  as 
the  initiator  of  God's  movement  to 
reconstruct  their  way  of  life. 

The  very  last  phrase  Jesus  quoted  from 
Isaiah  gives  us  a  cue  to  the  depth  of  the 


offense:  "to  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  i 
the  Lord"  (Luke  4:19).  Biblical  scholars  con^ 
sider  this  phrase  a  reference  to  the  "jubilee 
year"  in  the  Old  Testament.  Jubilee  comes 
from  Hebrew,  yobhel,  meaning  "ram's  horn. 
The  word  comes  from  the  practice  of  blowin 
the  horn  on  the  Day  of  Atonement  when  all 
the  sins  of  the  people  were  atoned  for  by 
sacrifices  of  animal  and  cereal  offerings  in 
worship.  That  day  was  a  great  celebration  ol 
the  mercy  of  God  in  keeping  his  covenant  wit 
the  people.  So  a  jubilee  is  a  fantastic  liturgic; 
party— a  thanksgiving  service.  But  the  year 
of  jubilee  refers  to  a  special  fiftieth  year  cele- 
bration, beginning  with  the  Day  of  Atone- 
ment, that  calls  for  the  reconstruction  of 


Jewish  life  as  prescribed  by  Levitical  law: 

"And  you  shall  hallow  the  fiftieth  year, 
and  proclaim  liberty  throughout  the  land 
to  all  its  inhabitants;  it  shall  be  a  jubilee  for 
you,  when  each  of  you  shall  return  to  his 
property  and  each  of  you  shall  return  to  his 
family"  (Lev.  25:10). 

This  legal  prescription  was  an  effort  to 
erase  all  the  inequities  that  accumulate  in 
economic  and  political  life.  All  leases  were 
terminated,  property  redistributed,  and  in- 
dentured slaves  freed  so  that  the  whole 
Jewish  society  could  start  fresh  after  their 
sins  were  forgiven  on  the  fiftieth  year.  Day 
of  Atonement.  There  is  no  Biblical 
evidence  that  the  jubilee  year  was  actually 
ever  carried  out.  It  was  too  impractical.  It 
would  be  chaotic,  resulting  in  more  suffer- 
ing than  correction  of  injustices.  But  the 
concept  of  a  fresh  start  did  serve  the 
prophets  in  calling  the  people  to  mercy  and 
justice  in  all  their  dealings  even  as  the  Lord 
God  was  merciful  and  just  to  them.  A 
totally  new  beginning  was  impossible,  but 
small,  fresh  beginnings  were  possible  and 
necessary.  A  total  reconstruction  of  society 
would  be  chaotic,  but  continual  reconstruc- 
tion to  maintain  a  relatively  just  society 
was  a  must.  For  their  watered-down  ver- 
sion of  the  jubilee  year,  calling  for  con- 
tinual justice,  the  prophets  were  ridiculed 
and  jailed. 

No  wonder,  then,  that  Jesus  was  nearly 
killed  and  thrown  out  of  town!  He  had 
called  for  "the  acceptable  year  of  the 
Lord,"  for  a  revolutionary  new  beginning 
fulfilled  in  him,  the  boy  from  Nazareth.  It 
was  a  judgment  on  all  the  hypocrisy  of  his 
hometown  and  the  whole  of  Israel.  A  new 
order  has  come:  "The  kingdom  of  God  is 
upon  you!"  He  called  for  celebration  of 
mercy  and  a  total  reconstruction  of  their 
way  of  life. 

A  revolution  like  that  would  upset  us, 
too.  Everything  would  have  to  be 
redistributed.  Some  would  gain  much  while 
others  lose  much.  It  would  be  impractical 
and  chaotic.  But  even  the  prophets' 
modified  call  to  seek  justice  and  peace 
within  the  existing  political  structures  is 
difficult  for  us.  We  live  in  a  power- 
conflicted  world.  Nations,  cultures,  races, 
economic  systems,  ideologies,  businesses, 
and  persons  vie  and  compete  for  position, 
sometimes  responsibly,  but  too  often 
irresponsibly,  dishonestly,  and  even 
violently.  And  many  people  suffer,  caught 
and  manipulated  by  the  power  struggles  in 
the  world. 


For  this  reason  we  might  conclude  that 
the  locus  of  Jesus'  celebration  and 
reconstruction  is  within  the  church  and  not 
out  in  the  world.  When  Jesus  stood  before 
Pilate  accused  of  being  Christ,  a  king,  he 
replied,  "My  kingship  is  not  of  this  world." 
In  worship  we  rejoice  in  the  good  news  of 
mercy  and  love,  celebrating  that  good  news 
as  a  non-worldly  kingdom  under  Christ. 
We  allow  that  celebration  to  reconstruct 
our  relationships  so  that  we  love  one 
another  within  the  church.  We  try  to  be  a 
jubilee  fellowship,  praising  God  and 
reordering  congregational  life  to  show  the 
reality  of  Christ's  Kingdom. 

Both  in  the  early  church  and  in 
successive  experiments  throughout  his- 
tory groups  of  Christians  have  shared  all 
goods  in  common  in  communes  that  tried 
to  show  Christ's  Kingdom  in  a  fairer 
economic  order.  Some  of  these  com- 
munities were  relatively  successful,  but 
most  have  been  short-lived  and  unable  to 
make  the  jubilee  society  work  even  within 
the  church.  Most  Brethren  have  not  chosen 
to  model  congregational  life  so  radically 
that  we  share  all  in  common;  rather  we  live 
in  two  different  worlds — the  economic  and 
political  order  of  the  world  and  the  order 
within  the  church.  But  even  in  our  modest 
efforts  to  be  Christ's  new  community  we 
find  ourselves  in  power  struggles  and  per- 
sonality conflicts,  being  more  like  the  un- 
redeemed world  than  the  new  kingdom. 
The  world  lifts  high  its  flags  and  the 
Church  its  cross,  symbols  of  two 
kingdoms,  in  which  we  try  to  live  respon- 
sibly. 

The  War  of  1812  is  sometimes  called  the 
war  that  never  should  have  been  fought. 
While  the  British  were  embroiled  against 
Napoleon  in  Europe  the  Americans  tried  to 
take  advantage  by  seizing  British  territory 
in  Canada.  The  shameful  attempt  failed. 
The  American  fleet  barely  managed  to  stop 
a  British  invasion  in  New  York.  Then  the 
British  retaliated  by  burning  Washington, 
D.C.  The  final  conflict  of  the  war  that 
never  should  have  been  fought  is 
sometimes  called  that  battle  that  never 
should  have  been  fought.  A  folk  song  sings 
the  glory  of  the  "Ballad  of  New  Orleans" 
where  General  Andrew  Jackson  led  ihe 
troops  against  a  British  attack,  defeating 
them  soundly  on  January  8,  1815.  The 
irony  is  that  the  peace  treaty  had  been 
signed  between  the  British  and  the 
United  States  two  weeks  before,  but 
neither  side  knew  that  the  war  was  over. 


Sometimes  I  get  the  feeling  that  the 
church  doesn't  know  that  at  least  within 
the  new  kingdom  the  war  is  over.  Christ 
Jesus  has  brought  us  peace  with  God  and 
reconciled  us  to  one  another  in  the  jubilee 
kingdom,  but  we  keep  fighting  battles  with 
each  other  that  should  never  be  fought  as  if 
we  didn't  know  that  peace  has  come.  Still 
we  manipulate  each  other  in  personality 
conflicts  and  battles  for  our  view  and 
program.  Often  this  battle  seems  not  just 
our  struggle  within  the  church  to  become  a 
loving  people,  but  a  battle  coming  from 
commitments  outside  the  church  to  other 
kingdoms  and  authorities  above  Jesus  who 
is  supposed  to  be  our  king.  We  struggle 
with  divided  loyalties.  Sometimes  it  seems 
we  are  fighting  the  wrong  battles  unfairly 
for  the  wrong  side,  making  a  mockery  of 
our  loyalty  oath  to  Jesus  Christ  as  Lord 
and  Savior. 

It  was  during  the  War  of  1812  that 
Frances  Scott  Key  wrote  the  "Star 
Spangled  Banner"  while  watching  the 
bombs  burst  over  Fort  McHenry  around 
the  waving  flag.  What  a  shame  that  a  flag 
representing  so  many  wonderful,  human 
values  of  liberty  and  justice  should  be 
raised  to  inspire  an  anthem  in  a  war  to 
seize  the  territory  of  another  nation.  That 
is  desecration  of  the  American  flag.  And  if 
we  defend  the  flag  in  conflicts  that  are  un- 
just, imperialistic,  or  racist,  then  not  only 
do  we  desecrate  the  American  dream  of 
justice  and  liberty,  but  we  also  betray 
Christ  as  our  king.  For  the  flag  and  the 
cross  can  only  be  united  in  those  events 
and  movements  of  human  history  that 
more  responsibly  serve  to  reconstruct  life 
by  the  vision  of  the  jubilee  year.  For  Christ 
is  king  over  Caesar. 

So  with  responsibilities  in  Christ's 
kingdom,  the  church,  and  in  conflicted 
kingdoms  of  this  world,  it  seems  that  the 
celebration  and  reconstruction  of  life  can- 
not be  confined  to  the  church  only. 
Because  of  Christ  and  the  church  we  are  to 
be  more  responsibly  in  the  world.  Christ 
did  not  die  to  save  the  church  but  that  "the 
world  might  be  saved."  We  are  to  witness 
and  work  for  celebrations  of  love  and 
justice  that  are  reconstructed  in  the  world. 

Romans  12  tells  us  that  we  are  to  "be 
subject  to  the  governing  authorities,"  in- 
deed that  the  authorities  have  been 
"instituted  by  God."  No  doubt  about  it. 
We  must  have  commitment  and  loyalty  to 
social,  political,  and  economic  power  struc- 
(Continued  on  page  29) 


July  1975  MESSENGER  9 


i 


Rekindling 

the 


The  Disaster  Response  Network 
offers  the  flint  for  rekind- 
ling the  hidden  spark  of 
spontaneity  in  giving  that 
our  Brethren  forerunners 
displayed  for  each  other 
and  for  their  community 


Spark 


by  Randy  Miller 


"He  huffed,  and  he  puffed,  and  he  blew  it 
all  down!"  That  was  the  reaction  of  three- 
year-old  David  as  the  Roller  family  crested 
a  hill  overlooking  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama, 
and  saw  a  toppled  church  and  splintered 
houses  that  lay  in  rubble  in  the  aftermath 
of  violent  tornado  winds. 

The  Dick  Rollers,  along  with  three  other 
families  from  the  Highland  Avenue  Church 
of  the  Brethren  in  Elgin,  Illinois,  had  taken 
vacation  time  Easter  week  to  trek  800  miles 
one  way  to  assist  in  the  reconstruction  in 
Tuscaloosa. 

Throughout  history  Brethren  have  been 
quick  to  respond  when  sudden  need  arises. 
If  a  neighbor's  barn  and  livestock  had  been 
destroyed  by  fire,  tornado,  or  flood. 
Brethren  were  ready  within  the  week  to 
rebuild  and  to  replenish  the  vic- 

tim's food     ^^   W^       supplies.  With 
mass  ^HV''''V       communication 

not  yet  realized 
in  past  situations, 
concern  was  focused 
on  a  more  local  level.  Today, 
however,  as  the  world  becomes 
increasingly  "smaller"  with  a  heightened 
global  awareness,  we  become  concerned  for 
not  only  our  neighbors  close  by,  but  for 
those  in  other  parts  of  the  country  and 
world  as  well.  With  this  in  mind,  the  Dis- 
aster Response  Network  has  been  es- 
tablished in  order  that  we  are  not  caught 
off  guard,  but  are  ready  to  act  and  assist 
when  and  wherever  a  disaster  strikes. 

The  southern  towns  of  McComb,  Mis- 
sissippi and  Tuscaloosa.  Alabama  are 
areas  where  the  Brethren  Disaster  Re- 
sponse Network  has  most  recently  been 
active  in  the  reconstruction  and  repair 
work  of  buildings  destroyed  by  tornado 
winds. 

It  was  on  January  10  that  McComb  was 
hit.  In  its  wake  the  tornado  left  ap- 
proximately 160  homes  either  completely 
destroyed  or  in  some  way  damaged.  "Up  to 
90  percent  of  the  damage  was  covered  by 
insurance  of  one  type  or  another,"  says  D. 
Miller  Davis,  director  of  general  services  at 
New  Windsor,  Md.,  and  a  member  of  the 
Disaster  Response  Coordinating  Team. 
"Eighty  percent  of  the  damage  was  in  the 
white  community.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
80  percent  of  the  need  is  in  the  black  com- 
munity." 

As  if  adding  insult  to  injury,  the  tornado 
completely  destroyed  a  newly  renovated 
Head-Start  building  in  the  black  communi- 
ty. The  center  was  ready  to  be  turned  over 
to  the  community  on  the  day  the  tornado 


struck.  Fortunately  the  building  was 
covered  by  insurance. 

Brethren  member  Dave  Knepper,  of  In- 
dianola,  Mississippi,  who  for  a  period  of 
time  served  as  project  director  in  McComb, 
explained  in  a  local  newspaper  that  "the 
work  of  the  Brethren  and  of  the  Men- 
nonites,  who  are  working  with  the 
Brethren,  is  with  those  persons  who  can  af- 
ford to  buy  materials  for  the  repairs  or  the 
rebuilding,  not  with  persons  who  are  finan- 
cially able  to  pay  a  contractor  to  rebuild  or 
repair." 

The  newspaper  writer  added,  "The  work 
his  group  is  doing  would  not  otherwise  be 
done,  for  the  owners  of  the  homes  cannot 
afford  to  have  it  done  and  would  be  in  dire 
straits,  were  it  not  for  these  volunteers." 

Preceding  Dave  as  project  director  was 
Henry  Gingrich,  and  presently  filling  that 
role  is  Dale  Kreider  of  the  Conewago 
church  in  Atlantic  Northeast  District. 
Before  coming  to  McComb  Dale  had  spent 
four  weeks  working  in  disaster  recovery  in 
Honduras. 


B, 


brethren  crews  began  repair  work  in 
mid-March  in  the  small  community  of 
Holt,  near  Tuscaloosa,  where  a  number  of 
houses,  churches,  and  other  buildings  had 
been  struck  by  the  February  23  tornado. 

Brethren  professor,  J.  Kenneth  Kreider, 
an  educator  in  the  field  of  European 
history  at  Elizabethtown  College  in 
Elizabethtown,  Pennsylvania,  served  as 
project  director  for  the  first  five  weeks  that 
the  Brethren  were  on  the  scene  in 
Tuscaloosa,  beginning  on  March  17.  In 
that  role  he  did  everything  from  preparing 
paperwork  on  state  grants  to  engaging  with 
residents  and  volunteers  in  the  actual 
reconstruction  labor.  During  that  time  his 
wife  Carol  served  as  cook  for  the  volunteer 
crew  that  ranged  from  16  to  34  persons, 
depending  upon  the  week. 

"To  date,"  says  Ken,  "three  houses  and 
one  church  have  been  torn  down  and 
rebuilt.  Plus,  Brethren  have  reroofed  and 
patched  roofs  for  quite  a  number  of  other 
houses,  in  addition  to  doing  some  minor 
work  on  partly  damaged  houses." 

Working  side  by  side  with  the  Brethren 
in  the  rehabilitation  and  reconstruction  are 
students  involved  in  industrial  arts  classes 
through  the  County  Education  Program. 
One  week  a  crew  from  Ohio,  consisting  of 
eight  Brethren,  two  Lutherans,  and  one 
Mennonite  put  the  walls  and  roof  up  on 
one  house.  "At  that  point,"  said  Kreider, 


"some  students  and  their  teachers  from  the 
County  vocational  school  came  in. 
Students  in  the  electrical  class  did  the  wir- 
ing; construction  students  put  in  insulation 
and  paneling.  Aside  from  this,  they  also 
put  a  roof  on  the  Weeping  Mary  AME 
Methodist  Church  after  the  joists  had  been 
put  up. 

"Much  of  this  cooperative  effort,"  Ken 
continued,  "has  been  brought  about  by  the 
efforts  of  the  Tuscaloosa  County  School 
Superintendent,  Charles  Sprayberry.  We 
think  it  is  remarkable  that  he  would  take 
so  much  of  his  time  with  these  people  and 
be  interested." 

Ray  Tritt,  member  of  the  Boulder  Hill 
congregation  in  Aurora,  Illinois,  and  con- 
struction supervisor  during  the  initial  three 
weeks  of  Brethren  involvement  in 
Tuscaloosa,  comments,  "If  the  superin- 
tendent of  schools  hadn't  been  a  devout 
Christian,  we  wouldn't  have  had  nearly  the 
cooperation  that  we  had." 

Following  Ken  Kreider's  period  of  serv- 
ice, Eugene  Miller  of  the  Carson  Valley 
church  in  Middle  Pennsylvania  acted  as 
construction  supervisor.  Presently  Brethren 
member  Percy  Kegarise  from  Blair  County 
in  central  Pennsylvania  is  construction 
supervisor  and  project  director.  The  initial 
tasks  of  contracting  and  dealing  with  in- 
surance companies  that  Kreider  had  per- 
formed are  completed.  The  primary 
leadership  need  now  for  a  person  skilled  in 
construction  supervision  is  being  met  ade- 
quately in  the  person  of  Percy  Kegarise. 

In  addition  to  the  strong,  local 
leadership  of  Charles  Sprayberry,  the 
friendliness  and  support  of  the  village 
residents  was  a  vital  factor  in  the  quality  of 
relationship  that  existed  between 
themselves  and  the  volunteers. 

Upon  arriving  Saturday  evening,  the 
families  of  Tom  Ryan  and  Glenn  Rohrer  of 
the  Highland  Avenue  Church  of  the 
Brethren  were  among  those  invited  to  at- 
tend Sunday  morning  services  with 
members  of  the  Weeping  Mary  AME 
Methodist  congregation  in  Tuscaloosa. 
Services  were  held  in  the  junior  high 
school,  since  the  church  building  had  been 
leveled.  The  guests  were  received  warmly 
into  the  service,  and  Glenn  Rohrer  later 
commented  that  he  wished  there  had  been 
an  opportunity  for  a  service  at  the  end  of 
their  five  days  of  work,  after  they'd  become 
more  acquainted  with  the  congregation. 

During  those  first  weeks  relationships 
and  mutual  assistance  continued  to 
flourish.  The  second  of  the  two  churches 


July  1975  MESSENGER  11 


Below:    Ray    Tritt,    Ken   Kreider,    Charles 
Sprayberry.  Above:   Whole  families  work. 


Second  above:   Local  people  join  in   the 
work  Abo\e  Example  of  tornado  damage. 


hit  by  the  tornado,  ironically  named  the 
Hurricane  Hill  Baptist  Church,  was  so  bad- 
ly shaken  that,  although  its  walls  were  still 
standing,  it  had  been  condemned  as  unsafe 
by  the  city  and  had  to  be  torn  down.  It  was 
when  they  observed  what  the  Brethren 
were  doing  in  the  community  that  the  con- 
gregation began  to  reconsider  their  initial 
decision  to  pay  a  wrecking  company  to 
demolish  the  building. 

At  the  suggestion,  and  with  the  help  of  a 
number  of  Brethren,  some  members  of  the 
congregation  began  to  salvage  as  much 
usable  material  as  they  could.  As  the  walls 
began  to  come  down,  more  and  more  con- 
gregational members  joined  in  the 
demolition  salvaging  operation  that,  with 
a  little  outside  push,  saved  them  $1500. 

Many  people  wondered  why  all  these 
Brethren  came  to  Tuscaloosa  to  spend  their 
vacation  time  working,  when  many  could 
be  spending  it  in  Florida,  basking  in  the 
sun  on  Miami  Beach. 

"We're  having  more  fun  here  than  we 
could  have  had  in  Florida,"  many  respond- 
ed. The  ability  to  accomodate  families  of 
volunteers  in  Tuscaloosa  was  a  quality 
unique  to  that  particular  disaster  setting, 
not  found  in  other  disaster  situations 
Brethren  have  been  involved  in.  Having 
families  along  was  certainly  an  added  joy. 
But  that  alone  does  not  account  for  the 
workers'  positive  attitude.  Ken  explained 
that  "In  the  Church  of  the  Brethren's 
heritage  the  Protestant  work  ethic  has 
quite  a  heavy  emphasis.  We  feel  better 
about  being  involved  working  at  something 
than  we  do  lying  around  in  the  sun." 

Although  the  damage  done  in 
Tuscaloosa  may  have  seemed  small  in  com- 
parison to  other  disasters  Brethren  have 
been  involved  in.  Ken  stressed  that  "what 
was  destroyed  was  very  significant  to  those 
it  hit;  it  was  their  whole  world,  and  they 
did  need  help." 

Among  the  workers,  more  than  just  tem- 
porary, relational  friendships  had 
developed.  Contacts  and  ties  were  formed 
between  the  residents  and  the  volunteers. 

"One  day  when  we  were  standing  there 
at  the  school  in  Tuscaloosa  after  lunch," 
related  Ray  Good,  member  of  the 
Highland  Avenue  church,  "one  of  the  black 
teachers,  who  was  also  one  of  the  ministers 


12  MESSENGER  July  1975 


at  a  church  downtown  said,  'This  is  really 
something.  You  know,  we  at  our  church 
have  always  been  able  to  give  money  and 
food  where  needed.  But  you  come  down 
here  and  give  of  yourselves.  This  gives  us 
inspiration  to  help  ourselves.'" 

Commenting  to  Ken  Kreider,  one  local 
man  said,  "You  ought  to  start  a  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  this  area.  A  lot  of  people 
sure  are  impressed  by  what  you're  doing.  If 
this  is  the  kind  of  thing  Brethren  do,  com- 
ing long  distances  to  help  folks  you  don't 
even  know,  you'd  have  a  lot  of  members." 


An  addition  to  disaster  response  work  in 
the  states,  assistance  has  also  been  given  to 
hurricane-ravaged  Honduras.  In  the  fall  of 
1974  Hurricane  Fifi  lingered  over  the  San 
Pedro  Valley  for  three  days,  dumping  24 
inches  of  water  on  mountain  crop  land  and 
villages.  Small  streams  flowing  down 
hillside  slopes  turned  to  roaring  rivers. 
Muddy  landslides  followed,  covering  por- 
tions of  towns.  Rivers  were  unable  to  emp- 
ty into  the  ocean,  as  the  hurricane  reversed 
their  flow.  One  estimate  is  that  10,000  to 
15,000  persons  lost  their  lives  in  the  dis- 
aster. Another  sets  the  possible  loss  as  high 
as  45,000  since  there  are  many  yet  unac- 
counted for. 

Assisting  in  the  clean-up  and  rehabilita- 
tion of  Honduras  is  former  Chicago  resi- 
dent Chester  Thomas,  who,  for  four  years 
worked  as  a  Peace  Corps  volunteer  in 
Columbia.  Chet  has  been  named  regional 
advisor  of  the  Church  World  Service 
program  in  Honduras  and  will  be  giving 
his  attention  to  the  long-range 
developmental  needs  of  the  country. 

Ray  Tritt,  who  recently  served  as  con- 
struction supervisor  for  repair  work  in 
Tuscaloosa,  performed  the  same  task  prior 
to  that  time  for  six  weeks  in  Honduras. 
During  his  stay  a  construction  team  of  1 1 
men  from  eastern  Pennsylvania  traveled  to 
Honduras  to  work  under  him  in  housing 
reconstruction.  Among  them  were  six 
Brethren:  Donald  Shope,  Timothy 
Aldinger,  Dale  Kreider,  George  Poff, 
Mylin  Messich,  and  Emanuel  Hoffer. 


Wh 


hen  a  disaster  strikes,  concern  im- 
mediately arises  in  many  hearts  for  those 
affected.  There  is  a  desire  to  extend  a  help- 
ing hand.  But  much  of  the  material  sent  in 
response  to  the  often  heard  plea  "send  all 
possible  aid,"  is  useless  because  many  times 
it  does  not  meet  the  specific  needs  of  a  par- 
Far  left:  Weeping  Mary  Church  after  the 
tornado,      and     (left)     after     rebuilding. 


ticular  disaster  situation.  In  fact,  the 
message  itself  does  no  real  good. 

"Not  only  is  the  'send  all  possible  aid' 
message  useless,"  contends  Walter  D.  Hyle, 
Jr.,  President  of  the  United  States  Civil 
Defense  Council,  "it's  also  a  damaging 
message.  Damaging  because  of  the  results. 
Here's  what  happens  all  too  many  times; 

"Food,  medicine,  and  clothing  of  all 
types  are  sent  to  the  disaster  area — tons  of 
material,  much  of  it  not  useful  in  the 
recovery  efforts. 

"Transportation  units  are  tied  up  to 
move  the  "all  possible  aid"  supplies  to  the 
stricken  area. 

"Storage  locations  in  the  emergency 
area — storage  spaces  that  may  be  scarce 
because  of  the  disaster  damage — are 
overwhelmed  with  unneeded  materials." 

Mr.  Hyle  stresses  the  importance  of  local 
organizations  becoming  aware  of  the 
specific  needs  of  a  disaster  area.  If  they 
know  of  the  needs,  "they're  in  a  much 
better  position  to  organize  an  effective 
response.  For  example,  the  mayor  of  a 
Louisiana  city  asked  the  State 
Department's  Agency  for  International 
Development  what  the  city  could  do  for 
Honduras  victims.  On  the  basis  of  informa- 
tion from  the  American  Embassy,  he  was 
told  that  the  real  need  of  the  Hondurans 
was  for  beans,  rice,  corn,  and  vegetable  oil, 
packed  so  that  they  could  be  transported 
easily  and  would  not  require  repacking  for 
local  distribution  upon  arrival  at  the  dis- 
aster scene.  Also,  AID  suggested  the 
vegetable  oil  be  put  into  one-gallon  plastic 
containers  which,  after  emptied,  could  be 
used  to  carry  water  or  other  liquids. 

"The  suggestions  were  followed,  and 
hundreds  of  hungry  people  in  San  Pedro 
Sula,  Honduras  received  the  food  they 
needed  and  could  use  immediately.  What  a 
difference  between  this  plan  of  helping  and 
the  unplanned  solicitation  of  unneeded 
used  clothing  and  other  materials  that  are 
difficult  to  distribute  and  expensive  to 
transport." 

Mr.  Hyle  continued  by  saying,  "If  local 
civil  defense  directors  (in  Brethren  terms, 
disaster  coordinators)  can  become  the  focal 
point  for  the  coordination  of  relief 
supplies,  the  community  response  can 
become  a  structured  response.  Local  direc- 
tors can  get  information  from  their  State 
civil  defense  directors  (district  or  national 
coordinators)  on  the  specific  needs  in  a  dis- 
aster area,  and  coordinate  local  response  to 
meet  those  needs." 

Aside  from  the  uncertainty  of  what  to 
send  to  a  distant  disaster,  people  often  feel 
they  lack  skills  needed  to  help  in  a  nearby 
disaster  situation,  or  feel  that  their  services 


would  be  inadequate.  "But,"  contends 
Kenneth  McDowell,  community  develop- 
ment consultant  and  member  of  the  Dis- 
aster Response  Coordinating  Team,  "An- 
nual Conference,  in  adopting  the  Disaster 
Service  priority  for  1975-76  is  indicating 
that  the  people  of  the  church  do  need  to  be 
involved  in  disaster  work." 

Much  goes  into  the  reconstruction  and 
resettlement  of  a  disaster  area  aside  from 
the  more  obvious  work  of  carpentry, 
plumbing,  wiring,  and  masonry.  Secretarial 
work,  nursing,  ham  radio  operating, 
kitchen  supervising,  and  cooking  often 
need  to  be  done  as  well. 

In  addition  to  the  need  for  people  to  give 
of  their  time  and  skills  there  is  also  a  large 
demand  for  equipment  like  dump  trucks, 
buses,  travel  trailers,  chain  saws,  ladders, 
electric  lanterns,  and  portable  heating 
equipment. 

Many  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
have  the  desire  and  the  equipment  to  help 
in  the  reconstruction  resettlement  work, 
but  are  unsure  of  just  how  to  become  in- 
volved. They  do  not  know  what  channels 
to  go  through,  and  some  are  unaware  that 
Brethren  channels  do  exist. 

"The  need  now,"  says  H.  McKinley  Coff- 
man,  director  of  Disaster  Response  "is  for 
overall  strengthening  of  the  total  network. 
If  district  disaster  coordinators  through 
their  network  can  get  the  word  out  and  get 
commitments  by  volunteers  ahead  of  time, 
before  a  disaster  strikes,  we  will  likely  be 
better  able  to  respond  to  immediate  need. 
The  program  needs  this  continued  support, 
as  well  as  the  support  of  those  themselves, 
who  can't  go  to  a  disaster,  but  who  can 
help  finance  the  operation,  whether  it  be 
domestic  or  international." 

In  the  effort  to  strengthen  and  supple- 
ment its  network's  effectiveness,  the 
Southern  Pennsylvania  district  has  gone  a 
step  farther  than  providing  local  churches 
with  skills  sign-up  sheets  for  major  dis- 
asters. They  have  developed  a  system 
whereby  people  can  become  involved  in  a 
program  of  service  to  other  members  on  a 
local  level.  Individuals  indicate  the  times 
they  are  available  to  provide  specific  types 
of  aid — cook  meals  for  the  sick  or  the 
elderly,  drive,  baby-sit,  or  just  talk.  The 
sheets  are  filed  and  available  for  use 
whenever  a  need  in  the  church  arises. 


A, 


Livin  Brightbill.  professor  emeritus  of 
speech  and  the  fine  arts  in  religion  at 
Bethany  Seminary,  and  a  Brethren 
patriarch,  recalls  from  childhood  memory 
an  incident  that  occurred  in  a  Brethren 
congregation  in  the  early  part  of  the  cen- 


Aunl    Hal  lie    and   Sarah   became  friends. 

tury.  A  member's  barn  had  burned  to  the 
ground;  all  equipment  and  livestock  had 
been  destroyed. 

At  the  next  Sunday  service,  recalled  Dr. 
Brightbill,  the  disaster  was  mentioned, 
followed  by  a  long  pause.  Then,  one  person 
stood  and  said.  "I  don't  know  about  the 
rest  of  you,  but  I'm  going  to  give  the  family 
two  pigs,"  and  sat  down.  A  pause  and 
another  stood.  "Our  family  wants  to  give 
them  a  cow."  Another,  "I'll  do  their  plow- 
ing." A  woman  stood  and  said,  "I'll  cook 
meals  for  them  for  a  week."  And  on  it 
went.  The  sharing,  the  outpouring  of  help 
and  assistance  for  that  family  in  their  time 
of  need  did  not  cease  until  they  were  well 
on  their  feet  again. 

Incidents  where  all  seems  lost  often 
provide  opportunity  for  barriers  to  be 
broken  and  love  to  flow  through.  Ties  are 
made  and  bonds  strengthened.  Ray  Good 
relates  an  experience  his  eight-year-old 
daughter  had  in  Tuscaloosa. 

"Sarah  had  a  really  good  experience  with 
this  one  lady  who  lost  her  house — Aunt 
Hattie  they  called  her.  She  had  made 
friends  with  Sarah,  and  had  given  her  a  lit- 
tle cast-iron  souvenir  skillet.  As  we  were 
about  to  depart  Sarah  said  to  Aunt  Hattie, 
'You  know,  I  wish  there'd  be  another  tor- 
nado so  I  could  come  and  . . .  No,  I  don't 
wish  there'd  be  another  tornado,  I  just  wish 
there'd  be  another  good  reason  I  could 
come  down  and  see  you  again.'" 

The  Disaster  Response  Network  offers 
the  flint  for  rekindling  the  hidden  spark  of 
spontaneity  in  giving  that  our  Brethren 
forerunners  displayed  for  each  other  and 
for  their  community. 

Looking  at  the  Network  as  a  whole.  Ken 
Kreider  commented,  "Although  we  go  into 
disaster  situations  to  help,  we  learn  a  lot 
ourselves,  gaining  new  insights  about  peo- 
ple. Through  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Disaster  Response  Network  we  members 
have  more  than  a  channel  for  service;  we 
have  a  valuable  tool  for  education  and 
growth."     □ 


July  1975  MESSENGER  13 


ARK  imM£ 


Read:  Gen.  6:5-9:19 

It  is  both  a  whimsical  and  powerful 
thought;  the  remnant  of  creation  floating 
over  the  waves  of  God's  judgment.  That 
ancient  ark  of  Noah's  is  at  once  a  lonely 
speck  on  a  sea-covered  earth  and  a  wild, 
floating  menagerie  of  every  imaginable 
combination  of  sound  and  smell.  Are  we  to 
be  shocked  that  God's  wrath  should  be  so 
severe  or  should  we  feel  joy  for  those 
saved?  Within  the  story  of  the  great  flood, 
we  have  an  almost  childlike  narrative  that 
quickly  becomes  a  model  of  faithfulness  for 
all  generations. 

As  the  story  opens  we  are  shown  both  an 
aware  and  concerned  creator.  God  is  not 
depicted  as  an  empty  abstraction.  There  is 
no  detachment;  God  is  given  an  almost 
human  quality  as  he  grieves  and  shows 
sorrow  over  the  outcome  of  his  creation. 

It  may  be  of  some  significance  that  no 
particular  acts  of  transgression  are  men- 
tioned. We  have  a  case  of  a  whole  society, 
save  one  person,  being  judged  corrupt.  It  is 
possible  that  few  are  guilty  but  all  are  held 
responsible.  If  the  individual  is  at  least  in 
some  measure  a  product  of  society,  then  in- 
dividual crime  reflects  the  condition  of  the 
community.  Throughout  the  Old  Testa- 
ment righteousness  and  transgression  are 
corporate  entities.  The  deeds  are  impossi- 
ble to  separate  from  the  circumstances  un- 
der which  they  occur. 

The  outward  manifestations  of  sin  are 
not  elaborated  upon  but  violence  is  the 
result  of  the  human  heart  separated  from 
God.  God  says  to  Noah:  "I  have  deter- 
mined to  make  an  end  to  all  flesh;  for  the 
earth  is  filled  with  violence  through  them." 
Violence  may  be  seen  then  as  the  action  of 
a  few  created  by  the  condition  of  the  total. 

Within  the  corrupt  society  there  was 
but  one  person  who  walked  with  God.  It 
was  only  Noah,  his  family,  and  two  of 
every  kind  of  animal,  that  God  chose  to 
save  from  the  destruction.  God  de- 
livered to  Noah  specific  instructions 


as  to  the  make-up  of  his  saving  ark. 

"Thus  did  Noah,  according  to  all  that 
God  had  commanded  him."  The  directions 
were  specific.  We  don't  hear  of  Noah  mak- 
ing any  alterations  or  seeking  a  more  prac- 
tical solution  to  the  problem.  There  are  no 
feasibility  studies.  Noah  begins  building 
well  before  the  rain  starts  falling.  He  does 
not  even  hear  of  the  Lord's  intention  until 
the  ark  is  finished.  In  fact,  though  Noah  is 
told  of  the  world's  destruction,  it  is  not 
clear  that  he  and  his  family  will  escape  the 
deluge  until  he  is  commanded  into  the 
completed  ark.  The  emphasis  of  his  per- 
formance is  not  on  saving  his  skin  but  on 
doing  the  will  of  God. 

The  image  of  Noah  working  in  his 
backyard  on  this  enormous  construction  is 
at  least  comical.  But  the  action  is  absurd 
only  in  comparison  to  what  the  rest  of 
Noah's  generation  is  about.  It  is  only 
natural  that  the  "one"  who  walks  with  God 
is  acting  differently  from  the  mainstream  of 
society.  The  one  governed  by  faith  will  sure- 
ly be  acting  differently  from  those  whose 
hearts  are  set  only  on  evil.  The  absurdity  of 
the  action  only  represents  the  absurdity  of 
faith  to  an  evil  generation.  Jesus  would  later 
speak  to  the  situation  of  Noah's  generation 
in  reference  to  those  who  would  not  accept 
the  coming  kingdom  of  God.  "But  as  the 
days  of  Noah  were,"  he  said,  "so  shall  also 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be.  For  as  in 
the  days  that  were  before  the  flood  they 
were  eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  giv- 
ing in  marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noah 
entered  into  the  ark,  and  knew  not  until  the 
flood  came,  and  took  them  all  away;  so 
shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be" 
(Matt.  24:37-39,  KJV). 

After  Noah  and  all  those  whom  God  in- 
tended to  spare  were  safely  within  the  ark, 
the  door  was  closed  "and  the  Lord  shut 
him  in."  These  words  demonstrate  to  the 
ultimate  degree  both  God's  protection  and 
judgment.  Protecting  Noah  in  the  security 
of  the  ark  also  meant  slamming  the  door 
on  the  unfaithful.  It  is  clearly  an  act  of  re- 


jection but  only  in  response  to  the  rejection 
that  had  already  taken  place.  The  judgment 
of  the  flood  was  only  a  consequence  of  the 
destruction  of  human  character  that  had 
already  occurred  when  God's  word  was  not 
heeded,  when  a  generation  opposed  the 
order  of  creation.  Creation  does  not  sur- 
vive a  revolt  against  the  creator.  Separa- 
tion from  God  is  death.  Spiritual  death 
creates  walking  corpses;  physical  death 
simply  disposes  of  the  remains.  The  echo  of 
the  slamming  ark  door  rings  down  through 
the  ages  as  a  sign  of  wrath  and  hope. 

Today  the  signs  of  a  corrupt  society 
seem  no  less  evident  than  they  were  in 
Noah's  day.  Even  the  possibility  of 
catastrophic  destruction  that  cynics  have 
called  an  impossibility  for  Noah's  time,  is 
quite  within  the  realm  of  even  earthly 
reason  today.  But  lest  the  story  be  mis- 
understood this  is  not  a  condition  that  calls 
for  Christians  to  build  bomb  shelters.  For 
the  Christian,  the  saving  act  has  already 
taken  place  in  Jesus  Christ.  The  church  is 
the  new  ark  instituted  by  Christ. 

In  the  madness  of  destruction,  as  the 
flood  waters  rise,  a  remnant  of  creation 
remains  afloat.  In  the  fury  of  the  storm,  it 
sways  to  and  fro  but  does  not  sink.  The  im- 
age of  the  ark  alone  over  a  flood  world  is  a 
lonely  one.  But  the  loneliness  is  not  the 
loneliness  of  those  who  have  lost  meaning 
in  life.  The  loneliness  is  that  of  the  cross.  It 
is  a  loneliness  that  does  not  escape  the  pain 
of  being  human  but  it  is  not  broken  by 
humanity  either.  It  is  not  really  suffering 
because  suffering  is  only  seen  as  separation 
from  God.  It  is  a  longing  for  the  reconcilia- 
tion of  all  creation  with  God.  Finally,  into 
the  midst  of  that  loneliness  breaks  the  pres- 
ence of  God  and  in  the  overwhelming 
beauty  of  that  presence  we  are  no  longer 
alone. 

"And  God  remembered  Noah  and  all  the 
beasts  and  all  the  cattle  that  were  with  him 
in  the  ark.  And  God  made  a  wind  blow 
over  the  earth,  and  the  waters  subsided" 
(Gen.  8:1).   [] 


14  MESSENGER  July  1975 


re  nrK  iman^ 


bu  Paul  GroU 


■■Nuah's  Ark."  by  Edward  Hicks  (1788-1849).  Philadelphia  Museum  of  An 


on^g  ore  una  uoas  prsunoE  Dr^cKs  [hrougn 


July  1975  MESSENGER  15 


Ark 


A 


most  successful  exhibition  was  shown 
at  the  Art  Directors  Club  of  New  York  in 
May,  1974,  as  90  illustrators,  designers, 
and  photographers  offered  their  original 
interpretations  of  the  occupants  of  the  Ark. 
It  was  an  invitational  with  about  150  asked 
to  participate.  Each  one  that  responded  af- 
firmatively was  assigned  a  specific  animal, 
to  avoid  duplications.  There  was  also  an 
attempt  to  establish  a  scale  of  proportion. 
As  could  be  expected,  nobody  paid  much 
attention  to  that.  But  the  exhibition  com- 
mittee was  not  about  to  complain.  They 
couldn't  have  been  more  pleased  with  the 
results,  which  encompassed  humor,  social 
and  ecological  statements,  and  a  wide 
range  of  styles  and  techniques,  many 
relatively  experimental.  Messenger 
shares  a  selection  from  the  exhibition, 
with  the  permission  and  cooperation  of 
Communication  Arts  magazine. 


Chris  Gianakos 


16  MESSENGER  July  1975 


Jacob  Knight 


John  Thompson 


Muls  Yashimura 


Karen  Laurence 


Tom  Geismar 


y 


Female  Centipede 

Specdicaiions 

1  Soft,  SQuisriycenler 

2  Hairy  legs 

3  Fronl(?) 


Male  Centipede 


Lou  Silversiein 


Alice  Brickner 


^tS+ii 

^ 

::_La.. 

- 

Rainbow  Grinder 


"Standing  at  her  sink  washing  the 
breakfast  dishes,  Mrs.  Rogers  spoke  out 
loud.  She  said,  'lana,  kanna,  saree  saree 
kanai,  karai  akanna  kanai  karai  yahai,  oh 
saramai,  saramoiyai  iana  kanna.' 

"Mrs.  Rogers  was  speaking  in  tongues  — 
technically  called  glossolalia.  She  did  not 
know  what  the  words  meant,  but  she  felt  a 
quiet  contentment  as  she  talked  and  sung 
the  strange  syllables.  Some  days  she  spoke 
only  a  word  or  two  in  this  way  before  she 
changed  to  English,  but  that  morning,  she 
uttered  the  rhythmic  sounds  for  about  ten 
minutes  and  stopped  only  when  she  had 
finished  scouring  the  dried  scrambled  eggs 
from  the  frying  pan  and  had  gone  upstairs 
to  begin  making  the  beds. 

"Speaking  in  tongues  still  seemed  strange 
to  Mrs.  Rogers,  though  she  had  been  doing 
it  for  more  than  a  year.  She  felt  as  if  she 
had  been  given  the  ability  to  speak  a  new 
language,  without  having  to  trouble  too 
much  about  what  the  words  actually 
meant.  It  was  a  pleasant,  effortless  thing  to 
do  and  often  filled  her  with  a  sense  of  well- 
being"  (John  Kildahi,  The  Psychology  of 
Speaking  in  Tongues,  p.  I). 

Mrs.  Rogers,  as  a  glossolalist,  is  part  of 
a  phenomenon  that  in  the  last  15  years  has 
appeared  in  almost  all  of  the  main  line 
churches.  It  is  the  most  controversial  and 
confusing  aspect  of  the  charismatic  move- 
ment. The  practice  predates  Christianity 
but  has  never  held  a  major  place  in  the 
broad  scope  of  religious  life.  However  to- 


Glossolalia: 

The  spiritual  gift 
least  understood 


Speaking  in  tongues 
will  be  with  us 
indefinitely. 
We  must  relate 
one  way  or 
the  other. 


by  Matthew  M.  Meyer 


day  it  is  the  cause  of  considerable  concern 
and  confusion  in  almost  every  major 
denomination. 

The  tongues  controversy  is  often  an  in- 
tense one.  Either  as  adherents  or  op- 
ponents, people  frequently  respond  in  ab- 
solutist terms.  Glossolalists  are  prone  to 
praise  this  life-changing  experience  as  a 
blessing  that  every  Christian  should 
receive.  Sometimes  they  lift  it  up  as  a  test 
of  faith  or  proof  that  one  has  received  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Non-glossolalists  often  resent 
such  assumptions  or  judgments  and 
become  determined  to  "stamp  it  out." 

These  responses  have  often  led  to  a 
volatile  situation  in  which  charges  and 
countercharges  produce  broken  relation- 
ships and  sometimes  permanent  division 
within  the  local  church  or  denomination. 

Where  there  is  brokenness  and 
divisiveness  we  must  seriously  ask  the  ques- 
tion, "What  causes  the  destruction?"  Is  it 
the  practice  of  speaking  in  tongues  or  is  it 
the  attitudes  it  evokes?  Is  it  the  all-too- 
prevalent  pushy  evangelism  of  glossolalists 
or  is  it  the  fear  of  the  unknown  by  the  non- 
glossolalists? 

Whatever  it  is,  I  feel  that  we  cannot 
simply  ignore  the  issue.  We  must  give  our 
attention  to  it  and  attempt  to  choose  those 
courses  of  action  that  produce  harmony, 
unity,  and  affirmation. 

There  is  the  hope  that  with  a  positive 
and  mutually  affirming  approach,  this  con- 
cern, which  has  been  a  "blessing  to  a  few," 


might  be  an  experience  resulting  in  greater 
appreciation  for  a  variety  of  gifts  and  ap- 
proaches, increased  commitment  to  Christ, 
and  openness  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  thus  a 
"blessing  for  all." 

Glossolalia  is  an  English  word  that 
comes  from  two  Greek  words — glossa, 
meaning  the  tongue;  and  lalio  or  (alia, 
meaning  to  speak.  Glossolalia  in  common 
usage  means  spontaneous  and  free-flowing 
vocal  sounds  uttered  by  a  person  "while  in 
prayer  or  in  some  uncommon  psy- 
chological state  that  may  resemble  a 
trance.  More  precisely,  the  speech  of  a 
glossolalist  has  been  defined  as  'an  ef- 
fortless flow  of  usually  complex  structure, 
with  repetition  and  inflection  characteristic 
of  language'"  (Kelsey  in  Kildahi,  p.  18) 

Many  of  the  people  who  speak  in 
tongues  claim  that  they  are  actually  speak- 
ing a  language,  perhaps  an  ancient 
language,  or  perhaps  a  foreign  but  modern 
language.  While  the  speech  of  the 
glossolalist  contains  inflections  and  rhythm 
characteristic  of  a  language,  most  linguists 
consistently  declare  that  glossolalia  does 
not  correspond  to  any  language  known  to 
mankind.  Even  if  we  conclude  that  the 
speech  of  a  glossolalist  is  not  a  known 
language,  this  does  not  necessarily  mean 
that  the  sounds  and  the  words  cannot  be 
vehicles  of  communication  nonetheless. 
The  speech,  both  for  the  speaker  and  for 
many  of  the  listeners,  does  carry  some  kind 
of  communication  and  expression  that  is 


July  1975  MESSENGER  21 


meaningful  to  them. 

Watson  E.  Mills,  in  his  book  Speaking 
in  Tangues  —  Lei's  Talk  Ahoiil  ll.  in- 
troduces the  glossolalia  controversy  by 
having  two  speakers  with  opposing  view- 
points declare  themselves.  The  first  .says: 
"Glossolalia  is  a  serious  threat  to  orderly 
worship  and  Episcopal  authority.  I  have 
shown  instances  where  the  practice  has  led 
to  factionalism  and  divisiveness.  To  me, 
tongues  is  a  smoke  screen  put  forward  by 
Christians  who  are  otherwise  afraid  really 
to  get  involved  in  the  ethical  demands  of 
the  new  life  in  Christ.  Tongues-speech 
means  nothing,  linguistically,  and  it  is 
therefore  jibberish  — a  kind  of  esoteric  non- 
sense. We  have  no  room  in  Christendom 
today  for  the  spiritual  snobbery  that  in- 
evitably results  from  Glossolalia.  God 
simply  does  not  deal  in  such  trivialities  and 
obscurities." 

The  second  speaker  observes:  "I  know 
that  personal  testimony  is  not  the  best  kind 
of  evidence  to  use  in  debates,  but  I  feel  that 
my  own  encounter  with  tongues  is  a  good 
case  in  point.  Initially  I  had  severe  reser- 
vations about  the  value  of  glossolalia.  I 
was  raised  in  a  religious  tradition  where  the 
practice  was  taboo.  Yet,  before  I  received 
the  gift,  my  life  was  empty  and  lacked  the 
spiritual  integration  that  I  now  enjoy. 
Einally,  after  much  prayer  and  earnest 
seeking,  I  came  to  the  point  where  I  no 
longer  resisted  God's  spirit,  and  my  life  was 
filled.  I  spoke  in  tongues  to  the  glory  of 
God.  This  second  blessing  is  what 
Christianity  is  all  about.  I  invite  you  to  join 
with  me  in  an  unending  search  for  the  un- 
limited power  that  can  come  through  ab- 
solute surrender  to  the  Holy  Spirit"  (pp. 
15-16). 


kjpeaking  in  tongues  is  often  a  dramatic 
experience  that  brings  to  the  individual  a 
sense  of  great  joy  and  uplift.  John  Kildahl 
describes  some  of  the  effects  on  indi\  iduals 
whom  he  studied.  "Depression  subsided, 
worthlessness  diminished,  and  a  state  of 
near-euphoria  developed.  Tongue-speakers 
were  exhilarated  as  they  validated  their  ex- 
perience in  Romans  8:26.  '...we  do  not 
know  how  to  pray  as  we  ought,  but  the 
Spirit  himself  intercedes  for  us  with  sighs 
too  deep  for  words.' 

"One  of  the  characteristics  invariably 
noted  by  new  tongue-speakers  was  a 
greater  sense  of  power.  This  took  the  form 
of  a  stronger  sense  of  identity  and  self- 
confidence  in  interpersonal  relations.  New 
tongue-speakers  reported  a  greater  sense  of 
purpose  and  meaning  in  their  lives  and  a 
deepening  of  its  spiritual  quality.  Whereas 


religious  matters  often  had  been  important 
to  them  before,  after  speaking  in  tongues 
they  became  increasingly  involved  with 
their  religious  convictions.  They  felt  bolder 
in  their  business  dealings,  in  their  marriage 
relationships,  and  in  teaching  Sunday 
school.  .  .  .  [They]  were  joyful  and  warm  in 
one  another's  company.  Their  sense  of 
community  crossed  ethnic,  social, 
economic,  and  educational  lines"  (Kildahl, 
pp.  83-84). 

The  practice  of  speaking  in  tongues  has 
gained  strength  since  the  beginning  of  the 
twentieth  century  and  the  beginning  of 
Pentacostalism  in  1901.  Since  1960  the 
practice  has  spread  to  almost  every  major 
Protestant  denomination  and  Roman 
Catholicism  as  well. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  no  excep- 
tion. Brethren  congregations  in  Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland,  Virginia,  Indiana, 
California,  and  elsewhere  have  been 
strongly  affected  by  the  practice  of  speak- 
ing in  tongues.  The  recognized  leader  of 
the  movement  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  Russell  Bixler  (Messenger, 
July  1973)  from  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  The  prayer 
and  praise  services  he  conducts  on  Sunday 
evening  in  the  Pittsburgh  Church  of  the 
Brethren  sanctuary  regularly  gather  par- 
ticipants from  as  many  as  15  or  20  different 
denominations.  Many  of  the  glossolalists  in 
the  eastern  states  within  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  have  learned  the  experience 
through  his  leadership  and  through 
meetings  that  he  has  conducted. 

I  have  noted  a  variety  of  attitudes  among 
the  glossolalists  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Some  of  them,  it  seems  to  me, 
are  destructive  and  divisive  while  others  are 
not.  Here  are  three  sample  views: 

1.  "The  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
highest  level  of  Christian  experience.  I  am 
convinced  that  it  is  God's  will  that  all 
Christians  should  experience  it.  It  is  so  im- 
portant and  so  primary  that  I  am  com- 
mitted to  promote  it  wherever  I  can  and 
lead  people  into  this  second  baptism." 

2.  "The  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  a 
door  that  leads  to  a  new  spiritual  dimen- 
sion of  life  and  that  can  be  experienced 
only  by  going  through  that  door.  Even 
though  I  think  it  is  important.  1  will  not 
aggressively  promote  my  views,  but  I  will 
share  it  with  those  who  seek." 

3.  "Speaking  in  tongues  is  an  important 
personal  religious  experience  for  me.  It  is 
not  the  most  important  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  There  are  other  gifts  as  important  or 
more  important.  I  speak  in  tongues  in 
private  or  with  a  small  group.  It  is  relative- 
ly unimportant  whether  people  around  me 
speak  in  tongues  or  not.  It  doesn't  matter. 


If  people  want  to  know  about  my  ex- 
periences I  will  tell  them,  but  I  don't  feel 
that  it  lifts  me  above  them  in  any  way.  It  is 
just  no  problem  in  my  church  even  though 
we  have  people  with  various  viewpoints." 

Divisive  though  the  experience  of  speak- 
ing in  tongues  can  be  potentially,  this  is  not 
the  case  in  every  situation.  Without  the 
rigid  judgmental  attitudes  that  can  develop 
on  either  or  both  sides  of  the  issue,  the 
polarization  process  does  not  occur. 


D. 


'oes  the  Bible  assign  great  importance 
to  speaking  in  tongues?  Wayne  A.  Robin- 
son, a  glossolalist  and  a  former  Pentecostal 
preacher,  in  his  book  /  Once  Spoke  in 
Toni^ues,  gives  an  emphatic  "no"  to  that 
question.  "There  are  66  books  in  the  Bible, 
and  only  three  of  them  mention  tongues. 
Ihere  are  1,189  chapters  in  the  Bible,  and 
only  seven  refer  to  tongues.  There  are 
31,162  verses,  and  only  22  mention 
tongues.  Sheer  quantity  is  not,  of  course,  a 
proper  criterion  for  evaluating  scriptural 
teachings.  By  the  same  token,  however,  a 
practice  that  is  mentioned  so  seldom  hardly 
deserves  the  attention  that  some  give  to 
tongues,  and  the  benefits  do  not  seem  to  be 
commensurate  with  the  clea\ages  that  arc 
created"  (p.  140). 

In  each  of  the  three  New  Testament 
books  glossolalia  is  treated  in  different 
ways.  In  Mark  the  mention  is  brief  and  for 
the  most  part  unexplained.  In  Acts  the 
material  is  entirely  of  a  descriptive  nature 
and  in  1  Corinthians  Paul  teaches  about 
glossolalia  and  lays  down  some  guidelines 
for  its  use. 

First  the  verse  in  Mark.  Chapter  16, 
verse  17  simply  says  "They  will  speak  in 
new  tongues."  There  is  quite  an  ongoing 
dispute  over  the  last  eleven  verses  of  Mark 
16.  Textual  critics  almost  unanimously 
agree  in  the  judgment  that  the  authentic 
text  of  Mark  ends  at  16:8.  Either  this  was 
the  original  ending  of  the  book  or  the 
original  ending  was  lost.  Apparently  the 
section  that  is  now  16:9-20  was  not  includ- 
ed with  the  book  until  perhaps  the  latter 
half  of  the  second  century. 

Actually  Mark  16:17,  because  of  the 
serious  doubts  regarding  authenticity,  does 
not  constitute  a  very  adequate  support  for 
the  practice  of  speaking  in  tongues. 
However,  glossolalists  do  emphasize  this 
verse  because  it  is  part  of  the  speech  at- 
tributed to  Jesus,  and  therefore  the  only 
direct  mention  of  tongues  by  Jesus. 

In  the  book  of  Acts  reference  to  speak- 
ing in  tongues  is  found  in  Acts  2,  the 
Pentecost  account;  Acts  10:46,  an  account 
telling  of  Peter  undergoing  significant  tur- 


22  MESSENGER  July  1975 


moil  and  struggle  and  then  taking  the 
gospel  to  the  Gentiles;  and  in  Acts  19 
where  Paul  encounters  the  disciples  of  the 
late  John  the  Baptist. 

The  Acts  2  account  is  the  only  place  in 
the  entire  Bible  where  glossolalia  is  ex- 
plicitly referred  to  as  a  foreign  language.  It 
was  a  time  and  a  place  where  Jews  had 
gathered  from  a  number  of  nations.  One 
hundred  and  twenty  people  had  spent  ten 
days  in  prayer  and  praise  and  on  the  tenth 
day  the  visitation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  oc- 
curred. Representatives  from  17  countries 
heard  about  this  significant  event  and  came 
to  see  what  was  happening.  Apparently 
they  heard  the  120  people  praising  God  in 
17  different  foreign  languages  and  "they 
were  amazed  and  wondered  saying,  "how  is 
it  that  we  hear,  each  of  us  in  his  own  native 
language?"  (Acts  2:7-8). 

One  of  the  serious  questions  related  to 
Acts  2  has  to  do  with  whether  or  not  the 
people  speaking  in  tongues  were  actually 
speaking  foreign  languages  with  which  they 
had  some  acquaintance  or  whether  they 
were  speaking  foreign  languages  with 
which  they  personally  had  no  previous  ac- 
quaintance. The  discussion  will  probably 
continue  without  a  satisfactory  resolution. 

The  third  book  of  the  Bible  that  men- 
tions and  deals  with  the  concern  of  tongues 
is  1  Corinthians,  chapters  12,  13,  and  14.  If 
Acts  was  the  only  biblical  resource  for  un- 
derstanding and  dealing  with  glossolalia, 
there  would  be  no  scriptural  guidelines 
related  to  its  use  or  misuse. 

When  Corinth,  one  of  the  first  churches 
to  be  established  in  the  period  of  early 
church  expansion,  became  scandalous  in  its 
misuse  of  tongues,  an  emissary  was  sent  by 
Paul  to  deal  with  the  concern.  Paul's 
response,  contained  in  I  Corinthians  12:13- 
14,  provides  a  different  perspective  from 
Acts.  Glossolalia  is  a  problem.  Although 
the  theme  of  these  three  chapters  has  to  do 
with  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  the  problems 
related  to  tongues  dominate  the  message 
throughout. 

Of  all  the  spiritual  gifts,  the  gift  of 
tongues  was  one  of  the  most  vulnerable  to 
dangers  and  abuses.  Paul  did  not  forbid 
the  exercise  of  this  gift  in  private  (I  Cor. 
14:27  ff).  The  general  message  of  Paul's 
discussion  seems  to  be  that  speaking  in 
tongues  can  be  good,  but  prophesying  in 
intelligible  speech  is  far  better  (1  Cor. 
14:5).  In  fact  he  preferred  for  the  church  to 
receive  five  words  of  understandable 
language  rather  than  10,000  words  with  a 
tongue  (1  Cor.  14:19). 

It  is  extremely  significant  that  right  in 
the  middle  of  Paul's  discourse  dealing  with 
the  problem  of  tongues,  he  wrote  the  love 


chapter.  According  to  Paul,  even  the 
greatest  glossolalist  in  the  world,  if  he  does 
not  have  love,  is  merely  a  noisemaker  (I 
Cor.  13:1). 

It  is  clearly  evident  that  Paul  gave 
tongues  a  position  of  minor  importance. 
He  discusses  the  topic  only  in  one  of  his 
letters  (1  Cor.).  In  his  major  epistles  he  has 
a  great  deal  to  say  about  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  about  the  Spirit's  gifts  to  the  church, 
but  he  does  not  mention  tongues  anywhere 
except  in  this  one  letter  to  the  church  at 
Corinth  and  there  he  deals  with  it  in  terms 
of  being  a  problem  rather  than  in  terms  of 
it  being  an  asset.  It  is  clearly  evident  that 
the  gift  of  tongues  occupies  a  very  subor- 
dinate place  in  the  life  of  the  Christian 
believers  in  the  Apostolic  Age. 

At  this  time  in  history,  the  conclusions 
that  I  have  reached  on  the  subject  are  as 
follows: 

1.  Speaking  in  tongues  is  a  gift  of  the 
Spirit  (I  Cor.  12). 

2.  Speaking  in  tongues  can  be  a  valid 
spiritual  experience  and  a  life-transforming 
event. 

3.  Speaking  in  tongues  can  have  positive 
or  negative  results,  depending  upon  the  at- 
titudes of  both  the  participants  and  non- 
participants. 

4.  Speaking  in  tongues  needs  to  be  exer- 
cised with  great  care  (1  Cor.  14). 

5.  Other  gifts  are  of  greater  importance 
and  benefit  (1  Cor.  12-14). 

6.  Love  is  still  the  ultimate  and  best  test 
of  value  (I  Cor.  I  J). 


T. 


.  he  practice  of  speaking  in  tongues 
carries  with  it  certain  dangers.  Perhaps  it 
would  be  beneficial  to  consider  some  of  the 
"mistakes"  made  by  people  on  both  sides 
of  the  issue. 

Glossolalists  often  make  the  mistake  of: 

1.  Overemphasizing  the  importance  and 
significance  of  "tongues,"  sometimes 
elevating  it  to  the  highest  of  all  gifts. 

2.  Becoming  preoccupied  with  "tongues" 
while  neglecting  other  gifts  or  other  con- 
cerns of  Christian  ministry  and  witness. 

3.  Using  the  "gift  of  tongues"  as  a  test  of 
faith  or  as  valid  proof  of  the  person  having 
received  the  Holy  Spirit. 

4.  Misinterpreting  the  total  message  of 
the  scripture,  emphasizing  supportive  pas- 
sages and  ignoring  or  minimizing  others. 

5.  Attempting  to  place  personal  ex- 
perience in  a  higher  position  of  authority 
than  scripture,  tradition,  or  reason. 

6.  Becoming  rigid  in  their  views  with  lit- 
tle possibility  of  honest  and  open  dialogue. 

7.  Developing  an  "in-group"  and  an 
"out-group"  situation  along  with  perhaps  a 


"martyr  complex"  in  response  to  outside 
reaction. 

Non-glossolalists  often  make  the  mistake 
of: 

1.  Overreacting  with  strong  negative 
words  and  actions  in  an  attempt  to  "con- 
trol the  spread  of  tongues." 

2.  Overemphasizing  the  importance  and 
significance  of  "tongues"  by  negative  reac- 
tions. 

3.  Responding  in  fear,  because  of  the  un- 
known, or  because  of  prejudice,  or  because 
of  possible  pain  and  destruction.  (Some- 
times fear  tends  to  help  produce  the  very 
thing  that  is  feared.) 

4.  Becoming  rigid  in  a  fixed  stance  and 
view  with  little  possibility  of  honest  and 
open  dialogue. 

5.  Misinterpreting  the  total  message  of 
scripture,  emphasizing  supportive  passages 
and  ignoring  or  minimizing  others. 

6.  Relying  too  heavily  on  tradition  or 
staid  logic  and  refusing  to  allow  religion  to 
be  an  emotional  experience. 

7.  Judging  the  value  or  meaning  of  other 
people's  personal  religious  experience. 

Here  are  some  suggestions  for  churches 
when  dealing  with  tongues: 

1.  Be  accepting  of  people  whose  religious 
experiences  are  different  from  yours. 

2.  Be  open  to  new  and  different  ways  to 
worship  God  and  to  receive  His  spirit. 

3.  Recognize  that  speaking  in  tongues  is 
one  of  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  and  as  such 
should  neither  be  prohibited  or  misused. 

4.  Keep  communication  open  between 
people  of  various  opinions  and  convictions. 
Plan  for  group  meetings  which  include 
representatives  of  various  views. 

5.  Plan  continuing  Bible  study  and 
prayer  sessions,  seeking  to  understand 
biblical  teachings  and  to  be  receptive  to 
God's  will. 

6.  Encourage  "tongues"  to  be  practiced 
in  private,  but  if  done  in  public  avoid  ex- 
cesses, following  Paul's  advice  in  I  Cor- 
inthians 14. 

7.  Frequently  test  the  fruits,  the  results, 
the  effects,  of  any  practice  or  activity  to  see 
how  they  compare  with  Galatians  5:22. 

8.  Make  provision  for  personal  faith 
sharing  in  worship  services  and  corporate 
gatherings. 

The  experience  of  speaking  in  tongues 
will  be  with  us  indefinitely,  either  as  a 
phenomenon  clearly  visible  in  the  various 
denominational  streams,  or  in  the  more 
subdued  recesses  of  Christianity.  We  must 
relate  one  way  or  another.  Brethrenism  at 
its  best  gives  affirmation  to  individualistic 
viewpoints  and  stances.  May  God  give  us 
the  grace  to  support  one  another  as  we 
each  search  for  truth.   □ 


July  1975  MESSENGER  23 


x'jaaen.Thoxxii 


r*. 


he  day  was  raw  and  the  sky  was 
clouding  up  as  I  traveled  north  from  San 
Francisco  to  visit  James  F.  Swallow.  By 
the  time  I  reached  Santa  Rosa,  at  the  foot 
of  Sonoma  Mountain,  the  sky  was  over- 
cast, and  mist  began  to  swirl  about  me  as  I 
climbed  the  narrow,  winding  road  to  his 
home  up  on  the  lop.  My  way  passed 
through  a  dark  and  gloomy  forest  of 
redwoods  and  cypress,  hung  thickly  with 
Spanish  moss  produced  by  the  climate 
of  the  bay.  But  forest  and  clouds  were 
far  below  me  when  I  reached  the  Swallow 
clearing.  A  tiny  cabin  perched  there,  on 


the  precipice,  overlooking  the  valley. 

The  91-year-old  Brethren  elder  met  me 
with  a  holy  kiss  and  a  blessing  at  his  door. 
Short  and  stout,  with  a  beard  on  his  bosom 
that  might  have  been  a  hank  of  the  moss 
from  a  tree  in  the  nearby  forest.  Elder 
Swallow  looked  perfectly  cast  for  the  role 
he  presently  fills — a  sort  of  guru  for  the 
"boys  and  girls  of  the  highways. "  I  had 
come  to  find  out  just  how  this  remarkable 
character,  living  half-forgotten  on  the 
periphery  of  Brethren  involvement,  had 
come  to  this  secluded  spot  and  how  his 
boys  and  girls  had  found  him. 


Elder  Swallow  settled  himself  in  his 
rocking  chair  to  tell  me.  As  he  began  to 
speak  I  watched  the  mists  and  clouds  far 
below  us  begin  to  rise  up,  filling  the  little 
coves,  curling  round  the  contours  of  the 
hills,  drawing  up  a  damp  blanket  to  cover 
the  meadows  and  woodlands.  Within 
minutes  wisps  of  vapor  were  lapping  round 
the  corners  of  the  snug  cabin,  and  the  scene 
outside  faded  into  gray  oblivion.  Then  rain 
began  to  patter  softly  on  the  shingled  roof, 
abetting  the  spell  that  Elder  Swallow  cast 
with  his  slow,  steady  voice,  harking  me 
back  into  the  world  of  75  years  ago  . . . 


24  MESSENGER  July  1975 


m  want  to  tell  you  a  little  story  . . .  that  is. 
if  you  can  take  it.  I  was  an  orphan  and.  so 
to  speak,  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  We 
were  just  kids  there  in  Lima,  Ohio,  when 
Dad  left  Mother  and  put  us  on  the  road, 
out  among  strangers,  and  we  just  became 
so  embittered  that  all  we  wanted  to  do.was 
fight.  When  I  was  about  14  our  stepfather 
took  my  brother  Carl  and  I  to  Lansing, 
Michigan,  out  of  Ohio,  and  he  started  in  a 
stealing  program.  Anybody  that  had  any 
sense  at  all  would  know  that  that  wouldn't 
last  because  he  hadn't  anymore  than 
started  until  we  were  all  thrown  in  jail. 

The  old  judge  at  the  trial  told  him  if  he 
would  pay  our  way  out  of  the  state  that  he'd 
let  Carl  and  1  go.  When  1  stepped  off  that 
train  back  in  Ohio  1  didn't  have  a  penny. 
Not  one  red  penny.  Well.  I  drifted  around 
until  one  day  I  happened  to  be  on  East 
Third  Street  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  If  you  know 
Dayton,  it's  a  wide  street,  and  I  saw  a 
market  wagon  coming  up  the  street.  1 
thought  to  myself,  "I  just  wonder  if  this 
might  be  the  time  when  I'll  find  some- 
thing." You  don't  know  what  it  means  to  be 
a  cast-off.  1  walked  out  and  I  stopped  that 
market  gardener.  I  asked  him  if  he  could  use 
me  on  his  farm.  He  said,  "Climb  up." 

1  knew  that  instant  that  I  had  to  sell 
myself  to  this  fellow.  He  was  a  big,  burly 
fellow  with  a  handlebar  mustache  and  if 
I'da  had  any  idea  of  who  or  what  he  was, 
I'da  never  got  up  on  that  wagon.  He  was  a 
condemned  murderer.  A  man  that  was  sent 
up  to  the  Ohio  penitentiary  for  life  but 
after  12  years  they  reconsidered  and  turned 
him  out.  That's  the  character  of  the  man 
that  picked  me  up  in  the  middle  of  the 
street. 

Well,  1  went  with  him  on  his  vegetable 
route  that  afternoon  until  it  was  all 
delivered.  Now  he  says,  "We'll  go  home." 
That  sounded  awfully  good.  I  knew  I  was 
going  to  get  to  go  home  with  him.  And  I 
did.  I  was  crummy.  1  was  dirty.  Didn't 
have  a  change  of  clothes  of  any  kind  and 
when  I  saw  his  nice  property  and  the 
different  ones  around  there  that  he  had 
employed,  1  felt  like  1  wanted  to  crawl  in 
somewhere  and  take  a  good  bath. 

We  weren't  home  very  long  until  the  call 
came  from  the  house  and  1  was  called  for 
supper.  The  old  dinner  bell  out  there.  My, 
that  table  was  spread  with  the  comforts  of 
life.  It  really  was.  Was  it  possible  that  I  was 
going  to  be  able  to  eat  a  full  meal?  They 
had  plenty.  And  when  they  started  serving, 
this  little  girl  that  you  see  here  in  this  pic- 
ture on  the  table  . . .  she  was  only  ten  . . . 


she  was  serving.  Well,  from  there  on  my 
life  began.  My  life  really  began. 

it  wasn't  so  long  after  that  I  volunteered 
to  go  to  the  Philippines.  McKinley  had 
declared  war  on  Spain.  They  had  sunk  the 
Maine  and  other  involvements  came  in. 
McKinley  was  shot  and  killed  and  Teddy 
Roosevelt  took  over.  And  that  made  other 
involvements.  Carried  us  clear  into  the 
Philippines  . . .  with  Spain,  you  know.  I 
wasn't  a  Christian  then,  made  no  pretense 
at  it.  I  could  out-cuss  anybody  1  ever 
heard.  I  could.  My  childhood  had  left  me 
that  embittered.  But  when  I  volunteered  to 
go  to  the  Philippines  in  the  Fighting  15th 
Cavalry,  I  made  up  my  mind,  I've  got  to  do 
something  definite.  If  there's  a  place  I'm 
going  to  find  it.  And  I  didn't  any  more 
than  get  into  Columbus  Barracks  until  I 
began  to  find  my  opportunities. 


nd  my  opportunity  was  these  officers  — 
a  whole  regiment  of  them.  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  1  was  going  to  be  one  of  their 
orderlies.  And  I  was  chosen.  And  so  I  went 
all  the  way  to  the  Philippines.  Luzon.  We 
disembarked  from  the  old  Hancock,  went 
up  the  Pasig  river  into  Luzon  and  that  was 
terrible.  It  really  was  terrible.  Our 
provisions  spoiled  before  they  got  them  to 
us  and  so  we  had  to  forage. 

There  in  the  heart  of  Luzon  I  learned 
one  of  the  finest  lessons  of  my  life.  The  of- 
ficer told  me  that  he  wanted  all  the  natives 
kept  in  and  if  they  didn't  stay  in,  shoot 
them.  I  never  agreed  with  that.  I  never  .   . 
in  childhood  ...  I  never  believed  in  brutali- 
ty. Just  because  a  man  is  big  and  stout,  no 
saying  he  has  the  right  to  take  a  kid  and 
mawl  him  around,  and  I  refused  to  shoot. 
And  some  of  them  got  out  on  me  but  1 
went  to  them  the  Christian  way  . ..  not  be- 
ing a  Christian  . . .  and  asked  them  to  come 
back.  And  so  help  me  God,  they  did.  Well, 
I  made  friends  of  those  Tagalog  people. 
They  were  lovely  people.  They  really  are. 
They're  really  nice. 

After  we'd  been  in  Luzon  a  while  they 
sent  me  to  Cebu  as  General  Leonard 
Wood's  orderly.  Why,  I  can't  tell  you  for 
the  life  of  me.  That's  right.  It  doesn't  sound 
right,  but  it's  the  truth.  General  Wood  had 
lovely  horses,  oh,  they  were  darlings,  and  I 
took  care  of  his  horses  and  also  set  just 
outside  of  his  door  to  carry  messages.  Then 
he  became  very  popular.  Wood  did  ...  he 
was  a  smart  man.  He  really  was  a  smart 
man.  They  made  him  governor  general  of 
the  Philippines. 


God  was  dealing  with  me  there  in  the 
Philippines.  Now  you  couldn't  imagine 
that,  because  I  dared  any  boy  in  my  outfit 
to  cuss  like  I  cussed.  That's  right.  That's 
absolutely  the  truth.  I  had  no  thought  nor 
no  feeling  for  God.  But  one  day  ...  we 
were  down  south  on  the  island  of  Jolo  then 
...  I  just  decided  that  I  wanted  to  find 
something  to  read.  I  went  down  the  street 
toward  the  officers'  quarters.  I  saw  a  door 
standing  partly  open.  I  had  no  scruples 
against  going  in.  1  went  in  and  when  my 
eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  dark  I  saw 
a  bunch  of  books.  1  got  up  and  I  got  one 
and  I  said,  "No,  I'll  take  two  because  when 
I've  read  the  one  I'll  read  the  other."  I  went 
to  the  door  and  looked  good  to  see  that 
there  wasn't  anybody  watching,  and  then 
slipped  back  down  to  the  barracks.  I  laid 
down  on  my  cot  with  my  back  to  the  boys 
because  something  to  read  would  create  a 
panic.  I  opened  up  one  of  these  new  books 
and  started  reading  and  I  had  the  Bible! 
Now  would  you  think  that  the  Lord  would 
go  to  all  of  that  bother  for  Jim  Swallow, 
all  of  that  bother  for  an  individual  like  me? 

But  when  I  got  back  to  the  States  I  could 
get  newspapers,  magazines,  all  kind  of  filthy 
stories,  and  I  left  those  little  books  lay  in  my 
box  locker.  Then  the  Lord  talked  to  me.  He 
showed  me  that  I  had  died.  That's  right,  I 
had  died  and  had  been  buried  and  was 
standing  on  my  own  grave.  There  was  an 
angel  at  the  head  of  the  grave.  I  said  to  the 
angel,  1  says,  "I  know  I'm  bad  . . .  but  I 
never  lied."  Well,  he  says,  "The  day  will 
declare  it."  I'd  read  enough  of  the  Bible.  I 
knew  what  "the  day  will  declare  it"  meant.  I 
went  right  back  to  those  little  books.  1  sure 
did.  The  Lord  hadn't  gone  to  all  that  trou- 
ble to  take  me  to  the  other  side  of  the  world 
to  pick  up  a  couple  of  books,  to  have  them 
thrown  away. 


[fell,  the  colonel  wanted  me  to  re-enlist, 
but  I  couldn't.  This  picture  here  on  the 
table,  that's  what  was  urging  me  to  come 
home.  Oh,  she  was  lovely.  She  was  really 
lovely.  So  I  came  back  to  Dayton. 

Little  Ann  was  working  for  the  Peoples' 
Railway  Company.  She  was  a  good  girl.  I 
mean  she  was  a  good  girl.  And  she  slipped 
up  to  her  boss  and  she  says,  "Could  you 
give  my  Jim  a  job?"  Well,  he  was  overjoyed 
to  do  it,  because  he  liked  her  so  well.  Oh,  I 
was  a  happy  man.  I  was  a  streetcar  conduc- 
tor. I  had  nice  clothes.  I  could  see  Little 
Ann  quite  often,  and  I  was  really  happy. 

The  main  office  called  me  one  morning. 


July  1975  MESSENGER  25 


told  me  to  get  down  to  the  barn  and  get  my 
nice  big  new  car  out,  that  there  was  an  ex- 
cursion crowd  waiting  for  me  at  the  Union 
Station.  Oh.  I  was  happy  . . .  there  was  a 
Uttle  extra  money  now.  I  don't  know 
whether  1  did  any  singing  or  not,  but  I  was 
happy.  1  got  on  the  car  and  started  for  the 
Union  Station.  Before  1  got  there  I  crossed 
the  Cincinnati  Street  track  and  old  Jack 
Sprangsteen  hit  me  broadside.  He  hit  me 
broadside.  They  picked  me  out  from  under 
the  truck  of  my  car.  I  had  no  life.  They 
took  me  to  a  hospital  and  I  didn't  come  to 
until  in  the  night. 

That  little  girl  was  standing  at  the  bed- 
side when  I  opened  my  eyes.  First  thing 
that  1  said,  1  says,  "Lord,  I'm  sorry.  I'm 
sorry  that  1  walked  out  on  you  again."  1 
was  all  engrossed  now  in  making  a 
successful  career  and  1  promised  him 
before  1  knew  really  what  I  was  doing.  1 
says,  "Lord,  if  you'll  give  me  just  one  more 
break,  just  one  more  break,"  1  says,  "I'll 
never  betray  my  trust  again."  You  see,  I'd 
been  reading  all  kinds  of  trash  and  left  the 
little  books  in  my  box  locker  again. 

Well,  Little  Ann  and  I  got  married  and 
we  went  to  the  country.  I  was  poor  as  cat 
dirt.  See,  we  only  got  thirteen  a  month  in 
the  army.  I  had  100  dollars  saved  up. 
Rented  a  little  killdeer  farm.  Everything 
was  against  me.  Absolutely  everything  was 
against  me.  I  rented  an  old  place  that  was 
rotty,  and  mousey,  and  everything,  and  it 
just  looked  like  it  was  a  dirty  shame  to  take 
Little  Ann  into  anything  of  that  kind. 

But  I  was  still  reading  that  little  book. 
Half  hungry.  Didn't  have  anything.  And  I 
was  reading  that  little  book  almost  day  and 
night.  Little  Ann  was  sure  that  I  had  a  no- 
tion that  something  had  to  happen,  so  I 
said  to  her,  I  says,  "Honey,  I'm  going  to  be 
baptized  tomorrow." 

"Why,"  she  says,  "Jim!  That  can't  be. 
You'll  never  quit  cussing.  You'll  never  quit 
fighting.  You'll  never  straighten  up."  I  had 
gotten  so  even  in  spite  of  reading  my  Bible, 
I'd  got  vicious  against  society.  She  says, 
"You  never  go  to  church.  You  don't  know 
any  preacher." 

I  says,  "I'm  going  to  be  baptized 
tomorrow." 

"All  right,"  she  says,  "if  that's  what 
you're  going  to  do,  I'm  going  all  the  way 
with  you." 

Next  day  was  Sunday.  I  hitched  the 
horse  to  our  little  old  rattletrap  of  a  buggy. 
I  put  Ann  in  it  and  the  baby,  got  into  it 
and  started  for  I  don't  know  where.  But  I 
figured  that  in  reading  the  Bible,  that  God 
provided  ways  for  things.  So  we  got  in  the 
buggy  and  started  north. 


Well,  1  was  so  ornery  that  there  wasn't  a 
soul  on  that  road  that  trusted  me.  That's 
right.  If  there  was  somebody  out  in  the 
road  when  I  was  coming  along  they'd  go 
back  in  until  I'd  went  by.  I  got  to  the  first 
house.  There  was  a  man  a-standing  in  the 
road.  It  was  a  Dunkard  preacher,  old 
Brother  Dave  Miller.  He  was  a  plumb 
good  Christian.  He  says,  "Which  way  this 
morning,  children?"  I  was  surprised  that  he 
would  venture  that  far.  I  says,  "I'm  a-going 
somewhere  to  be  baptized!" 

Oh  man,  that  man  yelled!  I  know  they 
coulda  heard  him  for  miles.  He  called  for 
his  wife.  He  says,  "Come  here.  I'm  going  to 
Fort  McKinley."  He  got  in  and  we  rode 

^"Remember  what i 
told  you  about  me 
taking  that  bible 
when  i  was  in  the 
island  of  jolo  in 
THE  Philippines? 

DON'T  TELL  ME 
THAT  THE  LORD 
DOESN'T  HAVE  A 
PURPOSE  FOR  OUR 
LIVES.  He  DOES! " 


seven  miles  to  Fort  McKinley. 

They  were  awfully  nice  people.  They 
really  were.  I  hadn't  been  used  to  meeting 
those  kind  of  people.  The  first  thing  that 
was  said  to  me  on  the  inside  of  the  door 
when  the  Brethren  found  out  that  I  was 
there  to  be  baptized,  old  Brother  Miller  put 
his  arms  around  me  and  he  gave  me  my  in- 
structions. He  says,  "Lad,  you're  young. 
The  world  is  before  you.  Don't  do  like  a  lot 
of  us  old  fellows  have  done  and  waste  your 
time  until  you're  old."  Well,  what  that  man 
said  to  me  meant  something.  I  had  known 
Brother  Miller  before.  I  had  gone  to  a  sale 
of  his  and  I  went  to  him  and  1  asked  him, 
"Brother  Miller,  would  you  let  me  bid  in 
one  of  your  cows?  I  don't  have  a  penny." 
He  says.  "Bid."  He  was  one  of  those  old- 
fashioned  Dunkards.  Believe  you  me,  he 
was  a  good  one  too.  But  1  bid  in  a  cow,  a 
black  Jersey.  He  come  to  me.  He  says, 
"Lad,  you've  bought  the  best  cow  in  my 
herd."  I  says,  "And  I  don't  have  a  dime  to 


give  you."  "Who's  asking  you  for  a  dime?" 
he  says.  "Take  her  home  to  Ann  and  the 
baby."  Now  that's  the  shot  in  the  arm  that 
I  got.  I  began  to  see  and  feel  now  that  there 
was  another  side  to  this  world. 

Well,  you  know,  I  couldn't  imagine  how 
I  was  going  to  apologize  to  that  communi- 
ty. But  there  was  a  little  union  church  out 
at  the  head  of  the  road  where  we  lived,  and 
I  said  to  Little  Ann.  I  says,  "Honey,  I'm 
going  to  start  a  revival  meeting  right  there 
in  that  union  church.  And  I'll  apologize  to 
everybody  that  1  ever  said  or  done 
anything  mean  to."  I  never  can  tell  you 
what  it  meant  to  me  to  get  up  before  that 
audience  far  and  near  and  start  preaching. 
I  wasn't  a  preacher.  1  wasn't  elected.  But  I 
went  to  preaching  anyhow.  One  young 
fellow  come  up  to  me  the  first  night.  He 
says,  "Jim.  I  would  have  walked  to  New 
York  to  have  heard  that  sermon  tonight."  I 
had  chased  him  one  time  a  couple  of  miles. 
He  outrun  me  or  1  woulda  beat  the 
daylights  out  of  him.  That's  the  kind  of  a 
community  I  was  in.  And  there  was  old 
Brother  Kauffman  out  at  the  end  of  the       ' 
road.  He  says  to  me.  "We  don't  need  to  be 
afraid  of  you  anymore,  do  we?" 

m 

■ihat's  the  way  I  started  out.  I  didn't  get 
a  commission  until  I  come  clear  to  western 
Colorado.  The  rest  of  my  life  has  been  hit 
and  run.  My  first  effort  was  in  Floridy. 
The  Binkleys  bought  5.000  acres.  They 
wanted  to  make  winter  potato  country  out 
of  it.  It  was  all  timbered  . . .  hard  pine. 
They  got  in  gangs  of  men  to  grub  those 
stumps  out.  They  offered  me  a  good  job.  1 
was  running  quite  a  gang  of  men  in  the 
woods.  But  I  went  to  Floridy  inadvisedly. 
It  was  humid.  Ever  since  I  was  sick  once  in 
the  Philippines  I  couldn't  take  that  kind  of 
climate. 

One  thing  led  to  another.  There  was 
some  folks  come  down  there  from 
Kansas — the  Bergers — and  1  visited  with 
them.  "Well."  they  says,  "come  to  Kansas. 
We've  got  all  kinds  of  property.  You  can 
farm  for  us."  So  we  went  to  Kansas.  They 
had  everything.  1  put  in  360  acres  of  wheat. 
It  never  sprouted. 

We  was  up  in  the  sticks  in  Minnesota 
when  I  was  ordained  to  the  eldership.  I 
couldn't  tell  you  what  year  that  was  if  my 
life  depended  oti  it.  1  had  been  sick.  My 
throat  was  in  a  terrible  way.  But  I  went  on 
as  best  I  could,  using  young  people,  until 
we  had  quite  a  church  up  there.  Now  I  was 
so  sick.  I  just  felt  like  I  couldn't  breathe. 
I'd  preached  all  summer,  all  fall,  and  most 
of  the  winter,  and  we  were  in  a  little  old 


26  MESSENGER  July  1975 


shack  up  there  in  the  woods.  And  Brother 
W.  H.  Lichty  from  Grundy  Center.  Iowa, 
he  came  up  to  ordain  me.  Little  Ann  was 
about  to  have  a  baby  and  she  was  very 
heavy  and  1  was  sick.  But  people  are  peo- 
ple, 1  don't  care  where  they  are.  There's  a 
couple  of  girls  walked  into  the  place  where 
we  were  staying  and  they  brought  me  a 
bottle  of  balsam  pitch.  1  don't  know 
whether  they  knew  what  they  were  doing 
or  not,  but  God  did. 

1  said  to  Little  Ann,  I  says,  "Honey,  I'm 
feeling  better.  Please  go  and  lie  down.  Go 
lie  down  and  get  your  rest."  She  was  near 
labor  pains.  I  got  up  and  I  got  that  bottle 
of  balsam  pitch,  taken  a  gulp  of  it  and  I 
was  the  one  that  went  to  sleep!  I  did,  and  I 
got  better,  and  those  girls  saw  Little  Ann's 
condition  and  they  went  home  and  brought 
their  mother,  who  was  a  midwife.  She 
came  in  and  took  care  of  Little  Ann. 
Hallelujah!  Eventually  we  had  eleven 
children.  Little  Ann  and  me.  They  are  all 
still  living  ...  all  married.  I  have  39 
grandchildren,  75  great-grandchildren. 


ou  know.  I  am  convinced  that  the  Lord 
knows  what  he's  doing,  when,  how,  and 
where.  Take  when  we  was  out  in  Denver.  I 
was  sure  1  could  get  on  a  streetcar  line.  But 
it  was  a  summer  resort  town  then  and  they 
were  laying  off  help.  Well,  Brother,  I  was 
learning  to  pray.  I  was.  I  was  learning  to 
pray.  I  had  taken  Little  Ann  and  the  babies 
out  there  among  strangers.  But  don't  you 
forget  it.  Little  Ann  could  pray  too.  She 
sure  could  pray. 

I  watched  the  paper  very  close  and  saw 
an  ad  where  the  Denver  Pueblo  Water 
Company  wanted  a  barnman.  Mister,  I 
run.  1  run  from  the  newspaper  office  to  the 
waterworks.  Only  to  be  told  that  another 
man  had  beat  me.  But  I  asked  them,  "Can 
I  leave  my  address?"  I  went  back  to  Little 
Ann.  My,  those  were  tight  days.  1  says, 
"Honey,  I'm  going  to  prayer  meeting 
tonight."  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  South 
Denver.  I  never  will  forget  . . .  never.  I  had 
to  walk  both  ways.  And  when  I  got  back  to 
that  little  two-room  cabin,  there  stood  Lit- 
tle Ann  in  the  door  waiting  for  me.  Hand- 
ed me  a  little  slip  of  paper — the  water- 
works had  sent  for  me!  No,  don't  tell  me 
that  the  Lord  wasn't  working  with  me. 

I  walked  into  a  store.  I  told  the  man,  I 
says,  "Could  you  sell  me  a  small  bill  of 
groceries?"  And  he  says,  "Lad,  we  don't 
give  credit  in  this  town.  But  I  know  your 
people,  the  Dunkard  people."  (1  was  wear- 
ing a  beard.)  He  gave  me  a  nice  box  of 
groceries.  It  seemed  like  all  heaven  opened 


up.  I  had  a  job  now  and  I  had  something 
to  eat  for  my  family. 

Well,  this  life  of  mine,  it's  been  in  every 
nook  and  corner  and  cranny  of  this  coun- 
try. We  were  crossing  the  Dakotas  and  it 
was  very  rough  country.  We  pulled  off  the 
side  of  the  road  to  spend  the  night,  and  in 
the  night  I  saw  a  vision.  It'd  be  beautiful  if 
I  could  show  it  to  you.  But  I  saw  the  sunset 
out  here  on  the  Pacific,  just  above  the 
water,  with  Jesus'  face  mirrored  in  it,  in  the 
sunset.  I  said  to  Little  Ann  the  next  morn- 
ing, I  says,  "Honey,  I  know  where  the  rest 
of  our  ministry  is  going  to  be."  I  says. 
"We're  going  to  it.  It's  in  the  sunset." 

When  we  came  into  the  valley,  here  in 


California  just  automatically  they  elected 
me  as  elder  of  the  Chico  church  and  the 
Live  Oak  and  the  Rio  Linda  church.  But  I 
knew  1  wasn't  destined  to  stay  there.  It 
seems  as  though  that  when  the  Lord  starts 
moving,  there's  no  stopping.  We  thought 
that  we  might  try  to  stay  at  Rio  Linda,  but 
we  couldn't.  Little  Ann  got  sick  and  before 
we  really  knew  it  we  had  to  go  for  higher 
ground.  I  never  will  forget  the  night  ...  it 
was  so  hot.  It  was  sweltering  hot.  Little 
Ann  was  setting  there  with  the  sweat  roll- 
ing off  of  her.  I  says.  "Honey,  let's  go  to 
the  coast."  The  coast  was  in  my  heart. 

So  we  kept  on  a-coming.  We  come  right 
down  here  on  this  mountain  road.  There 
was  a  man  starting  to  build  there.  He  give 
me  a  job  right  away,  and  I  went  to  work.  I 
asked  people  if  there  was  any  property  for 
sale  here  anywhere.  "Oh."  they  says,  "there 
might  be  some  land  back  in  here."  We  got 
a  place  to  cover  up  for  awhile,  then  I  heard 
of  this  property  up  here  on  Sonoma  Moun- 


tain. Without  hesitance  1  got  into  my  little 
beat-up  car.  went  down  to  the  Bay  and  saw 
the  man.  and  in  20  minutes  I  bought  it. 
Don't  seem  possible.  Just  don't  seem  possi- 
ble. But  I  had  this  property  with  an  insured 
deed  in  20  minutes.  The  man  was  just  that 
ready  to  let  it  go.  and  I  bought  it.  It  was 
the  most  beautiful  sight  that  you  ever  seen. 
Little  Ann  wasn't  well.  I  wasn't  well.  The 
water  was  pure.  The  air  was  pure.  We  both 
got  well  at  once. 

You  know,  it's  hardly  believable  how 
that  the  Lord  reaches  in.  I  bought  this.  I 
didn't  have  enough  to  pay  for  it.  by  quite  a 
lot.  But  I  got  work  in  the  shipyard  and 
made  good  in  wages  and  paid  it  off. 

We  were  happy  here  for  a  long  time 
then.  But  when  Little  Ann  died  four  years 
ago  I  just  couldn't  stop  crying.  I  couldn't.  1 
was  kneeling  at  her  side  as  she  was  dying. 
And  the  devil  come  to  me.  Don't  get  scared 
now.  The  devil  come  to  me  right  at  the 
bedside.  And  this  is  what  he  said  to  me.  He 
says,  "Now  you  see  what  you  get  for  all  of 
these  70  years  of  your  ministry,  sacrificing 
your  family  and  everything.  You  see  how 
God  pays  off.'" 

I  want  to  tell  you  that  was  a  moment.  I 
had  no  forethought.  I  just  looked  up  and 
says,  "Holy,  holy,  holy  art  thou.  Lord,  God 
Almighty.  Just  and  true  are  thy  ways." 
Then  I  says,  "Lord,  Little  Ann's  suffering 
bad.  You  take  her  home  to  you  and  send 
her  back  as  my  guardian  angel."  And  so 
help  me  God.  he  did.  He  did.  When  I 
buried  Little  Ann.  we  put  her  in  the  grave, 
and  then  one  of  my  sons  took  me  to  one  of 
my  daughters.  But  before  we  got  there  I 
says,  "Mark,  there's  a  third  person  in  this 
car."  And  he  says.  "Daddy,  you  don't  need 
to  have  told  me.  I  know  it  too." 

Two  years  went  by.  Look  like  I  just 
couldn't  reconcile  myself  to  Little  Ann  be- 
ing gone.  It  was  on  Christmas  day  two 
years  ago  that  1  locked  my  door  and  I  says. 
"I'm  tired  of  crying  myself  to  sleep.  I'm 
tired  of  crying  and  getting  up  in  the  morn- 
ing. I've  got  to  have  an  answer.  I've  spent  a 
couple  of  years  now  with  no  solution."  I 
read  until  I  got  into  the  fourteenth  chapter 
of  Luke.  The  first  thing  I  run  into  there, 
just  like  running  into  a  bridgehead.  Jesus 
was  saying  to  his  disciples.  "Except  a  man 
hate  his  father  and  his  mother,  his  wife  and 
his  children,  his  brother  and  his  sister,  and 
his  own  self  also,  he  can't  be  my  disciple." 
It  staggered  me.  I'll  tell  you  it  was  a  blow. 
It  was. 

I  says.  "All  right.  Lord,  all  right.  I  take 
the  rebuke.  I  know  that  I  worshiped  Little 
Ann  and  everybody  else  knows  it.  But  I 
worshiped  her."  And  then  I  says,  "Lord,  I 


July  1975  MESSENGER  27 


Brethren 
Bible  Institute 


August  4-29,  1975,  on  the  campus  of 
Elizabethtown  College,  Elizabethtown, 
Pa. 

COURSES 
Old      Testament/New      Testament 
Surveys:    These    courses   will    give   an 
overall  view  of  the  Bible.  (Carol  Cosner) 

Gospel  of  John:  paragraph  by 
paragraph;  probed  for  its  precise  mean- 
ing. (Carl  Zeigler) 

Romans:  revealing  the  heart  of  the 
Gospel  message.  (Theodore  Miller) 

Genesis:  origins,  creation,  and  evolu- 
tion; fall  of  man;  the  flood;  the 
patriarchs.  (MyrI  Weyant) 

Revelation:  study  built  round  its  key 
verse  (1 :19).  (Theodore  Miller) 

Biblical  Theology:  central  doctrines, 
including  Brethren  ordinances.  (Harold 
Martin) 

Personal  Evangelism:  practical 
methods  of  sharing  with  others  the 
message  of  eternal  life   (MyrI  Weyant) 

Practical  Homiletics:  basic  principles 
of  organizing,  outlining,  and  preparing 
sermons  and  lessons.  (Harold  Martin) 

Brethren  History:  Church  history  with 
emphasis  on  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  (Carl  Zeigler) 

Elements  of  Music:  rudiments  of 
music,  history  of  hymnology,  art  of  song 
leading.  (Paul  Brubaker) 

Daily  Schedule:  For  each  student, 
two  morning  classes,  one  afternoon 
class,  one  evening  class.  Balance  of  day 
for  study /recreation.  Number  of  courses 
optional. 

Cost:  $125.00  for  four  weeks  (tuition, 
room,  board).  $10.00  charge  for  remain- 
ing over  weekends.  Commuters,  $50.00 
plus  meals  and  books.  Textbooks  ap- 
proximately $15.00.  Evening  sessions 
only,  $10.00  for  four  weeks,  plus  text- 
book. Write  about  financial  assistance  if 
you  need  help. 

For:  High  school  age  young  people 
and  adults;  ministers,  teachers, 
licensees.  Christian  workers. 

Aim:  That  participants  may  be  led  by 
consecrated  teachers  into  serious  Bible 
study.  To  grow  together  in  fellowship. 
To  come  to  know  Jesus  Christ  in  a  more 
intimate  way,  and  to  be  better  fitted  for 
service  under  His  Lordship. 

Write  for  application:  Brethren  Bible 
Institute,  P.O.  Box  261,  Quakertown,  Pa. 
18951. 

28  MESSENGER  July  1975 


want  to  proposition  you.  After  I've  ad- 
mitted that  I  was  wronging  you  in  worship- 
ing Little  Ann,"  I  says,  "will  you  give  me 
the  love  for  the  boys  and  girls  up  and  down 
these  highways  that  I  had  for  Little  Ann 
the  same  burning  love  that  I  had  for  her, 
and  I'll  settle."  And  that's  what's  happened. 
That's  what's  happened.  And  life  has  been 
more  real. 

You  see,  this  love  for  the  boys  and  girls 
of  the  highway,  it  sort  of  come  through  my 
evangelistic  life.  I've  always  had  a  way  with 
boys  and  girls  . . .  young  people.  They  come 
to  me  from  quite  a  ways.  I  was  preaching 
down  in  Missouri  once.  The  elder  came  to 
me  and  he  says,  "Swallow,  don't  be  disap- 
pointed. We've  got  no  young  people.  We 
don't  have  any  crowds  here."  "Well,"  I 
says,  "it'll  be  the  first  place  then  that  I've 
been  that  they  had  no  young  people.  1  will 
be  disappointed.  "But,"  I  says,  "they'll  be 
here."  And  it  was  on  a  Sunday  morning. 
There  was  three  girls  back  in  the  far  corner 
of  that  big  old  square  church.  I  says, 
"Girls,  I  want  you  to  come  up  out  of  that 
corner.  Come  up  here  to  the  amen  corner." 
And  they  did.  "Now,"  1  says,  "we're  going 
to  gather  young  people  in  this  country  until 
we  crowd  the  old  people  clear  out  of  this 
side  of  the  church."  And  so  help  me  God, 
that's  just  what  we  did.  Well,  the  old  elder 
says,  "I  never  woulda  thought  it."  Yes,  I've 
always  had  a  way  with  young  people. 


young  man  came  up  here  from  San 
Francisco  and  he  turned  out  to  be  an  All- 
American  football  star  with  a  university 
education.  But  he  was  just  like  setting 
somebody  on  fire.  He  was  ready  to  go.  At 
this  moment  he's  in  Hawaii,  establishing  a 
church  there.  He's  already  organized  one  in 
Santa  Rosa.  He  just  has  the  ability  to  do  it. 
And  so  many  of  these  fine  boys  and  girls 
seems  as  though  that  God  picked  them  out 
and  sent  them  to  us.  You  take  a  bad  boy 
out  here  on  the  highways,  he's  just  like  a 
bad  horse.  He  may  act  ugly;  he  may  say 
and  do  things.  But  you  take  and  break 
him,  he  makes  the  finest  kind  of  Christian. 
Yes,  he  does. 

One  day  there  was  a  young  man  came  up 
here— Little  Ann  was  still  living,  God  bless 
her — and  she  met  them  out  at 
the  gate.  This  man  was  an  aviator  . . .  flies 
the  big  boys  . . .  and  he  got  an  idea  that 
there  must  be  something  up  here,  so  he  put 
his  pack  on  his  back  and  his  wife  and  they 
came  cross-country.  He  never  left.  I  never 
see  a  boy  grow  into  usefulness  like  he  does. 
I  can't  !iee  how  that  he  can  be  such  a  good 
pilot  and  be  so  dedicated  to  the  church  and 


all,  but  he  just  simply  is.  And  we  have  a  lot 
them  like  that. 

We  started  what  we  call  the  Sonoma  Lig 
House  Mission.  Serves  the  boys  and  girls  ( 
the  highways,  the  ones  like  I  was,  cast-offs 
the  ones  that's  down  and  out,  got  no  place 
go,  no  place  to  call  home,  nobody  that  car 
for  or  loves  them.  They  come  here  from 
everywhere  now.  If  they  want  to  get  marrii 
they  come.  If  they  want  to  be  saved  they 
come.  If  they  want  somebody  to  listen  to 
them  they  come.  Used  to  hold  services  up 
here  on  the  mountain.  But  we've  had  to 
transfer,  temporarily  at  least,  down  to  El 
Verano.  We  have  a  dwelling  house  there  w 
use,  but  it's  getting  cramped.  We  need  bigg 
quarters.  Wouldn't  surprise  me  a  bit  to  see 
church  built  up  here.  The  boys  and  girls  ka 
coming. 

There's  a  girl  come  to  the  door  one  da 
at  noon.  She  came  in.  She  set  down  righi 
over  there.  I  started  talking  to  her.  She  wt 
in  trouble.  She  really  was  in  trouble.  No 
place  to  go  and  on  the  road  and  I  told  hei 
1  says,  "What  you  need  is  Christ."  I  says, 
"You  get  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  your 
heart  and  things  will  clear  up."  We  got 
down  here  and  prayed  and  she  hadn't 
anymore  than  gotten  down  and  prayed  ui^ 
til  there  was  two  more  at  the  door — an  Ii 
dian  and  a  lady,  middle-aged.  And  I  says\ 
to  this  Indian,  really  not  knowing  then  thi' 
she  was  an  Indian,  I  says,  "You're  here  t( 
be  baptized."  She  said  to  the  elderly  lady, 
she  says,  "How  did  he  know  that?  I  didn' 
say  anything  to  him."  Well,  by  that  time 
this  other  girl  had  gone  down  the  road  tcij 
get  some  clothes  to  be  baptized  in  and  wt 
back.  And  we  had  a  beautiful,  a  beautifu 
little  service  with  those  three. 

Now  I  didn't  know  it  at  the  time,  but  1  ^ 
had  had  a  light  stroke  that  morning.  I 
wasn't  feeling  well.  We  got  out  to  the  gat 
and  I  thought  to  myself,  "I  wonder  what 
I'll  do?"  The  three  that  were  with  me  wer 
the  only  ones  on  the  mountain.  Well,  I  jui 
looked  up  and  I  said,  "Satan,  I'm  not  onl 
willing  to  get  sick  in  that  baptistry,  leadini 
these  children  into  the  kingdom,  but  I'm 
willing  to  die  there.  So  make  up  your 
mind,  old  Satan.  Let  me  go."  And  I  did. 
They  baptized  very  beautifully. 

And  that's  the  way  it  keeps  coming. 
These  boys  and  girls  of  the  highway  are 
coming  in  and  laying  their  lives  on  the 
altar.  I'm  having  a  better  time  right  now 
than  I've  ever  had  in  my  life.  Remember  iL 
what  I  told  you  about  me  taking  that  Bibi 
when  I  was  in  the  island  of  Jolo  in  the 
Philippines?  Don't  tell  me  that  the  Lord 
doesn't  have  a  purpose  for  our  lives.  He 
does!  He  does!    □ 


ontinued  from  page  9) 
es.  Only  by  them  can  we  order  our  lives 
>ether.  Such  structures  are  instituted  by 
)d  because  we  cannot  exist  together 
fhout  them.  But  this  is  not  to  suggest 
\l  such  structures  are  God  in  themselves, 
|that  they  are  never  to  be  questioned  or 
^nged.  Political  institutions  can  be  in- 
ited  with  evil,  and  if  you  please,  in- 
iuted  by  the  devil.  So  in  their  loyalties  to 
i;  authorities  Christians  are  instructed  in 
bmans  12  not  to  be  overcome  with  evil, 
|t  "to  overcome  evil  with  good,"  which 
y  mean  being  subject  to  authorities 
ile  at  the  same  time  resisting  the  evil 
it  they  would  do. 

lesus  Christ  is  not  captive  to  any  par- 
jlar  political  or  economic  system.  He  is 
ther  capitalist  nor  communist,  American 
r  Russian;  he  is  at  work  in  all  but  subject 
none.  His  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world, 
t  this  world  is  the  arena  of  his  kingdom's 
rk. 


Tother  Andrew  is  a  Christian  from 
Hand  who  writes  of  repeated  trips  to 
uggle  Bibles  into  Communist  nations  in 
stern  Europe.  As  God's  Smuggler  his 
nificance  seems  to  me  more  that  of  the 
ness  and  contact  with  Christians  across 
itical  barriers  than  of  the  distribution  of 
iptures.  On  his  first  exciting  trip  into 
land  he  describes  the  trams  in  Warsaw 
the  most  crowded  imaginable,  with 
ers  on  the  platforms,  on  the  couplings, 
the  hubs. 

'I  remember,"  he  says,  "once  squeezing 
to  a  rear  platform,  holding  my  tracts  over 
head  so  they  would  not  be  crushed.  A 
isant  woman  near  me  looked  up  at  the 
•nphlets  and  crossed  herself.  'Ja.  Ja,'  she 
d  in  German,  'this  is  what  we  need  in 
land.'  That  was  all.  But  I  knew  that  we 
j  really  met,  she  the  Catholic  from 
stern  Europe,  1  the  Protestant  from  the 
:st.  There  on  the  crowded  tramway  plat- 
m  we  met  as  Christians." 
n  that  brief  encounter  the  Christ  not 
)tive  to  any  human  system  was 
ebrated  by  two  different  people  crossing 
Tiers  but  discovering  that  they  were  one 
Christ's  kingdom.  That  was  not  a  jubilee 
ir,  only  a  jubilee  moment — a  brilliant, 
y  glimpse  of  what  is  to  come,  but  a  mo- 
nt  far  more  beautiful  than  even  our  flag 
ving  in  blue  skies  because  that  moment 
ints  toward  a  larger  kingdom, 
lust  as  Christ  is  not  captive  to  any 
man  system,  neither  is  Christ  necessarily 
linst  any  human  system.  He  is  not 
linst  the  flag  or  anyone's  culture,  but 


from  within  all  human  systems  and  across 
them  he  seeks  to  reconstruct  them  to  reflect 
a  celebration  when  children  can  frolic, 
lovers  love,  and  friends  work  and  play 
without  fear  but  in  joy  because  love  has 
reconstructed  the  whole  world.  So  if  the 
flag  is  to  stand  inside  Christ's  church  at 
all — and  that  is  debatable—  it  stands  there 
as  a  reminder  that  we  have  responsibilities 
outside  the  celebration  of  this  kingdom  on 
Sunday  morning,  responsibilities  for  which 
we  can  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  our  own 
American  heritage.  But  never  can  any  flag 
match  the  glory  of  the  cross,  for  the  cross 
reminds  us  that  Christ  our  King  sends  us 
into  the  world  for  a  celebration  and 
reconstruction  transcending  and  uniting  all 
human  cultures  and  systems. 

But  that  leaves  us  with  a  dilemma  as 
Christians  committed  to  Christ  and  the 
Church  but  trying  to  be  responsible  in  a 
divided  world:  If  we  say  his  kingdom  has 
nothing  to  do  with  this  world,  so  that 
religion  and  politics  never  touch  each  other 
or  so  that  we  obey  the  authorities  when  the 
state  is  wrong,  then  we  become  irresponsi- 
ble hypocrites  who  separate  faith  from  life 
and  power  from  love.  But  if  we  get  in- 
volved in  the  many-sided  power  structures 
of  this  world,  then  we  politicize  the  faith, 
making  Christ  captive  to  some  provincial 
human  system,  alienating  those  on  various 
sides. 

The  dilemma  is  unresolvable.  We  must 
learn  to  live  with  the  tension  and  yet  live  in 
the  world  responsibly  so  that  the  vision 
generated  by  our  life  together  in  Christ  in- 
fluences this  world.  When  our  flag  has 
divided  us  and  set  us  at  one  another's 
throats  we  have  lost  the  vision  of  the  peace 
Christ  has  won  for  us  in  the  new  kingdom. 
Then  we  lost  the  kingdom's  generating 
power  in  our  lives,  and  a  beautiful  flag  is 
desecrated  and  made  into  an  ugly,  false 
god.  Indeed  we  may  be  found  to  be 
fighting  for  the  wrong  kingdom  in  the 
wrong  ways  and  for  a  lost  cause.  The  peace 
is  won.  The  battles  still  go  on  in  this  world, 
but  the  vision  is  sure  to  come.  The 
guidelines  of  the  jubilee  year  to  come  for 
our  witness  in  the  world  are  made  clear  by 
Jesus  when  he  quoted  Isaiah;  "good  news 
to  the  poor  . . .  release  to  captives  and 
recovery  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at 
liberty  those  who  are  oppressed,  to 
proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord" 
(Luke4:l8b-19). 

Let  us  celebrate  and  reconstruct  the 
kingdom  that  is  coming,  which  indeed  is 
already  won  in  Christ's  death  and  resurrec- 
tion, world  without  end.  Amen!  AmenlG 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 


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Florida,  why  not  worship  with  us?  First 
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Sunday  School  9:15  A.M.  Morning  Worship 
10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor 

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From  These  Hoots 

A  history  of  the  entire  life-span  of 
North  Atlantic  District.  Editor  Elmer 
Q.  Gleim  has  included  the  history  of 
each  of  the  district's  congregations 
from  1723  to  1974.  Hard  cover.  Ap- 
proximately 450  pages.  Publication 
date,  October  1,  1975.  Save  $1.00 
with  prepublication  order.  Order 
from:  Stanley  L.  Davis,  680 
Edgewood  Ave.,  Lansdale,  Pa. 
19446. 


Please  send  me_ 


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These  Roots  at  the  special 
prepublishing  price  of  $7.50  each, 
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July  1975  MESSENGER  29 


Announcing 

a  revised  edition  of 

the  phenomenal 

best  seller, 
William  Barclay's 

THE  DAILY 
STUDY  BIBLE 


The  famous  17-volume  set  of  New 
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First  six  volumes  ready  now. 

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THE  GOSPEL  OF  MATTHEW,  VOL.  2 

THE  GOSPEL  OF  MARK 

THE  GOSPEL  OF  LUKE 

THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN,  VOL.  1 

THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN,  VOL.  2 

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Revised  Soft  Cover  Edition  @  $3.45 

Or  In  a  6-vol.  Set: 

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Four  additional  volumes  will  be 

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h(B\rm  D 


Dale  Aukerman 

Terminate  ties 
with  RCAR 

1  want  to  speak  to  the  much-debated  issue 
of  Brethren  membership  in  the  Religious 
Coalition  for  Abortion  Rights  (RCAR). 
Brother  Joel  Thompson  and  others  have 
pointed  to  key  parts  of  the  1972  Annual 
Conference  statement  on  abortion  as  the 
rationale  for  joining  the  Coalition.  But  I 
believe  that  Brethren  membership  in  the 
coalition  runs  counter  to  that  Conference 
statement. 

In  a  Messenger  article,  "Abortion  and 
War"  (June  I,  1972,  page  22),  I  sought  to 
show  that  the  committee  report  on  abor- 
tion (which  was  later  adopted)  was  in  con- 
flict with  the  church's  historic  peace  posi- 
tion in  point  after  point.  However,  the  con- 
ference statement  is  the  guideline  we  have 
before  us.  Its  central  affirmation  reads: 
"Brethren  oppose  abortion  because  it 
destroys  fetal  life.  Let  it  be  clear  that  the 
Brethren  ideal  upholds  the  sacredness  of 
human  life  and  that  abortion  should  be 
accepted  as  an  option  only  where  all  other 
possible  alternatives  will  lead  to  greater 
destruction  of  human  life  and  spirit."  The 
ne.xt  sentences  have  to  do  with  support  for 
women  who  decide  they  must  resort  to 
abortion.  The  paragraph  on  legislation 
reads:  "Laws  regarding  abortion  should 
embody  protection  of  human  life,  protec- 
tion of  freedom  of  moral  choice,  and  the 
availability  of  good  medical  care.  Brethren 
should  work  for  laws  that  uphold  these 
principles,  even  though  there  are  differing 
opinions  as  to  how  such  principles  may  be 
achieved.  Brethren  are  asked  not  to  try  to 
enforce  their  highest  ideal  of  morality  by 
strict  civil  law." 

The  central  affirmation  could  be  called 
"double-talk."  It  was,  however,  intended  as 
a  dialectical  position,  holding  together  in 
tension  a  concern  for  fetal  life  and  a  con- 
cern for  women  trapped  in  unwanted 
pregnancies.  The  Religious  Coalition  for 


To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those  in 
the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or  disagree 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation  of  this 
value,  and  to  an  open  and  probing  forum, 
that  "Here  I  Stand"  responses  are  invited. 


Abortion  Rights  is  totally  devoted  to  the ' 
second  concern  and  does  not  in  its  "Statt: 
ment  of  Purpose,"  or  otherwise,  express 
any  dialectical  position  comparable  to  thii 
one  at  the  heart  of  the  1972  Conference 
statement.  Their  "Statement  of  Purpose"  | 
reads:  "To  encourage  and  coordinate  supi 
port  for  safeguarding  the  legal  option  of 
abortion,  for  ensuring  the  right  of  in- 
dividuals to  make  decisions  concerning 
abortion  in  accordance  with  their  con- 
sciences; and  for  opposing  efforts  to  denj 
this  right  of  conscience  through  con- 
stitutional amendment,  or  federal  and  sta 
legislation." 

The  Brethren  statement  does  imply  op-i 
position  to  legislation  prohibiting  abortio 
But  when  the  paragraph  on  legislation  is  j 
read  in  the  context  of  the  central  affirma 
tion  quoted  above,  it  is  clear  that  what  is  'I 
be  worked  for  are  laws  that  hold  togethe 
these  dialectical  concerns.  Surely  fetal  lift 
is  included  in  the  "human  life"  that  laws 
are  to  protect.  The  Coalition  is  against  ar! 
legislation  that  would  set  any  limits  on  tl 
"right"  to  have  abortions — a  position  cer' 
tainly  not  expressed  or  implied  in  the 
Brethren  statement.  Brethren  membershifi 
in  the  Coalition  is  contrary  to  the  dialec- 
tical stance  of  the  1972  statement  on  aboi 
tion  and  should  be  terminated. 

A  footnote:  The  most  incisive  article  oi* 
abortion  that  I've  seen  anywhere  is  Ver- 
nard  EUer's  "Let's  Get  Honest  About 
Abortion"  in  the  Christian  Century, 
January  1-8,  1975.  Perhaps  Messenger,  t 
which  the  article  was  originally  submittec 
can  reprint  it.   [J 


Stephen  Breck  Reid 

Blacks:  forgotten 
in  our  heritage? 

Several  years  ago  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  asked  itself  where  it  was  going  i 
its  ministry  to  blacks  and  other  minoritiei 
Today,  as  the  number  of  integrated 
Brethren  churches  increase,  the  denomina 
tion  is  faced  with  the  same  question  again 
If  there  is  no  answer  given  by  the 
Brotherhood  and  large  numbers  of  black! 
spend  only  a  few  years  in  the  church,  at 
that  point  the  rationalization  for  the  in- 
effective ministry  to  minority  groups  will 
be  a  partial  glance  at  Brethren  heritage.   ' 
The  standard  cop-out  at  that  point  will  b 


30  MESSENGER  July  1975 


e  given  by  Brethren  for  over  two  hun- 
:d  years,  namely,  that  we  are  a  German- 
sed  people  and  other  cultures  just  do  not 
in. 

But  obviously  not  all  Brethren  today  are 
Germanic  background,  and  a  close  ex- 
lination  of  Brethren  heritage  indicates 
It  there  were  a  number  of  non-white 
ethren  in  days  gone  by. 
What  has  happened  to  those  minority- 
Dup  Brethren  has  become  the  lost 
ritage  of  the  church.  It  is  a  heritage  of 
spair  and  hope.  It  is  a  heritage  that  may 
ve  some  bearing  on  how  the  Church  of 
;  Brethren  might  more  effectively 
nister  to  the  minority  community  of  the 
lited  States.  It  is  not  a  pretty  heritage  in 
places  but  it  is  an  essential  one  to  know, 
we  don't  know  we  will  probably  repeat 
unfortunately. 

One  of  the  black  Brethren,  John  Lewis, 
IS  born  and  raised  in  Maryland,  where  he 
IS  introduced  to  the  denomination. 
Lewis  moved  to  New  York  state  in  the 
60s.  He  was  not  a  great  success  in  New 
)rk  until  he  saved  the  life  of  Mrs.  Charles 
Langdon.  She,  her  daughter,  and  a 
ighborwoman  were  in  a  runaway  coach 
It  Lewis  bravely  stopped  without 
aught  of  his  own  personal  safety.  The 
A'ard  he  received  was  enough  to  establish 
Ti  as  a  well-to-do  farmer. 
Lewis  was  also  instrumental  in  return- 
l  a  Bible  to  the  Antietam  (Mumma) 
lurch  of  the  Brethren  that  had  been 
)Ien  from  the  church  by  a  Union  soldiei 
iring  the  Battle  of  Antietam. 
Lewis  also  became  a  close  personal 
end  of  Mark  Twain  (Mrs.  Langdon  was 
vain's  mother-in-law).  The  famous  writer 
ve  Lewis  an  autographed  collection  of 
s  books,  and  fifty  dollars. 
John  Lewis  is  a  part  of  Brethren  history 
at  the  church  often  does  not  take  note  of 
len  it  considers  its  heritage.  Lewis  is  one 
the  lost  men  of  the  Brethren's  heritage. 
:  is  far  from  being  alone. 
Lewis  was  one  of  the  interesting  black 
:n  of  the  laiiy.  The  Brethren  had  at  least 
o  or  three  black  elders  from  the  district 
Southern  Ohio  alone.  These  men  did  not 
ect  the  traditional  Brethren  garb,  which 
)uld  seem  to  be  one  of  the  Germanic 
lits  that  most  people  would  not  care  to 

appropriated  by  minority  groups.  Also 
;se  men  were  either  refused  admittance 
churches,  or  felt  ill  at  ease  once  in  a 
ethren  church. 
Almost  half  the  blacks  in  leadership 


positions  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
have  been  women.  The  first  recorded  black 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  was 
a  woman.  Not  only  that,  she  was  also  a 
slave. 

As  is  usually  true  when  slaves  enter  a 
church  it  is  not  clear  how  much  they 
wanted  to  become  members.  But  in  1770 
the  Rev.  Daniel  Martin  baptized  Elijah 
Patchet,  his  family,  and  slaves,  who  lived 
about  100  miles  southwest  of  Charleston. 
S.C.  Patchet  later  established  the  first  in- 
tegrated Church  of  the  Brethren.  The  con- 
gregation was  made  up  of  Patchet's  family 
and  slaves.  It  is  unclear  whether  the  first 
pastor  of  an  integrated  Brethren  church 
made  church  attendance  optional  for  his 
slaves. 

The  other  black  women  of  the  church 
were,  in  contrast  to  the  first,  wealthy  and 
well  educated.  One  of  the  women  was  Mat- 
tie  Cunningham  Dolby,  daughter  of  a 
wealthy  farmer  in  northern  Indiana.  Her 
father  paid  her  way  three  years  to  Man- 
chester College,  and  then  was  the  main 
underwriter  of  a  mission  to  blacks  in  the 
south,  which  his  daughter  administered. 

The  other.  Nellie  Morgan,  was  an 
adopted  daughter  of  wealthy  Pennsylvania 
Brethren  and  was  one  of  the  charter  class 
members  of  the  Bethany  Bible  Training 
school  before  she  went  to  work  in  a  mis- 
sion in  Colorado. 

Both  of  these  women  worked  themselves 
to  a  state  of  exhaustion  even  though  the 
Brotherhood  did  not  give  enthusiastic  sup- 
port to  either  of  the  missions  they  worked 
at.  They  were  both  married  to  black  men 
who  were  members  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  One  of  the  women  moved  slowly 
out  of  the  church  for  reasons  that  are  still 
unknown,  but  the  other  stayed  in  the 
church  even  though  she  and  her  husband 
were  denied  admittance  into  a  Brethren 
church. 

In  the  July  1974  Messenger  Wilbur  E. 
Brumbaugh  wrote  an  article  on  "Heritage 
Is  Horizon."  He  defined  heritage  as 
"...  the  root  system  that  keeps  a  plant  an- 
chored and  fed."  If  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  decides  to  forget  the  black 
Brethren  heritage,  is  it  also  refusing  to 
nourish  the  plant  on  which  black  Brethren 
can  grow?  If  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
cuts  itself  off  from  this  heritage  is  it  cutting 
itself  off  from  the  black  community?  Can  a 
church  that  cuts  itself  off  from  another 
group  of  people  be  living  out  the  message 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth?  D 


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Representatives,  358  Selden  Ave.,  Akron 
Ohio  44301.  (216)  724-9595.  Travel  with 
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Hometown  departure— Cleveland,  Ohio. 

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A  Guide 
To  the  Counsel  of  God 

SIRONCS 

Exhaustive 
Concordance 
Of  the  Bible 

In  our  day  of  economic  tension  and 
spiritual  uncertainty,  the  Bible 
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Your  key  to  this  storehouse  is 
STRONG'S  CONCORDANCE— 
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in  the  KJV  and  scripture  passages 
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•  Dictionary  of  the  Hebrew  Bible 

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July   1975  MESSENGER  31 


ps©pDS(§ipg]D^Ds[h 


La  Verne:  Teenage  composers  turn  lale 
of  a  whale  into  a  whale  of  a  lale 

It  was  in  hearing  "The  Saint  Judas  Pas- 
sion" (Me;Sskngf.r,  August  1973.  page  12) 
at  the  Pacific  Southwest  District  Con- 
ference in  the  fall  of  1972  that  the  idea  to 
compose  a  musical  came  to  Mark  and 
Mike  Waters  of  the  La  Verne  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Enthused  by  the  contem- 
porary opera  (which  deals  with  human 
contlict  in  the  story  of  the  betrayal  of  Jesus 
by  Judas)  and  inspired  by  its  composer, 
Steve  Engle  (who  happened  to  be  their 
church's  music  director),  Mark  and  Mike 
set  out  to  do  their  own  thing. 

Neither  had  ever  written  songs  before. 
Mark.  14.  is  in  the  eighth  grade  and  Mike. 
17.  is  a  high  school  junior. 

At  first  they  thought  of  using  a  theme 
centered  in  dialogue  between  Jesus  and 
Judas.  But  discussion  with  Steve  Engle 
convinced  them  that  with  "Judas"  and 
"Jesus   Christ:    Superstar."  such   a   theme 


was  already  well-covered.  Steve  suggested 
they  try  something  like  the  story  of  Jonah. 
So  the  two  boys  reread  the  book  of  Jonah, 
and,  more  than  a  year  ago.  began  to  write. 
The  result:  "Jonah  and  the  Whale,"  a  can- 
tata written  by  Mark  and  Mike  Waters, 
edited,  arranged,  and  orchestrated  by  Steve 
Engle.  It  was  produced  for  the  first  time  on 
February  9  at  the  La  Verne  church. 

Formal  training  for  the  Waters  brothers 
is  scant.  Mark  has  had  a  few  weeks  of 
guitar  lessons  and  does  not  even  read 
music.  Mike  has  had  a  few  weeks  of  piano 
lessons.  (Since  beginning  Jonah,  they  have 
written  several  folk  style  songs  for  a  youth 
group  known  as  "The  Funky  Prunes.") 

At  first  Mike  and  Mark  regularly 
worked  two  hours  a  night.  Mike  wrote 
words,  Mark  the  music.  Then  they  both 
did  words  and  music.  They  reread  the  story 
and  made  a  list  of  songs  to  cover  it.  Then 
both  would  individually  write  a  song,  and 
they  would  pick  the  best  one  and  refine  it. 


The  completed  cantata  contains  sixteen 
songs,  such  as  "A  Tale  of  a  Whale  and 
Jonah,"  "Excuses,  Excuses,"  "Out  of  the 
Whale,"  "Let's  Go  to  Tarshish,"  "Walk  to 
Nineveh."  and  "The  Wicked  King  of 
Nineveh." 

What  is  the  message  of  Jonah?  Accord- 
ing to  Mike  and  Mark  it  is  similar  to  Jesus' 
message  of  a  forgiving  God:  "Jonah  was 
mad  at  God  because  he  did  not  destroy  the 
sinning  Nineveh.  But  Jonah  learned  that 
God  will  forgive  your  sins."  The  message  is 
found  in  the  last  verses  of  the  concluding 
song  of  the  cantata: 

So  God  came  la  Jonah  once  more, 
And  found  him  angry  to  the  core: 
If  one  plant  could  affect  you  so. 
Then  why  not  Nineveh.  I'd  like  to  know? 
One  death  has  hurt  you  so. 
One  plant  you  did  not  grow: 
Should  I  not  pity  them  all. 
In  Nineveh,  who  heeded  my  call? 
Jonah  is  one  of  the  best  stories  in  the  Bi- 
ble, and,  transformed  into  musical  form,  it 
continues  to  warm  the  heart  and  lift  the 
spirit.    The    Waters    brothers'    songs    are 
rollicking,  memorable,  and  carry  positive 
messages    all   the   way.   "Jonah"   deserves 
Brotherhoodwide  exposure,  and  I  predict 
that  for  a  long  time  to  come  Brethren  will 
be  singing  its  lyrics,  tapping  their  feet  to  its 
tunes,  and  taking  a  "walk  to  Nineveh"  with 
Jonah.      K.T. 


Mike  (left)  and 
Mark  (right) 
Waters,  writers  of 
the  cantata, 
"Jonah  and  the 
Whale,"  edited, 
arranged,  and 
orchestrated  by 
Steve  Engle 
(center). 


32  MESSENGER  July  1975 


Newton.  Louisville,  Elgin:  How  to 
keep  Brethren  down  on  the  farm 

Brethren  roots  are  still  in  the  soil,  or  so  it 
would  seem,  for  food  production  projects 
are  appearing  in  variegated  patterns  in 
response  to  life-style  and  world  hunger 
stimuli. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Newton, 
Kansas,  approved  a  plan  last  winter  to  con- 
vert and  prepare  in  the  spring  four  vacant 
lots  of  church  property  for  community  gar- 
dens. The  land  was  offered  to  families  in 
the  neighborhood  who  did  not  have  access 
to  garden  plots. 

Center  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
Louisville,  Ohio,  has  proposed  an  in- 
teresting twofold  exchange  plan:  a  table 
with  a  cash  bo.x  is  set  up  at  the  church,  on 
which  gardeners  can  place  surplus  produce. 
A  price  is  set  and  persons  who  take  the 
vegetables  place  the  money  in  the  cash  box. 
At  the  end  of  the  summer,  the  monies 
collected  are  to  be  sent  to  the  hunger 
ministries  of  the  Brotherhood.  Not  only  is 
waste  averted  and  the  hungry  benefited, 
but  what  a  great  way  to  buy  fresh,  superior 
produce. 

Highland  Avenue  church  in  Elgin,  Il- 
linois, last  summer  invited  members  to 
make  their  extra  garden  produce  available 
to  occupants  of  a  downtown  high-rise 
apartment  complex  —  mostly  lower  income 
families.  From  the  modest  prices  charged, 
the  income  was  applied  to  recreational 
needs  of  youngsters  from  the  apartment 
complex. 

Still  in  Elgin,  the  General  Offices  en- 
courages the  gardening  trend  by  making 
available  several  acres  of  property  behind 
the  offices  for  gardeners,  both  employees 
and  local  residents.  The  land  is  plowed, 
disked,  and  laid  off  in  40  by  40  foot  plots 
that  rent  for  $8.00.  The  Brethren  property 
resembles  nothing  less  than  a  veritable 
farm  commune  each  spring  as  the  blood  of 
hardy  Dunker  farmers  of  pioneer  days 
begins  to  well  in  their  descendants'  veins. — 
L.T.P. 


Charlottesville:  Summer  comes  soon 
hut  the  teachers  are  all  prepared 

Church  school  in  summer  —  what  is  it  for 
you.  a  headache  or  a  highlight?  The 
Charlottesville,  Virginia,  church  has  made 
it  a  highlight  of  the  year  for  their  children. 

The  planners  approached  it  as  a  freed-up 
time  away  from  the  usual  class  groupings 
and  classrooms,  regular  curriculum,  and 
teachers.  The  children  were  divided  into 
two  broad  age  groups  — kindergarten 
through  second  grade,  and  third  grade 
through  sixth —and  activities  were  coor- 
dinated by  the  children's  director. 

The  at-the-church  sessions  included 
filmstrips  about  Bible  lands  and  times  that 
furnished  background  information  for  the 
building  of  a  Palestinian  village  model. 

An  activity  called  "Christmas  in  July" 
was  a  huge  success  with  Christmas 
decorations,  a  tree,  and  carols.  The  smaller 
children  decorated  Christmas  cookies  (for 
a  party  later)  and  the  older  ones  made 
shrink-art  tree  ornaments. 

Guest  leaders  told  of  experiences  in 
Thailand  and  taught  the  Japanese  art  of 
Origami  paper  folding,  and  a  speech 
specialist  taught  the  children  the  alphabet 
in  sign  language. 

During  field  trips  the  children  learned 
about  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  and  sacred 
scrolls  from  a  rabbi  in  a  synagogue,  how 
the  Greek  Orthodox  Catholics  worship, 
and  studied  the  heavens  at  the  University 
of  Virginia  observatory. 

As   an    experience    in    art    and    poetry. 
"God's  Trombones."  a  poetic  description  of 
creation,     gave    the     in- 
spiration     for      impres- 
sionistic  murals  done  by 
the  children. 

The  day  the  children 
enjoyed  the  movie  "The 
Selfish  Giant."  bags  of 
popcorn  were  distrib- 
uted. 

"Children  besieged  us 
with  questions  of  an- 
ticipation soon  after 
Easter,"  said  Alice 
Geiman,  "so  we  got 
busy  planning — summer 
comes  soon."  —  L.T.P. 


Frosthurg:    A    pastor's    vision    spurs 
building  of 'God's  Ark  of  Safety' 

Rebuild  Noah's  Ark?  Believing  that  such 
a  project,  because  of  its  uniqueness,  will 
win  souls  to  God  has  led  the  Frostburg. 
Maryland,  congregation  to  design  its  new 
church  building  according  to  specifications 
laid  down  in  Genesis  6; 1 5. 

It  all  began  in  April,  1974,  when  Frost- 
burg's  pastor,  J.  Richard  Greene,  reported 
seeing  a  vision.  According  to  Pastor 
Greene,  God  revealed  that  the  world  is  now 
as  corrupt  as  in  the  days  of  Noah  and  that 
the  return  of  Jesus  is  near.  The  divine 
visitation  left  its  host  with  a  sense  of  urgen- 
cy, shared  by  members  of  the  congregation, 
to  build  a  replica  of  Noah's  Ark  as  a  sym- 
bol of  the  impending  Armageddon. 

Called  "God's  Ark  of  Safety."  the  new 
church  is  scheduled  to  rise  at  the  corner  of 
Routes  36  and  48  in  Frostburg.  Architect 
Alvin  Lewis  has  rendered  the  design  and 
blueprints  at  no  cost.  Plumbers,  carpenters, 
electricians,  and  other  volunteers  are  plan- 
ning vacations  to  help  in  the  building 
program. 

Pastor  Greene  appeared  on  the  "700 
Club"  on  Channel  20  Detroit  TV  in 
February  to  explain  his  vision  and  what 
the  building  program  signified. 

However  Brethren  at  large  view  the 
planners'  conviction  of  the  "last  days,"  few 
will  fault  them  for  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  they  seek  to  launch  Noah's  Ark 
again.  —  K.T. 

Froslhurg's  proposed  Ark 


July  1975  MESSENGER  33 


■ffoODTrD  \r®m(Bw^ 


Error  and  courage:  Lessons  from  life 


I 


Paer  P.  Schillaci 

'Hearts  and  Minds' 

Peter  Davis'  documentary  on  the  Vietnam 
War  is  a  cry  of  conscience,  a  probe  of  the 
United  States'  25-year  involvement  in  In- 
dochina. A  painful  and  ail  too  accurate 
film,  it  is  recommended  for  all  whose  con- 
cern over  the  contlict  did  not  end  when 
Americans  stopped  dying  in  Vietnam. 

In  the  two  years  he  spent  filming  "Hearts 
and  Minds,"  director  Davis  ("The  Selling 
of  the  Pentagon"  — tv  special)  uncovered 
monumental  contrasts  in  attitudes  toward 
the  Vietnam  War.  We  hear  Clark  Clifford, 
Defense  Secretary  under  Lyndon  B.  John- 
son admitting  that  he  could  not  have  been 
more  wrong  about  the  "domino  theory." 
and  Walt  Rostow  waspishly  defending  the 
motives  and  rationales  of  his  own  tenure  as 
LB.I's  national  security  advisor.  (Rostow, 
incidentally,  lost  a  court  case  attempt  to 
stop  the  film's  release.)  Super-patriots 
repeat  the  slogans  that  accompanied  the  es- 
calation of  war.  while  Vietnam  vets  bitterly 
pour  out  their  disenchantment  over  their 
roles. 

Far  Irom  idle  poll-taking.  Davis  is  taking 
the  pulse  of  a  nation,  not  to  determine  who 
is  right  and  who  is  wrong  (although  his  at- 
titude is  clear)  but  to  uncover  the  cultural 
roots  of  what  Robert  Kennedy  called  "the 
longest  chronicle  of  error  in  our  history." 
His  kaleidoscoping  camera  surveys  the 
pervasive  patterns  of  machismo  motiva- 
tion    from  individuals  in  sports  to  corpo- 
rations in  competition.  Gradually  the 
images  all  become  one:  a  chaplain  prep- 
ping  a  church  full  of  cadets  for  a  football 
game;  a  tootball  coach  whipping  his  team 
into  a  fren/y  of  competition;  and  George 
Patton  II  praising  his  men  as  "a  bloody 
good  bunch  of  killers."  As  the  camera 
ranges  between, Indochina  and  America, 
between  past  war  scenes  and  postwar  inter- 
views, there  emerge  contrasts  that  need  no 
comment. 

These  reviews  are  reprinted  with  pernii\- 
sion  from  Film  Information,  a  monlhly 
piihliealion  of  the  Coninninicalion  Com- 
mission. National  Council  of  Churches. 
The  publication  may  be  ordered  from  Bo.\ 
500,  Manhaltanville  Station.  New  York. 
New  York  10027.  Rale.  $6  vear. 


Through  the  cumulative  impact  of 
do/ens  of  interviews  we  come  to  see 
ourselves  in  the  shattered  image  of  this 
terrible  conflict.  Vietnamese — editors, 
monks,  priests,  torture  victims — tell  us  we 
have  turned  a  war  of  liberation  into  im- 
perialist aggression;  we  are  the  enemy. 
Vietnam  vets  in  the  US  talk  of  their 
professional  pride  in  mastering  so  comple.x 
a  technology  to  prosecute  a  war  against  so 
simple  a  society.  Pilots  note  they  never 
heard  their  bombs,  or  the  screams  of  their 
victims.  It's  fun  to  "ding"  a  "gook,"  they 
say.  This  film  lays  a  terrible  burden  on  our 
political  leadership  through  five  different 
administrations.  Truman  ambitiously  plan- 
ning to  impose  "our  vision  of  progress"  on 
the  whole  world;  Eisenhower  explaining 
our  support  of  the  French  in  terms  of  tin 
and  tungsten,  rather  than  principle;  JFK 
lirst  to  perceive  the  deceptive  "light  at  the 
end  of  the  tunnel";  LBJ  sincerely  promising 
ultimate  victory;  and  Ni.xon  claiming  our 
conduct  of  the  war  as  a  marvel  of  un- 
precedented restraint.  A  valuable  insight 
appears  in  the  mythological  frameworks 
within  which  politicians  and  people  alike 
operated. 

in  retrospect,  the  film  reveals  Vietnam  to 
be  the  end  of  international  innocence  for 
America,  just  as  Watergate  marked  the  end 
ot  domestic  naivete.  Almost  every  thinking 
person  can  recall  when  he  or  she  began  to 
realize  what  was  happening  in  Indochina. 
But  this  insight  isn't  universal,  and  Peter 
Davis  will  not  let  us  rest.  He  interviews  two 
characters  extensively:  Lt.  Coker,  Navy 
tlyer  and  returned  prisoner  of  war,  given  a 
hero's  welcome  in  New  Jersey,  and  Capt. 
Randy  Floyd,  crippled  flyer  equally 
decorated  but  burdened  with  a  guilt  that  he 
picks  at  like  a  living  sore.  Coker  blandly 
mouths  locker  room  wisdom  and  is  read) 
to  go  back  to  the  war  that  "made  me  a 
man"  with  a  little  help  from  the  "good  ole 
moms"  that  taught  him  all  he  needed  to  be 
a  good  soldier.  In  reply  to  a  school  boy's 
question  on  what  Vietnam  is  like,  he  says, 
"It's  a  pretty  country  except  for  the  people 
. . .  they  make  a  mess  of  everything."  But 
we  have  seen  the  people  ourselves,  and  we 
know  who  has  made  the  mess. 

The  viewer's  perception  of  the  film 
depends  on  whether  one  feels  Coker  to  be 
typical  of  America's  lessons  from  In- 
dochina, or  whether  it  is  Randy  Floyd  that 
is  right.  In  the  long  run.  the  film  haunts  the 


viewer  as  a  series  of  encounters  with  people 
such  as  these.  The  coffin  maker  in  Saigon 
trying  to  make  800  children's  coffins  a 
week.  The  American  Indian  who  returns  to 
find  himself  the  victim  of  racist  pressures 
equal  to  those  he  enforced  in  Nam.  The 
mutilated  black  Gl  who  swears  he  is  not 
going  to  let  this  country  forget. 

The  phrase.  Hearts  and  Minds,  comes 
from  a  speech  by  LBJ  in  which  he  predicts 
that  victory  must  come  from  "the  hearts 
and  minds  of  the  American  people."  If  that 
victory  is  to  be  one  of  conscience  and  not 
of  might,  then  "Hearts  and  Minds"  and  its 
message  must  be  seen  and  heeded.  D 


Bea  Rothenhuecher 

The  Other  Side 
of  the  Mountain' 

We  keep  hearing  that  what  moviegoers 
want  is  a  good  story.  And  where  do  the 
good  stories  come  from?  From  real  life,  of 
course  . . .  like  the  true  story  that  "The 


Jill    Kinmoitl    wins    her    credentials   as   a 
teacher    on   a    Pa  lute    Indian   reservation.! 

Other  Side  of  the  Mountain"  is  based  on. 
Not  only  is  it  about  people  we  all  can  iden- 
tify with,  it  also  comes  to  grips  with  sub- 
jects all  too  often  minimized  in  contem- 
porary films;  human  courage,  compassion, 
and  the  kind  of  love  that  remains  steadfast 
in  the  face  of  crushing  adversity.  In  short, 
here  is  a  film  that  we  can  recommend 
wholeheartedh'  to  the  church  audience. 

"The  Other  .Side  of  the  Mountain"  does 
not  rely  on  nostalgia,  symbolism,  or  hidden 
meanings  for  its  impact.  Rather,  its  appeal 


34  MESSENGER  July  1975 


derives  from  character  development  and  a 
lean,  direct  narrative  form. 

The  story  is  simple  enough:  18-year-old 
Jill  Kinmont,  winner  of  the  national  junior 
and  women's  slalom,  has  a  good  chance  to 
make  the  United  States  Olympic  team  for 
1956.  Determined  to  beat  her  only  close 
rival  in  the  Snow  Cap  Race  at  Aita,  Utah, 
in  January  of  1955,  she  doesn't  check  her 
speed  on  the  dangerous  Corkscrew  slope 
and  loses  control.  In  a  plunge  over  a 
precipice,  her  neck  is  broken  and  her  spinal 
cord  severed. 

Director  Larry  Peerce's  ("Goodbye, 
Columbus,"  "A  Separate  Peace")  choice  of 
Marilyn  Hassett  to  play  Jill — a  role  no  big- 
name  star  could  fill — is  excellent.  Ms. 
Hassett  possesses  the  strength,  naturalness, 
and  emotional  range  that  makes  Jill 
belie\'able,  whether  she  is  expressing  her 
determination  to  win,  or  fighting  for  the 
privilege  of  life  after  her  near-fatal  acci- 
dent. Mr.  Peerce  invests  his  film  with  ac- 
curacy and  realism  and  allows  no 
emotional  overindulgence.  Even  in  the 
film's  most  pathetic  moments.  Jill's  tears 
flow  without  dramatic  artificiality.  This 
total  lack  of  pathos  in  a  basically  tragic 
story  gives  the  film  a  compelling,  upbeat 
strength. 

There  are  many  moving  and  amusing 
scenes  involving  Jill  and  her  parents  (Nan 
Martin,  Bill  Bryant),  her  brothers,  her  best 
friend  (Belinda  Montgomery)  and  her 
boyfriend,  Dick  "Mad  Dog"  Buck  (Beau 
Bridges)  who  all  must  adapt  in  their  own 
ways  to  the  difficult  situation.  Dick  con- 
vinces Jill  they  should  get  married  and 
describes  the  house  he'll  build  with  ramps 
so  she  can  maneuver  with  her  wheel  chair. 
Although  these  plans  are  never  realized,  by 
the  end  of  the  film,  Jill  has  fought  for  and 
found  her  place  in  life  as  a  teacher. 

The  film's  feeling  of  authenticity  is  es- 
pecially effective  in  the  skiing  sequences 
(set  against  magnificent  backgrounds)  and 
in  the  hospital  and  rehabilitation  center 
scenes. 

Impressionable  youngsters  may  be  dis- 
turbed by  the  realistic  depiction  of  Jill's 
agony  and  by  the  candid  references  to  her 
loss  of  normal  bodily  functions. 

"The  Other  Side  of  the  Mountain" 
strikes  a  balance  between  hope  and  despair 
and  between  a  handicapped  person's  need 
to  depend  upon  his  own  faith  and  courage 
and  the  supporting  efforts  of  family, 
friends  and  the  medical  community. 

In  sum,  the  story  is  a  celebration  of 
human  courage.  fH 


l^OilD^DTlDDTig]  p©D[rtllt^ 


Licensing/Ordination 

Kerry   Barrett,   licensed.   Oct.   6, 

1974,  North  Webster.  Northern  In- 
diana 

Tom  Clark,  hcensed   March    16. 

1975.  Florence.  Northern  Indiana 
William  Clark,  licensed 

November  1974.  Middle  Atlantic 
District 

Paul  E.  Grout,  licensed  April  1.3. 
1975.  Litit/.  Atlantic  Northeast 

Joel  D.  Kline.  Bethany  senior, 
ordained         April         6.  1975, 

Chambersburg.  Southern  Penn- 
syUania 

Timothy  D.  Shirt,  licensed 
March  9.  1975.  Moxham.  Western 
Pennsylvania 

Rolland  P.  and  Bonnie  Smith, 
licensed  April  6,  1975.  Huntington. 
South  Central  Indiana 

Diane  Lynn  Wilt,  licensed  March 
9.  1975.  Scalp  Level.  Western  Penn- 
s\lvania 

Pastoral  Placements 

.1.  Douglas  Archer  from  other 
dcnommalion.  to  Bethany. 

Northern  Indiana 

Cahin  E.  Cheek,  from  Topeka. 
Western  Plains.  to  Markle. 
South  Central  Indiana 

.lohn  Johnson,  to  Beech  Run. 
Middle  Pennsylvania 

Robert  W.  hCrouse,  from  Bethany 
Senior.  Illinois  Wisconsin,  to  Trini- 
l\.  Baltimore.  Middle  Atlantic 

Calvin  Lee  Lawyer,  from 
Bethany  Senior,  Illinois;  Wiscon- 
sin, to  Mt.  Olivet,  Shenandoah 

Terry  Porter,  from  other 
denomination.  to  Du  Pont. 
Northern  Ohio 

William  M.  Pugh.  from  Trinity, 
N  irlina.  to  Mason  Cove.  Virlina 

Robert  Wood,  to  Eagle  Creek. 
Northern  Ohio 

Wedding  Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Ardinger. 
La  Verne,  CaliL.  64 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  T.  Brown, 
Orlando.  Fla.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ora  Burkhart. 
Cando.  N.  Dak..  58 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Lockard, 
Cloverdale.  Va..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sam  Martin, 
Lathrop.  Mo..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  J.  McKinney, 
New  Carlisle,  Ohio.  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leo  Miller.  Nor- 
borne.  Mo.,  52 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ransom  Munson, 
Di.xon,  III..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  A.  W.  Stouffer. 
Chambersburg,  Pa.,  65 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orville  Tann- 
rcuther.  Waterloo,  Iowa,  55 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  Taylor, 
Hint.  Mich..  55 

Deaths 

Phillip  Anderson.  73,  Mat- 
tawana.  Pa.,  March  7.  1975 

William  Anderson.  46,  Mat- 
tawana.  Pa..  March  7.  1975 

Mrs.  Sam  Ausherman. 

Hagerstown,  Md..  Oct.  1974 

Mae  Baker,  78,  Greenville,  Ohio, 
March  26,  1975 


Amos  Bewley.  76.  East 
Petersburg.  Pa..  Jan.  13.  1975 

Alma  Beyard,  Hagerstown.  Md.. 
March  1975 

Alice  Bucklew.  82.  Rio.  W.  Va.. 
March  17.  1975 

Earl  Butts  Jr..  Hagerstown.  Md.. 
May  1974 

Robert  L.  Bvrd.  77.  Bridgewater. 
Va..  March  2. '|975 

Jerrv  Kvle  Cole,  99.  Pilot,  Va.. 
Jan.  29.  1975 

Mae  Sowers  Cole.  95.  Pilot.  Va.. 
Feb.  12.  1975 

Margaret  Sigler  Cool,  68. 
Middletown.  Md..  March  3.  1975 

Samuel  Crumpacker.  52.  Clover- 
dale,  Va..  March  12.  1975 

Grace  Miller  Dunwin.  84.  Wood- 
bridge.  Va.,  March  29,  1975 

Eliza  B.  Freed.  104, 

Williamstown,  Ohio,  Sept.  8.  1974 

Effie  E.  Click.  76.  Dayton.  Va.. 
.March  II.  1975 

Hattie  Glosser,  Hagerstown, 
Md..  Dec.  1974 

Anna  Gouker.  64.  Mversville. 
Md..  June  21.  1974 

Eva  Griffith.  Winston-Salem,  N. 
Car..  March  3.  1975 

Edward  Harper.  71.  Big  Timber, 
Mont..  Feb.  13.  1975 

Ruth  Hoffman,  Hagerstown. 
Md..  Oct.  74 

Clyde  W.  Holsinger.  55.  North 
Manchester.  Ind..  April  13.  1975 

Edna  Horst.  Hagerstown.  Md.. 
June  1974 

Velma  Hovalter.  Ft.  Meyers, 
Fla..  Feb.  IS,  1975 

Viola  Kepler,  84,  Kansas  City. 
Kans..  March  6.  1975 

Edith  Cressman  Long.  88, 
Boonsboro.  Md..  March  5.  1975 

Carroll  Merrow.  62,  Springfield, 
Ohio.  Feb.  8.  1975 

Newton  A.  Michael.  Bridgewater. 
Va..  Dec.  2.  1974 

Frances  Miller.  68.  Ashland. 
Ohio.  March  I.  1975 

Ivan  Miller,  Hagerstown,  Md.. 
1974 

Lois  Mosley,  69,  Albia,  Iowa. 
Feb.  21.  1975 

Allen  Nolt  Sr..  59.  Richland,  Pa.. 
Feb.  20.  1975 

Frances  Oliver.  83.  Cloverdale. 
Va..  March  7,  1975 

Howard  Overacker.  80,  Clover- 
dale. Va..  Feb.  13.  1975 

Sadie  Rau  Ovcrholtzer.  91. 
Parker  Ford,  Pa.,  Jan.  12,  1975 

Nora  Mae  Palner,  78. 
Boonsboro.  Md..  Feb.  24,  1975 

Cora  Parmer.  83,  Leola.  Pa., 
March  26,  1975 

Clara  Petersen,  83,  San  Diego, 
CahL.  Jan.  15,  1975 

Bessie  E.  Plank,  83,  New  Oxford, 
Pa..  Feb.  16,  1975 

M  inter  Prickett,  79.  Cloverdale, 
Va..  Feb.  7,  1975 

Mary  Jane  Puffenberger, 
Washington.  D.C..  Feb.  18,  1975 

Thomas  Rader,  78,  Fincastle, 
Va..  Feb.  17,  1975 

M.  E.  (Wood)  Ratliff,  75,  Clover- 
dale, Va..  March  14,  1975 

Mahlon  Reich.  69.  Ephrata.  Pa.. 
Feb.  13,  1975 

Maude  Hershberger  Rhodes,  90, 
Martinsburg,  Pa.,  Aug.  22.  1974 


Harrv  Richardson,  77.  Elgin.  III., 
March  14.  1975 

Marie  Rininger,  84,  Akron, 
Ohio,  Jan.  2.  1975 

Robert  A.  Rinker.  95,  New  Ox- 
ford. Pa..  March  23.  1975 

Mary  Neva  Rowland.  84,  New- 
ton. Kans.,  Aug.  15.  1974 

Alma  Jane  Royer,  95,  West 
Milton,  Ohio.  March  14,  1975 

Ruth  Runvon,  76,  Chambers- 
burg. Pa..  Feb.  9,  1975 

Galen  B.  Sargent.  73,  Sebring, 
Fla..  Feb.  6.  1975 

Margaret  Seegmiller,  79. 
Waterloo.  Iowa,  March  II.  1975 

Waller  C.  Sell.  79,  La  Verne, 
CaliL,  March  5,  1975 

Robert  C.  Shue.  62,  York,  Pa., 
Jan.  20.  1975 

Clara  Reiff  Simon.  85,  Parker 
Ford.  Pa.,  Dec.  23,  1974 

Cornelius  K.  Simon.  86.  Santa 
Ana,  Calif.  Feb.  16,  1975 

Agnes  Sjaaslad,  76.  Seattle, 
Wash..  Jan.  13.  1975 

Charles  Smith.  59.  Ligonier.  Pa.. 
Feb.  I.  1975 

John  Longfield-Smith,  51,  Se- 
bring. Fla,.  Feb.  5,  1975 

Mabel  Sprecher,  Hagerstown, 
Md.,  May  1974 

Bruce  Stauffer,  17,  Hutchinson, 
Kans..  Jan.  I.  1975 

Marie  Stauffer.  73,  Sebring,  Fla., 
Feb.  II.  1975 

Chalmer  C.  Steele,  83, 
Hollidaysburg,  Pa..  Feb.  20.  1975 

Fred  Steele,  70.  McPherson, 
Kans.,  Jan.  25,  1975 

Oscar  Stern,  87,  Franklin  Grove, 
111..  April  5,  1975 

Rasmond  Stogdale,  62.  Crimora, 
Va..  Dec.  20,  1974 

Henrv  Stover,  79,  McPherson, 
Kans.,  Jan.  7,  1975 

Nellie  Stutzman,  70,  Berlin,  Pa., 
Jan.  25.  1975 

Ben  Franklin  Switzer,  80,  New- 
ton. Kans.,  Nov.  7,  1974 

Bertha  G.  Trimmer,  99,  Carlisle, 
Pa..  Dec.  2.  1974 

Edwin  Trummel,  64,  Oakley,  III.. 
Feb,  I.  1975 

Winifred  Upton.  79.  Seattle, 
Wash.,  Feb.  4.  1975 

Nathan  Vance,  72,  Elkins,  W. 
Va,.  Nov.  8,  1974 

John  Vanderleest,  Newton,  Iowa, 
Jan.  10,  1975 

Cecil  R.  Wagoner,  63,  Waterloo, 
Iowa,  Feb,  5,  1975 

Daisy  Wastler,  Hagerstown,  Md., 
March  1974 

Ervin  Weaver,  86,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  Nov.  15,  1974 

Marian  Weeks,  82,  Cloverdale, 
Va.,  Feb.  5,  1975 

William  J.  Weigley,  81,  Orrville, 
Ohio,  Feb.  7,  1975 

Lottie  Weimer,  65,  Somerset. 
Pa.,  Oct.  18,  1974 

Henry  Wertz.  93,  Quintet.  Kans., 
Jan.  25.  1975 

Emma  Wheatley,  65.  South 
Bend.  Ind..  March  13,  1975 

Leah  Will.  95,  Newton,  Kans., 
Sept,  13,  1974 

Frank  Williams,  Waynesboro, 
Va„  Dec.  24.  1974 

Nina  Williams,  67,  Marshall- 
town,  Iowa,  Feb.  22.  1975 

July  1975  MESSENGER  35 


©dlDlt(Q)[rDg]D 


Strangers  in  the  land  . 

When  a  top  official  of  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  was  asked  this  spring  if  Church  World 
Service  might  soon  be  back  in  the  refugee 
business,  the  reply  was  that  he  certainly  hoped 
not.  After  all,  he  said,  the  plight  of  South  Viet- 
nam refugees  was  the  problem  of  the  US  govern- 
ment, and  it  was  with  the  government  that  the 
onus  for  their  relocation  and  rehabilitation  should 
rest.  Yet,  two  weeks  later.  Church  World  Service 
was  entering  the  refugee  business  on  a  full-fledged 
scale. 

From  the  congregational  scene  the  purview 
was  much  the  same.  The  members  of  one  witness 
commission  debated  the  wisdom  of  bringing  new- 
comers to  the  community  when  some  resident 
families  could  not  obtain  jobs  and  housing.  That 
very  day,  for  example,  the  woman  chairing  the 
commission,  a  public  school  social  worker,  had 
bade  good-bye  to  a  family  with  ten  children  re- 
turning "home"  to  Kentucky.  After  three  years  of 
living  and  working  in  the  local  community,  the 
father  was  laid  off  and  for  the  past  six  months 
had  been  unable  to  find  employment.  In  the  midst 
of  such  circumstances,  the  commission  members 
pondered,  how  could  the  church  responsibly  bring 
in  new  houseseekers  and  jobseekers? 

Here,  too,  the  question  soon  proved  academic, 
for  a  fortnight  later  that  same  congregation  was 
greeting  its  first  Vietnamese  refugee  family.  Faced 
with  a  concrete  need,  a  flesh  and  blood  opportuni- 
ty for  compassion,  the  congregation  put  its  fears 
and  anxieties  aside  and  turned  loose  its  creative 
energies. 

That  turnabout  course  may  be  repeated  in  fifty 
congregations  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  and 
in  hundreds  of  parishes  in  other  denominations  as 
well,  as  quotas  are  pursued  for  the  resettlement  of 
Vietnamese  and  Cambodian  refugees  (see  articles, 
pages  3  and  4).  The  experience  is  appropriate  for 
the  church,  for  there  is  something  distinctly 
religious  about  regard  for  the  stranger  or  outcast 
in  one's  midst. 


This  is  not  to  dismiss  as  invalid  the  misgivings 
or  even  the  grudges  that  may  be  expressed.  Why 
should  those  of  us  who  long  opposed  our  nation's 
course  in  Vietnam  give  sanctuary  particularly  to 
those  Vietnamese  most  identified  with  that  policy? 
Did  the  "wrong  people"  leave  Vietnam?  Is  it,  as 
with  immigrants  of  any  time  or  place,  in  their  best 
interest  to  settle  here,  in  a  culture  so  vastly 
different  from  their  own? 

Beside  these  questions  are  to  be  placed  other 
perspectives.  For  example,  the  tradition  of  our 
country  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  victims  of  war 
and  oppression.  The  trust  many  of  these  refugees 
placed  in  the  power  of  America.  The  fact  that 
150,000  refugees  compares  with  but  a  single 
month's  immigration  to  this  nation  at  the  turn  of 
the  century. 

And  the  reality,  as  Associated  Church  Press 
correspondent  John  S.  Workman  reported  from 
Fort  Chaffee,  Ark.,  that  "the  refugees  are  here. 
They  are  a  hurting  people.  And  there  is  only  one 
thing  to  do  when  people  hurt.  Help.  Minister." 


Wo 


orkman  pointed  out  that  the  initial  reaction 
of  people  in  the  Fort  Chaffee  area  to  the  refugees' 
coming  was  one  of  disapproval  —  disapproval  that 
soon  was  to  be  tempered  by  information  and 
rellection.  He  added  that  by  becoming  involved, 
by  treating  the  refugees  as  they  themselves  would 
wish  to  be  treated,  the  members  of  the  Christian 
community  reaffirmed  the  truth  that  "when  you 
minister  you  are  ministered  unto." 

"When  a  stranger  sojourns  with  you  in  your 
land,  you  shall  do  him  no  wrong.  The  stranger  . . . 
shall  be  to  you  as  the  native  among  you,  and  you 
shall  love  him  as  yourself;  for  you  were  strangers 
in  the  land...,"  Leviticus  19:33-34  admonishes. 

Whatever  the  factors  that  would  suggest 
otherwise,  those  individuals,  those  churches,  that 
nation  which  heed  these  words  will  be  the  stronger 
for  it.  — H.ti.R. 


36  MESSENGER  July  1975 


THE  INTIMATE  MARRIAGE,  Howard  and  Charlotte  Clinebell— The  nature  of  in- 
timacy, barriers  to  its  achievement  and  the  ways  in  which  intimacy  can  be  enhanced 
are  discussed  by  the  authors,  both  professionals  in  the  field  of  marriage 
counseling.  A  "talk  it  over"  section  at  the  end  of  each  chapter  is 
useful  in  group  discussions  and  an  extensive  bibliography  is  includ- 
ed. Harper  and  Row.  $6.95  plus  40C  p&h. 

MEET  ME  IN  THE  MIDDLE,  Charlotte  Holt  Clinebell— Here  is  a 
non-radical  application  of  freedom  to  the  modern  woman.  Ms. 
Clinebell  believes  that  liberation  means  freedom  for  both  halves, 
male  and  female.  Included  is  a  chapter  by  Howard  Clinebell 
which  discusses  his  reaction  to  changes  which  have  occurred  in 
his  wife  and  within  their  marriage.  Harper  and  Row.  $5.95  plus 
p&h. 

THE  LOVE  FIGHT,  David  W.  Augsburger— This  book  will  help 

you  understand  your  deepest  feelings  toward  others  in  times. of 

conflict  and  to  express  those  feelings  in  constructive  ways  to 

build  stronger,  more  lasting  relationships.  The  author  is  Men- 

nonite.  Herald  Press.  $1.25  plus  30C  p&h. 

OF  COURSE  I  LOVE  YOU,  BUT...,  Ann  and  Charles 
Miller — This  is  a  workbook  for  marriage  enrichment  that 
assists  couples  in  developing  their  own  "here  and  now" 
approach  to  life-together-in-love.  It  is  a  book  to  be  ex- 
perienced together.  Fortress  Press.   $2.95  plus  40C 
p&h. 


Write 
Brethren  Vol 

1451  Dundee  ^ven 
Elgin,  111.  601 
(312)742-5 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  AUGUST   1975 


©©Diil^Sinilt^ 


Dsl^ltsir^ 


3    Community  Development:  A  Different  Approach.  Elsie 

and  Von  Hall,  Community  Development  workers  in  Nigeria  since 
1957,  are  off  on  a  new  venture — in  another  Community  Development 
program  in  Zinder,  Niger.  They  share  with  us  the  success  story  of 
their  work  in  Nigeria's  Uba  District. 

Q    The  Christian's  Guide  to  Goofing  Off.  We  need  to  find 

time  to  relax,  says  Kenneth  L.  Gibble.  "The  compulsion  to  activity 
that  disguises  itself  as  a  Christian  virtue  is  no  such  thing."  Goof- 
ing off  is  a  way  God  can  use  to  give  us  laughter  and  joy  and  inner 
peace. 

3     The  Germinating  Seed,  when  Annual  Conference  opened  at 
Dayton.  Ohio,  June  24,  Messenger  was  there  with  a  team  of  Com- 
munications staff,  photographer,  artist,  typists,  and  a  corps  of  enlisted 
outside  writers  to  bring  you  this  detailed,  sixteen-page  wrap-up  of  the 
event  that  is  the  highlight  of  the  Brethren  year. 

Lovest  Thou  Thee?  Bible  study  writer  David  L.  Rogers  refers  to 
the  familiar  Jericho  Road  story  in  Luke  10:25-37  . . .  but  with  a 
different  approach.  He  says  we  Brethren  have  neglected  the  part  about 
first  loving  ourselves. 

The  Hope  Before  Us.  Edward  Kintner  died  April  1,  1975, 
aged  ninety-five.  Some  months  earlier  he  had  this  conversation  about 
faith  and  hope,  in  down-to-earth  terms  but  in  an  up-in-the-air  set- 
ting, with  pilot  grandson.  Bill  Kintner. 


In  Touch  profiles  Susan  M.  Ziegler,  Galen  Beery,  and  Joe  Wampler  (2)  . . . 
Outlook  focuses  on  life-style  workshop,  new  WMC  workers,  handgun  con- 
trol. M.  R.  Zigler,  Historic  Peace  Churches  seminar.  Row  Memorial,  service 
opportunities.  Middle  East,  licensings  ordinations  (start  on  4)  ...  Under- 
lines (7)  . . .  Here  I  Stand  statements  by  Nina  Bazouzi  Cullers,  John  Mummert, 
Gerald  W.  Roller,  and  Bob  Beery  (32)  . . .  Book  Reviews,  /  Heard  the  Chvl  Call 
My  Name,  reviewed  by  Paul  W.  Kinsel;  TV  and  National  Defense,  An 
Analysis  of  CBS  News,  1972-1973,  by  Steve  Longenecker  (36)  . . .  Turning 
Points  (37)  . . .  Editorial  (40) 


EDITOR 

Howard  E  Royer 


MANAGING  EDITOR 

Kermon  Thomason 


ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 

Kenneth  I,  Morse 


DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 

Clyde  E  Weaver 


PUBLISHER 

Galen  B  Ogden 


VOL   124,  NO  8 


AUGUST  1975 


CREDITS:  Cover,  25-28  art  by  Ken  Stanley.  I, 
13-24,  Edward  J.  Buzinski.  8-9,  Kermon 
Thomason.  4  (left)  Lane  Studio.  10  Wallowitch. 
31  Ewing  Galloway.  N.  Y.  36,  38  Larry  J.  Kopp. 


MtsshNGtR  IS  the  olTicial  publication  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug.  20.  1918.  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17. 
1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1.  1974.  Messenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version. 

Subscription  rates:  $6.00  per  year  for  indi- 
vidual subscriptions;  $4.80  per  year  for  Church 
Group  Plan;  $4.80  per  year  for  gift  subscriptions; 
$3.15  for  school  rate  (9  months);  life  subscription, 
$80.00.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from 
Messenger  and  send  with  new  address. 
Allow  at  least  five  weeks  for  address 
change.  Messenger  is  owned  and 
published  monthly  by  the  General 
rvices  Commission.  Church  of  the 
ethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee 
Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120.  Second-class 
postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111..  Aug.  1975.  Copyright 
1975,    Church   of  the   Brethren   General    Board. 


JIOU.OU.        II 

I 


CHRISTIANS  WORKING  TOGETHER 

Give  heed  to  E/ekiel  34:5.  "And  they  were 
scattered,  becatise  there  is  no  shepherd:  and  they 
became  meat  to  all  the  beasts  of  the  field,  when 
they  were  scattered"  (KJV). 

In  relation  to  the  May  Messenger,  once  again 
you  would  sell  us  over  to  a  one  world  religion. 
Jesus  Christ  did  not  say  I  am  a  way.  he  said  I 
am  the  (only)  way  to  life  eternal. 

Jesus  had  no  time  for  false  prophets  (see 
Matt.  23).  He  warns  against  false  prophets 
(Matt.  24).  When  Paul  preached  on  Mars  Hill  to 
those  who  worshiped  the  unknown  god  (Acts  17) 
he  did  not  ask  them  to  stand  up  and  give  their 
\ersion  of  salvation! 

As  for  Christians  working  together  to  further 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  if  they  are  true  Christians 
I  am  in  favor  of  this.  If  an  individual  denies  the 
virgin  birth,  the  sinless  life  of  Jesus  Christ,  salva- 
tion through  his  shed  blood,  and  his  coming 
again  in  a  literal  sense  he  cannot  be  classified  as 
a  Bible-believing  Christian.  This  does  not  mean 
that  we  give  up  or  compromise  on  basic  Bible- 
taught  Brethren  beliefs. 

The  .Spirit  is  moving  in  many  of  our  churches. 
I  see  and  hear  many  things  that  thrill  my  soul. 
But  when  God's  Spirit  is  at  work.  Satan  will 
work  harder  than  ever  to  have  his  lies  spread 
throughout  the  church. 

James  M.  Hue 
Hershey.  Pa. 

FROM  AN  "ASSOCIATED"  BROTHER 

I  must  take  time  to  thank  Joel  Thompson  and 
DeWitt  Miller  for  their  superb  articles  in  the 
May  Messenger.  Each  in  his  own  way  has  done 
much  to  interpret  the  ecumenical  movement. 

In  fact,  the  whole  issue  of  the  Messenger  is 
outstanding.  1  am  tremendously  impressed  by 
the  fine  editing  and  excellent  contents. 

It  is  no  wonder  we  are  enriched  by  the 
"associated  relationship"  between  our  twc 
denominations! 

Robert  G.  Torbet 
Ecumenical  Officer 
American  Baptist  Churches 
Valley  Forge,  Pa. 

MISSING  VITAL  DISTINCTIONS 

A  couple  of  statements  in  the  May  Outlook 
article  describing  farmers  tour  of  China: 
bothered  me: 

"In  many  ways  the  Chinese  exemplify 
Christianity  more  than  we  do  in  our  society 
Their  virtues  may  be  justifiably  impressive,  but 
to  use  the  term  "Christian"  in  regard  to  them, 
may  be  missing  the  vital  distinction:  for  a  com- 
munist in  China,  allegiance  is  primarily  to  the 
state:  for  the  Christian,  allegiance  is  primarily  to 
God. 

"...  they  (the  Americans)  left  China  with  the 
feeling  that  the  essence  of  Christianity- 
selflessness  and  service — permeates  Chinese 
society  today."  It  depends  on  whom  and  what  is 
being    selflessly    served!     Important    as    these 


psigjs  ©[TDS 


qualities  may  be,  I  think  it  is  important  that  they 
not  be  referred  to,  even  for  the  purpose  of  brevi- 
ty, as  being  the  essence  of  Christianity.  (If  such 
virtues  alone  could  characterize  a  Christian 
society,  many  a  totalitarian  state — Nazi  Ger- 
many included  —  might  qualify.)  For  me  it  miss- 
es the  mark  to  speak  of  the  essence  of  Christiani- 
ty without  an  understanding  of  Christ's  presence 
at  the  center. 

Donna  Spitler 
Arlington,  Va. 

WHAT  HAPPENED  TO  DIPLOMACY? 

The  widespread  exultation  by  press,  public  of- 
ficials, and  the  American  public  over  the  landing 
of  the  marines  in  Cambodia  exposes  the  basic 
perversion  of  our  minds  by  militarism.  We  hail  it 
as  a  victory  when  in  order  to  free  39  crew 
members  of  the  Mayaguez,  five  marines  are 
killed,  16  are  missing,  70  to  80  wounded,  plus 
unknown  numbers  of  Cambodian  deaths  and 
property  damage  (Higher  figures  have  been 
given.  —  Ed.  J. 

Even  when  it  was  thought  that  the  death  toll 
might  be  lighter,  such  action  represents  a  dis- 
regard of  American  and  Cambodian  lives.  Our 
"manhood"  and  national  pride  is  not  worth  the 
life  of  one  young  or  old  person.  It  might  have 
been  possible  to  have  achieved  our  goal  through 
other  channels. 

Dale  W.  Brown 
Lombard,  III. 

WHO  READS  MESSENGER? 

Mary  Agnes  Starr,  former  church  news  editor 
for  the  Palladium  Item,  a  Richmond  daily 
newspaper,  was  delighted  to  receive  a  com- 
plimentary subscription  to  Messenger  last  year. 
During  the  year  she  featured  in  the  daily  news 
several  articles  which  appeared  in  Messenger. 

Her  successor.  Florence  Lawson,  has  been  so 
interested  in  Messenger  that  she  has  sent  in  her 
own  subscription. 

Those  who  are  looking  for  news  that  speaks 
about  the  church,  you  too  should  read 
Messenger. 

Victor  C.  Bendsen 
Richmond,  Ind. 

WOULD  GOD  BE  PLEASED? 

I  would  like  to  commend  Joan  Deeter  on  her 
fine  article  in  the  May  Messenger  on  "Life  in 
the  Community  of  Faith."  It  is  a  lot  of  food  for 
thought  for  each  of  us  as  Christians. 

Too  often  in  the  church,  surface  loving  is  only 
a  mask.  We  Brethren,  as  she  stated,  are  always 
so  nice  to  each  other,  and  this  means  nothing 
if  it  is  only  a  cover  for  unresolved  problems 
we  may  have  to  solve  later  or  uncover  face  to 
face. 

Too  often  I  am  afraid  we  all  have  been  guilty 
of  commending  some  persons  for  something  for 
which  probably  we  knew  at  the  time  they  did  not 
really  deserve  the  kind  of  commendation  we 
gave  them.   May  each  of  us  be  sure  we  mean 


what  we  say  before  making  comments  of  this 
kind.  Proverbs  27:5  says.  "Better  is  open  rebuke 
than  hidden  love."  This  may  be  a  little  out  of 
context  but  I  think  it  has  a  lesson  for  each  of  us 
in  this  "surface  loving." 

1  would  just  like  to  add  this  quote  I  heard 
recently  on  a  tv  program.  "We  all  know  the 
difference  between  right  and  wrong,  but  some  of 
us  hate  to  make  decisions."  May  each  of  us  take 
this  personally  and  before  making  decisions  ask 
ourselves  if  God  would  be  pleased  with  our 
decisions. 

Marguerite  Snoeberger 
Cumberland,  Md. 

NON-COMMEMORATIVE  CALENDAR 

This  letter  is  to  inform  the  public  that  we, 
PTE  -SKA  O-YA-TE  (White  Buffalo  People),  a 
nonprofit  American  Indian  awareness  group, 
have  recently  finished  compiling  an  18-month 
pictorial  calendar  of  early  Native  American 
religious  scenes  as  a  prelude  to  our  Bicentennial 
non-celebration. 

The  calendar,  which  became  available  in  June 
of  this  year,  is  composed  of  twenty  photographs, 
each  suitable  for  framing,  from  the  works  of 
Edward  S.  Curtis,  noted  pioneer  photographer 
and  humanitarian. 

We  are  asking  no  set  price  for  these  calendars; 
any  amount,  no  matter  how  modest,  will  be 
gratefully  accepted  and  acknowledged,  as  will  all 
correspondence. 

All  proceeds  will  go  toward  erecting  a  suitable 
memorial  monument  to  all  Native  Americans. 
That  is  our  goal. 

Richard  Colbenson 
PTE  SKA  O-YA-TE 
41 1  Stanford  Road 
Grand  Forks,  N.D.  58201 

WRITINGS  ON  D.  L.  MOODY 

In  Messenger  a  long  time  ago,  1  recall  having 
seen  an  advertisement  by  someone  seeking  a 
copy  of  Moody's  works.  I  now  have  a  book 
written  by  C.  H.  Fowler,  titled  Life  and  Labors 
of  D.  L.  Moody,  588  pages  and  in  good  condi- 
tion. It  is  in  five  parts  under  a  single  cover. 
Anyone  interested  can  secure  this  book  by  con- 
tacting me. 

Fred  W.  Fogelsanger 
473  East  Liberty  Street 
Chambersburg,  Pa.  17201 

LET  CHRIST  INTO  MESSENGER 

Our  church,  the  East  Nimishillen  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  has  as  one  of  its  goals  for  1975. 
nourishing  of  families.  Thank  you  for  the 
resources  listed  in  the  Messenger. 

Continue  to  let  Christ  into  Messenger  more 
and  more  and  we  will  try  to  promote  it.  May 
you  be  open  to  God's  will  in  your  lives  and 
work.  Praise  God  for  his  wonderful  ways  of 
working. 

Fern  Snyder 
North  Canton,  Ohio 


Like  the  shoemaker's  elves,  he  remains 
unseen,  while  his  good  work  is  produced 
and  abounds  for  folk  to  marvel  at.  His 
unsigned  handiwork  appears  in  every 
Messenger,  but  unless  you  search  the 
credits  on  the  inside  cover  you  remain  un- 
aware of  its  creator's  identity.  Now  we've 
gone  public  with  him.  If  you  were  at  the 
Dayton  Annual  Conference  you  may 
have  seen  him.  sketchbook  in  hand,  here 
and  there  about  the  Convention  Center — 
Ken  Stanley,  our  artist. 
Ordinarily.  Ken  is  to  be  found  in  the 
art  and  layout 
department  at 
Elgin,  on  his 
high  stool,  with 
one  knee  crossed 
over  the  lower 
edge  of  his  draw- 
ing board,  turn- 
ing out  left- 
handed  illustra- 
tions or  design- 
ing ads,  book 
Ken  Stanley  covers,  and  bro- 

chures. But  added  to  our  Com- 
munications staff  at  Dayton,  Ken  il- 
lustrated our  Annual  Conference  wrap-up 
with  on-scene  sketches.  You  can  see  the 
results  on  pages  25-28. 

Messenger  writers  for  August:  Elsie 
and  Von  Hall,  World  Ministries  per- 
sonnel, live  and  work  in  Zinder,  Niger. 
They  wrote  their  article  on  Community 
Development  at  the  University  of  Mis- 
souri, Columbia,  Mo.,  while  Von  was  in 
the  final  months  of  completing  an  M.A. 
course  in  that  field.  Kenneth  L.  Gibble  is 
pastor  of  the  Ridgeway  Community  con- 
gregation, Harrisburg,  Pa.  David  L. 
Rogers  is  pastor  of  the  Manchester  con- 
gregation. North  Manchester,  Ind. 
Edward  Kintner  was  for  over  forty  years 
in  the  science  department  of  Manchester 
College.  Here  I  Stand  contributors  are 
Bob  Beery  of  North  Manchester,  Ind., 
Nina  B.  Cullers  of  Luray,  Va.,  John 
Mummert  of  Cushing,  Okla.,  and  Gerald 
W.  Roller  of  Roanoke,  Va.  Book  re- 
viewers are  Paul  W.  Kinsel,  pastor  of  the 
University  Park  congregation,  Hyatts- 
ville,  Md.,  and  Steve  Longenecker,  Wash- 
ington Office  BVSer,  Washington,  D.  C. 
The  outside  writers  who  worked  so 
diligently  at  Dayton  to  compile  the  An- 
nual Conference  wrap-up  are  identified 
following  each  of  their  contributions 
throughout  the  text. — The  Editors 


August  1975  MESSENGER  1 


Susan  M.  Ziegler:  Great-great-grandmother 


Imagine!  Five  generations  in  one 
church.  This  unusual  situation  was 
noted  in  the  Richland,  Pennsylvania, 
congregation  on  Palm  Sunday  when 
Eric  Jon  Marks  was  brought  to  a 
dedication  service  by  his  parents,  Ken- 
dall and  Vicky  Marks.  To  complete  the 
span  of  generations  the  picture  here 
shows  Eric  with  his  mother;  his  grand- 
mother, Phyllis  Wenger  Hickernell; 
his  great-grandmother,  Esther  Ziegler 
Wenger;  and  his  great-great- 
grandmother,  Susan  Edris  Ziegler. 

Though  each  generation  deserves 
recognition  for  its  role  in  the  life  of  a 
church,  in  this  instance  particular 
attention  should  be  given  to  the  oldest, 
Susan  Ziegler,  whom  a  friend 
describes  as  "a  remarkable  lady  in 
many  ways."  Mary  M.  Taylor,  wife  of 
the  pastor  of  the  Richland  church,  in- 
troduces Susan  Ziegler  to  Messenger 
readers  in  these  words: 

"At  the  age  of  twenty  Susan  was 
married  to  Charles  Ziegler,  who  was 
later  ordained  to  the  free  ministry  in 
the  Heidelberg  congregation. 
Together  with  their  ten  children,  they 
lived  as  farmers  near  Richland. 

"Brother  Ziegler  suffered  for  23 
years  with  bronchial  asthma,  and 
Sister  Susan  had  more  than  her  share 
of  work  nursing  him,  caring  for  all  the 
children,  and  keeping  the  farm  run- 


ning. The  children  all  remember  this 
period  of  time  with  great  admiration 
for  their  mother.  Mrs.  Ziegler  kept  a 
home  that  was  warm  and  open  to 
anyone  who  stopped  in,  not  only  to 
Sunday  dinner  guests  invited  at 
church,  but  to  needy  persons  for  meals 
and  a  place  to  sleep. 

"It  was  a  great  shock  to  the  family 
when  Brother  Ziegler  passed  away  at 
only  49  years  of  age.  A  daughter  tells  it 
this  way,  in  the  face  of  grief,  poverty 
and  five  children  still  under  age. 
Mother  kept  the  farm  one  more  year, 
and  made  a  little  more  money  to  satisfy 
debts,  and  sold  the  farm.'  With  a  down 
payment  for  a  house  from  a  relative 
and  the  goodness  of  friends,  Mrs. 
Ziegler  bought  a  truck  and  began  to 
build  a  milk  route,  which  later  ex- 
panded to  include  eggs  and  other  farm 
produce.  She  very  capably  supported 
her  family  through  this  business  for  18 
years. 

"Her  most  notable  words  of  advice 
to  her  children  were,  'Walk  straight, 
hold  your  head  high,  and  never  give 
up.'  She  always  admonished  her 
children  to  live  clean  and  upright  lives. 

Good  advice  from  a  great-great- 
grandmother.  And  good  for  every 
generation.  —  K.I.M. 


in^ 


Joe  Wampler:   Discov(|q 


Many  people  wish  for  the  gift  of  vi-k 
sion  into  the  future,  to  see  whereto 
humankind  and  the  universe  are*i 
headed.  But  Joe  Wampler  is  happyik 
for  his  gift  to  see  backward.  Andta 
quite  a  gift  at  that — Joe  has  seerii 
backward  through  about  90  percentiit 
of  the  age  of  the  universe  when  it  waslt 
only  a  fifth  of  its  present  size!  Iki 

How  does  Joe  do  it?  As  Dr.  E.       »lii 
Joseph  Wampler,  astronomer  at  the  |ii 
University  of  California  Lick  Obser- 
vatory, he  pioneered  in  the  develop- 
ment of  electronic  equipment  that 
made  it  possible  to  study  quasars  — 
the  most  distant  objects  ever  seen  in 
the  heavens.  The  equipment  consists 
of  a  spectograph  that  breaks  up  the 
quasar's  light  into  the  bands  of  the 
spectrum,  a  television  tube  that  inten-loi 
sifies  the  quasar's  image,  and  a  com- 
puter system  to  analyze  the 
astronomical  data. 

The  most  distant  quasar  he  has 
detected  is  a  faint,  blue  starlike  ob- 
ject in  the  constellation  Bootes. 

The  newly  discovered  quasar  is 
traveling  at  about  167,000  miles  a 
second,  at  a  distance  of  10  billion 
light  years  from  the  earth.  One  of  thafir 
most  intriguing  questions  for  Joe  is 
how  the  quasars  can  generate  such 
tremendous  energy  that  their  light 
can  still  be  detected  on  earth.  The 
original  light  of  the  quasar  must  be 
as  bright  as  100,000  billion  stars- 
brighter  than  100  galaxies  the  size  oft 
the  Milky  Way. 

Joe  and  his  colleagues  have  con- 
cluded that  the  chemical  composition 
of  the  young  universe — 10  billion 


2  MESSENGER  AugUSt  1975 


[uasars 

irs  ago  or  more — is  essentially  the 
Tie  as  that  of  the  stars  and  galaxies 
lay.  Although  he  will  not  predict 
lat  future  finds  might  be,  he  notes 
It  one  of  the  most  exciting  of  re- 
it  discoveries  has  been  the  ex- 
snce  in  space  of  molecules  that  are 
:  building  blocks  of  amino-acids, 
lich  are  in  turn  the  units  from 
lich  protein  is  built  and  which  are 
ndamental  to  life  as  we  know  it. 
Joe  was  born  in  Taiku,  China,  in 
33,  the  son  of  China  missionaries 
nest  and  Elizabeth  Wampler.  An 
imnus  of  Bridgewater  and  the  Uni- 
rsity  of  Virginia,  he  holds  a  Ph.D. 
)m  the  University  of  Chicago.  After 
years  at  Lick  Observatory,  he 
)ved  last  year  to  Siding  Spring, 
istralia,  where  he  directs  the 
iglo-Australian  Telescope, 
dicated  October  16,  1974. 
Joe  has  been  described  as  an 
ronomer  "...  who  studies  how  all 
:  pieces  of  the  universe  relate  and 
w  whatever  it  is  that  is  out  there 
t  out  there." 

"The  astronomy  of  Galileo  and 
)pernicus  produced  a  revolution  in 
r  thinking,"  says  Joe.  "It 
oriented  our  life  in  the  universe.  I 
;1  the  present  explorations  will 
oduce  further  major  changes  in  the 
ucture  of  humankind,  and  in  our 
nking."  —  K.T. 


Galen  Beery:  Our  man  in  Fort  Chaffee 


"Some  nights  I  can't  even  remember 
whether  I've  eaten  that  day  or  not. 
Funny  too  how  you  can  be  so  dog-tired 
you're  ready  to  drop;  then  another 
family  comes  in  and  you  see  a  way  to 
work  out  a  problem  for  them  . . . 
suddenly  you're  full  of  energy  again!" 
That's  Galen  Beery  giving  an  idea  of 
the  eighteen-  to  twenty-hour  days  he 
puts  in  helping  direct  Church  World 
Service  work  with  Vietnam  refugees  in 
Fort  Chaffee,  Arkansas. 

When  he  arrived  at  Fort  Chaffee  in 
late  May  the  refugee  resettlement 
program  was  struggling  through  its 
first  pandemonium-ridden  days  — 
desperate  refugees  and  frustrated 
workers  trying  to  cope  without  any 
system.  There  had  been  no  time  to  plan 
in  detail  and  coordinate  a  system 
beforehand — 29,000  unanticipated 
refugees  had  simply  arrived,  who  must 
all  eventually  be  resettled. 

Galen's  skills  as  an  administrator 
are  proving  useful.  For  ten  years 
(1962-1972)  he  worked  in  Laos  with 
International  Voluntary  Services 
(I  VS)  and  with  the  United  States 
Agency  for  International  Develop- 
ment ( USAID).  In  1  VS  he  assisted  in 
administering  teams  of  American 
volunteers  working  in  rural  develop- 
ment and  education.  With  USAID  he 
worked  in  community  development 
programs,  agro-business,  and  refugee 
relief.  With  that  and  his  facility  in  the 
Lao  language,  and  some  French  and 
Vietnamese,  Galen  has  proven  to  be  a 
good  man  for  the  Fort  Chaffee  job. 

In  Indochina  Galen  became  closely 
identified  with  the  people,  immersing 


himself  in  their  language  and  culture 
and  customs.  He  is  probably,  among 
the  Brethren,  the  best  informed  person 
on  Laos.  Enormous  scrapbooks  of 
Laotian  information,  magazine  ar- 
ticles, and  newspaper  clippings  attest 
to  his  abiding  interest  in  that  troubled 
country  today.  These  close  ties  with  In- 
dochina serve  Galen  in  good  stead  as 
he  grapples  with  resettling  its  refugees. 

What  with  his  three  years  of  work 
with  IVSin  Washington,  D.C.,andthe 
ten  years  in  Laos,  service  to  Third 
World  people  is  not  new  to  Galen.  And 
that  service  is  a  part  of  his  heritage,  as 
well — the  son  of  Cleo  and  Miriam 
Stover  Beery,  he  is  a  grandson  of 
Wilbur  B.  Stover,  the  Brethren's 
pioneer  missionary  to  India. 

After  his  service  in  Laos,  Galen 
returned  to  his  hometown  of  La  Verne, 
California,  and  enrolled  ina  publicad- 
ministration  course  at  the  University 
of  Southern  California,  from  which  he 
earned  his  M.  A.  degree  last  March. 

Galen  was  home  painting  his  house 
in  May  when  Hazel  Peters,  personnel 
office  coordinator  for  the  General 
Board,  called  to  ask  him  to  go  to  Fort 
Chaffee.  Tossing  a  few  belongings  in 
his  red  VW,  Galen  drove  almost  non- 
stop, three  days,  to  his  Arkansas  as- 
signment and  began  a  virtually  round- 
the-clock  schedule  at  the  refugee  of- 
fice. As  long  as  we  Brethren  have  per- 
sons like  Galen  Beery  around,  we  need 
not  fear  that  the  "spark  of  spontaneity 
in  giving"  that  Randy  Miller  spoke  of 
on  page  10  of  the  July  Messenger  will 
ever  be  snuffed  out.  — K.T. 


August  1975  MESSENGER  3 


At  life-style  workshop: 
'revolutionary  thoughts' 

World  hunger — we  hear  about  it 
everywhere  and  it  makes  us  uncomfortable. 
What  can  we  do? 

About  a  hundred  Brethren  of  the  Mid- 
Atlantic  District  spent  Saturday,  April  12, 
at  the  Frederick,  Md.  church  exploring  in 
depth  the  alternative  responses  that 
Brethren  can  consider  when  their  con- 
sciences ask  questions.  Seven  areas  where  a 
change  in  life-style  would  bring  some 
solutions  were  explored. 

Shantilal  Bhagat  of  the  World  Ministries 
staff  starkly  outlined  the  problems.  It  isn't 
an  encouraging  prognosis — the  long  view 
of  our  world's  future  with  pollution, 
limited  food  supply,  dwindling  natural 
resources,  and  the  exploding  population. 
Soberly  the  work-shoppers  divided  into 
study  groups  to  ponder  how  real  changes 
in  life-style  could  bring  about  meaningful 
reversal  in  trends. 


The  seven  life-style  study  groups  were 
led  by  Brethren  qualified  by  their 
professions  as  resource  leaders.  The  en- 
vironment group  was  chaired  by  John 
Trax,  sanitary  engineer  who  works  for  the 
US  Environmental  Protection  Agency  in 
waste-water  treatment  at  the  municipal 
level.  The  science/ technological  group 
worked  at  pollution  and  structure  — 
biological  relationships  under  organic 
chemist  Earl  Hess.  Home  economist  Sandy 
Wright's  nutrition  group  explored  food  ad- 
ditives, common  food  nutritional  values 
and  recipes  for  alternative  diets. 

Homesteaders  Grace  and  Tim  Lefever 
led  a  "how-to"  session  on  being  self- 
sustaining  by  raising  your  own  food  and 
discussed  alternate  energy  supplies  and 
diet.  Janice  Martin,  World  Ministries' 
coordinator  for  global  awareness,  con- 
tinued the  study  of  hunger  in  the  third 
world  and  the  implications  of  population 
control. 

Politically  speaking,  Sylvia  Eller,  BVSer 
on  the  Washington  Office  staff,  outlined 


the  work  that  can  be  done  legislatively  to 
help  the  US  to  a  better  resource-sharing 
position.  Dale  Aukerman,  simple  life  prac- 
titioner, described  ways  that  such  a  sharing 
theory  could  be  put  into  practice  in  our 
daily  lives. 

Mealtimes,  singing,  browsing,  and 
visiting  gathered  the  group  together.  Just 
before  vespers,  Anna  Mow  brought  the  day 
into  focus  as  she  spoke  of  living  the  simple 
life.  "It  is  not  a  design  of  clothes  or  a  par- 
ticular life-style,  that  is  the  important 
thing,"  she  said.  "It  is  a  state  of  mind,  the 
desire  and  ability  to  put  things  in  their 
proper  priority.  The  life  of  Christ  and  the 
early  Christians  are  our  examples.  Their 
professions  and  life-styles  differed,  but 
their  goals  and  priorities  were  the  same — 
to  seek  and  follow  the  will  of  God  for  their 
lives  in  relation  to  others  ..." 

Such  encounters  on  life-style  offer  for 
responsible  Christians  valuable  experiences 
of  revolutionary  thinking  that  the  problems 
of  the  next  quarter-century  are  thrusting 
rapidly  upon  us. 


New  workers  assigned 
to  Niger,  Ecuador 

Recent  World  Ministries  assignments  are 
placing  ne\V  workers  in  the  Niger  and 
Ecuador  fields.  Von  and  Elsie  Hall  began 
work  with  Lutheran  World  Relief  in  Niger 
in  July.  Merlin  G.  and  Grace  Shull  begin 
language  study  in  September  for  service  in 
Quito,  Ecuador. 


Von  and  Elsie  Hall,  Nigeria  missionaries 
since  1957,  while  continuing  in  World 
Ministries  employment,  have  been  se- 
conded to  community  development  service 
in  Niger  with  Lutheran  World  Relief.  They 
will  be  located  in  Zinder,  a  large  and 
historic  town  in  south-central  Niger.  Since 
1970  the  Halls  have  coordinated  a  highly 
successful  community  development 
program  in  Uba  District  in  Nigeria's 
Northeastern  State  (see  story  on  page  8).  In 


1974  that  program  was  turned  over  com- 
pletely to  Nigerian  leadership.  During  the 
past  year  the  Halls  have  lived  in  Columbia, 
Mo.,  where,  in  May,  Von  received  his 
master's    degree    in    community    develop- 
ment. 

Since  1963  Merlin  Shull  has  been  pastor 
of  the  Marsh  Creek  congregation,  Get- 
tysburg, Pa.  Previous  to  that  he  was  pastor 
of  the  Nimishillen  congregation  in 
Northern  Ohio.  From  1950  to  1953,  Merlin 
served  as  a  relief  worker  under  Brethren 
Service  in  Austria. 

In  Ecuador  the  Shulls  will  be  seconded 
by  the  Brethren  to  the  United  Evangelical 
Church  of  Ecuador  for  a  three-  to-four- 
year  term  at  the  Center  of  Theological 
Studies.  Merlin  will  work  with  both  the 
basic  extension  centers  for  nonprofessional 
church  workers  as  well  as  the  in-service 
pastors'  course.  He  replaces  Roy  Valen- 
court,  who,  with  his  family,  returned  to  the 
US  in  June.  The  Valencourts  are  now 
located  in  Salisbury,  N.  C,  where  Roy  is  a 
member  of  the  faculty  of  Hood  Theological 
Seminary. 

Left:    Merlin   and   Grace  Shull  serve  the 
United   Evangelical    Church    of  Ecuador. 

Right:    Von   and  Elsie    Hall   are  serving 
in   Niger,    under   Lutheran    World  Relief. 


4  MESSENGER  August  1975 


General  Board  testifies 
on  handgun  controls 

rhe  elimination  of  handguns  from  private, 
individual  ownership  and  the  registration 
ind  control  of  all  other  guns  in  American 
life  are  called  for  in  a  statement  submitted 
to  Congressional  legislators  in  behalf  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board. 

The  statement  builds  on  a  position  on 
firearms  control  enacted  by  the  General 
Board  in  1968.  It  lifts  up  the  Criminal 
Justice  Coordinating  Council's  claim  that 
more  Americans  have  been  killed  by 
Drivately  owned  guns  that  have  died  in  all 
he  nation's  wars  since  the  Revolution. 

The  testimony  was  submitted  to  the  Sub- 
;ommittee  on  Crime  of  the  House 
Judiciary  Committee  in  May  by  C.  Wayne 
Zunkel,  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  of  Elizabethtown.  Pa.,  and  for 
eight  years  a  member  of  the  General 
Joard. 

From  the  1968  General  Board  statement 
he  testimony  asserts:  "While  the  control  of 
irearms  will  not  eliminate  the  causes  of 
:rime  and  social  disorganization,  it  will 
jrevent  much  tragic  loss  of  life.  All  the 
Jrivate  and  government  resources  at  our 
;ommand  must  be  used  to  rid  our  society 
)f  lethal  violence." 

Since  the  1968  General  Board  action  the 
ate  of  murders  by  handguns  in  the  US  has 
/irtually  doubled,  Mr.  Zunkel  points  out. 
-le  also  cites  data  which  reveal  that  73  per- 
;ent  of  all  handgun  murders  are  committed 
)y  people  who  have  never  broken  the  law, 
md  that  statistically  for  every  intruder 
topped  by  a  homeowner  with  a  gun,  there 
ire  four  gun  accidents  in  the  home. 

Pastor  Zunkel,  observing  that  "for  the 
erious  hunters,  handguns  are  extra 
)aggage,"  contends  that  fair  and  strict  con- 
rols  may  be  the  best  insurance  the 
portsman  has  that  his  right  to  a  gun  will 
)e  preserved. 

As  to  legislation,  the  testimony  argues 
hat  a  "piecemeal  approach"  will  not  suf- 
Ice.  "What  is  needed  is  a  strong  federal 
aw  that  will  apply  equally  to  all  parts  of 
he  country." 

Pastor  Zunkel  explains  that  most 
nodern  nations  have  enacted  gun  controls 
md  that  the  measures  have  significantly 
educed  the  rate  of  murder  by  handguns. 
4e  concludes  the  appeal: 

"The  time  has  come  for  legislators  to 
ook  unfounded  emotions,  fears,  and 


A/.    R.    Zigler  receives   award  Jram   (left) 
Ken  Kreider  and  (right)  C.   Wayne  Zwtl<el. 

Peace  group  honors 
a  man  'on  a  binge' 

M.  R.  Zigler,  83-year-old  peace  activist, 
was  the  recipient  of  the  Brethren 
Peacemaker  of  the  Year  Award  bestowed 
by  the  Atlantic  Northeast  District  Peace 
Fellowship.  The  citation  honored  M.  R.'s 
"lifelong  efforts  to  promote  peace  and 
understanding  among  individuals  and 
nations." 


In  response,  M.  R.  explained,  "I'm  on  a 
binge.  And  1  think  everybody  ought  to  be 
on  a  binge.  You  old  folks  when  you  reach 
65,  don't  retire.  Just  go  to  work  for  the 
Lord  full  time  and  you'll  die  happy." 

The  banquet,  held  May  17  at  the 
Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  was  served  on  a  donation  basis 
by  the  church  youth.  From  the  event  the 
youth  turned  over  $183,  including  $40  of 
their  own,  for  the  series  of  "On  Earth 
Peace"  convocations  M.  R.  is  convening  at 
New  Windsor,  Maryland. 

To  Serve  the  Present  Age.  the  new  book 
recounting  the  Brethren  Service  story,  and 
to  which  M.  R.  Zigler  is  a  major  con- 
tributor, was  introduced  by  Clyde  Weaver, 
marketing  director  for  Brethren  Press. 
Brethren  Peace  Fellowship  leaders  Kenneth 
Kreider  and  C.  Wayne  Zunkel  presented 
the  award. 


highly  organized  self  interest  squarely  in 
the  eye,  and  enact  strong,  responsible  con- 
trols which  can  help  to  make  the  lives  of  us 
all  a  little  safer,  which  will  ultimately 
preserve  the  very  rights  of  those  now  op- 
posed to  gun  control,  and  which  will  help 
remove  fear  from  gun  owners  and  all 
Americans." 

Historic  peace  churches 
seek  one  voice  on  peace 

"Historically,  we  have  come  to 
Washington,  D.C.  in  a  self-serving  way 
when  wars  were  brewing  to  work  to  guard 
our  conscientious  objection  position," 
stated  Bethany  Seminary  professor  Dale 
W.  Brown,  addressing  Brethren,  Friends, 
and  Mennonites  gathered  to  coordinate  the 
work  of  their  Washington  Offices  as  a 
common  voice  for  peace  and  reduction  of 
military  spending.  Continuing  his  address 
to  the  May  Historic  Peace  Church 
Washington  Seminar,  Brown  remarked,  "It 
is  significant  that  we  come  here  now  when 
a  war  has  just  ended  to  evaluate  ways  in 
which  we  can  coordinate  our  peace  con- 
cerns and  witness  to  our  faith." 

The  Washington  seminar  dealt  with  the 
"Impact  of  Militarism  on  our  Foreign 
Policy."  One  speaker.  Rear  Admiral  Gene 
La  Rocque  (Ret.)  of  The  Center  for 
Defense  Information,  lifted  up  the  unreali- 
ty of  US  defense  department's  budget  re- 
quests, saying,  "The  Pentagon  is  asking  in 
1976  $105  billion  for  Total  Obligational 


Authority  (TOA)  which  is  an  increase  of 
$16  billion  over  this  year.  And  more — they 
request  a  2%  increase  each  year  for  the 
next  4  years — or  an  additional  $148 
billion.  In  5  years,  the  amount  the  Pen- 
tagon would  receive  would  be  $636  billion. 
20%i  of  that  amount  actually  goes  for 
direct  defense — the  rest  to  protect  the 
interest  of  friends  and  to  support  person- 
nel and  bases.  Such  money  does  not  ad- 
vance defense  or  increase  security,  it  only 
feeds  inflation  and  weakens  the  stability  of 
the  country  as  a  whole.  "We  must  offer 
alternatives  to  Congress." 

The  forty  seminar  delegates  were  selected 
from  congressional  districts  having  sizable 
groups  of  Mennonites,  Quakers,  and 
Brethren  among  their  constituents.  The 
persons  attending  the  seminar  will  coor- 
dinate their  social  action  in  their  home  dis- 
tricts, working  to  keep  their  congressper- 
sons  informed  of  grass  roots  sentiment. 

Among  those  who  spoke  to  the  seminar 
concerning  the  defense  budget  were 
General  Bertram  Gorewitz  (Ret.)  of  the 
Center  for  Defense  Information  and  John 
Marks  of  the  Center  for  National 
Securities  Studies. 

In  their  visits  to  the  Pentagon,  the  State 
Department,  and  representatives  on 
Capitol  Hill,  seminar  members  reported 
a  change  of  attitudes,  a  new  sense  of 
humility,  and  a  willingness  to  review 
governmental  policies  and  priorities.  The 
Indochina  War,  new  legislators,  and  shift- 
ing national  priorities  are  creating  a 
climate  for  new  ideas. 


August  1975  MESSENGER  5 


Row  memorial  expands 
ecumenical  library 

W.  Harold  Row.  Brethren  Service  ex- 
ecutive, ecumenical  leader,  and  Church  of 
the  Brethren  Washington  representative, 
who  died  in  1971,  is  being  memorialized 
through  peace  materials  in  Geneva, 
Switzerland,  and  in  theological  seminaries 
around  the  world. 

This  spring  a  check  for  $2,800  from  the 
Row  Memorial  Fund  was  presented  by 
Dale  Ott.  Brethren  Service  director  in  Eu- 
rope, to  the  Rev.  Ans  van  der  Bent,  direc- 
tor of  the  Ecumenical  Center  Library  at  the 
World  Council  of  Churches  in  Geneva.  The 
gift  makes  possible  new  acquisitions  for  the 
library's  peace  section,  which  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  helped  establish  with  a 
$3,000  gift  in  1955. 


Ans   van   der   Bent   (left)   with    Dale   On 

Earlier,  approximately  $375  from  the 
Row   Memorial  Fund  provided  for  the  dis- 
tribution of  100  volumes  of  the  addresses 
and  actions  of  the  1968  Conference  on 
Religion  for  Peace  at  Kyoto,  Japan,  to 
seminaries  overseas. 


For  Brethren:  Service 
opportunities  open 

A  new  direction  for  missions  is  to  respond 
with  willing  workers  to  specific  needs 
determined  by  local  governments.  The 
Church  of  the  Brethren  was  able  recently 
to  make  such  a  response  through  a  chance 
meeting  with  Dr.  D.  W.  Emuchay,  chair- 
man of  the  public  service  commission  of 
Nigeria's  East  Central  State. 

Talking  with  Bill  and  Marsha  Link  (Bill 
was  the  subject  of  the  July  1974 
Messenger  cover  story).  Dr.  Emuchay 
learned  about  the  Brethren  and  their  serv- 
ice program.  On  the  spur  of  the  moment,  a 
meeting  was  set  up  in  Chicago  between  Dr. 
Emuchay  and  Hazel  Peters,  personnel  of- 
fice coordinator  for  the  General  Board, 
and  Shantilal  Bhagat  of  World  Ministries. 
Dr.  Emuchay  told  of  his  need  in  East  Cen- 
tral State  for  medical  workers  and  de- 
scribed his  recruitment  search,  which  had 
taken  him  to  several  countries.  The  Lafiya 
medical  program  was  explained  to  him  and 
a  promise  made  to  keep  in  contact. 

Hazel  had  in  mind  for  him  a  Canadian 
medical  doctor,  Kenneth  Flegel,  who  once 
had  inquired  of  the  Brethren  about 
overseas  medical  possibilities.  The  Flegels 
were  put  in  contact  with  Dr.  Emuchay. 
With  the  Brethren  sharing  information  on 
Nigeria  and  otherwise  facilitating  the 
recruitment,  the  Canadian  doctor  and  his 
wife  this  past  winter  arrived  in  Nigeria  to 

6  MESSENGER  August  1975 


begin  their  assignment.  Dr.  Flegel's  work 
is  in  a  60-bed  hospital  built  with  a  gov- 
ernment grant  to  encourage  rural  health 
care.  His  wife  teaches  in  a  secondary 
school. 

Dr.  Emuchay,  leaving  recently  for 
another  recruiting  trip,  wrote  that  he  still 
needs  doctors,  engineers,  and  architects. 
Are  Brethren  interested?  Hazel  Peters 
responds,  "At  the  time  we  have  placed  no 
Brethren  in  this  particular  state  of  Nigeria, 
but  the  opportunity  is  there  for  anyone 
with  the  needed  skills  who  is  willing  to  take 
the  chance  that  the  Flegels  took  in  moving 
into  an  area  new  to  them." 

"We  are  also  recruiting  teachers  for 
Nigeria,"  Hazel  continues.  "Having  recent- 
ly established  a  Universal  Primary  Educa- 
tion (UPI)  plan,  Nigeria  needs  hundreds  of 
additional  teachers  for  colleges  and  sec- 
ondary schools,  including  Waka  Teachers' 
College  and  Waka  Secondary  School, 
which  were  founded  by  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  We  are  looking  for  persons  with 
majors  in  English,  specialized  sciences,  and 
religious  knowledge. 

"Applicants  accepted  for  assignments 
receive  an  annual  salary  of  not  less  than 
$6,000.  Also  there  is  an  expatriate  induce- 
ment of  $1,000  annually;  transportation 
between  home  and  Nigeria  at  the  beginning 
and  end  of  service;  housing;  and  round  trip 
air  fare  for  travel  home  each  year." 

Applicants  should  write:  Hazel  Peters, 
Personnel  Office  Coordinator,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  III.  60120. 


Openness  to  peace  seen 
in  Middle  East  survey 


Private  conversations  this  spring  with 
leaders  in  Israel  and  in  the  Arab  countries 
of  the  Middle  East  revealed  a  "surprising 
openness"  for  peace,  a  World  Council  of 
Churches  delegation  reported.  Regrettably, 
the  team  members  added,  this  openness  is 
lacking  in  public  pronouncements. 

On  the  Arab  side,  there  was  considerably 
more  willingness  to  reckon  with  Israel  as  a 
political  entity  than  was  true  a  couple  of 
years  ago,  said  William  Weiler,  secretary 
for  Jewish  relations  for  the  National  Coun- 
cil of  Churches. 

Among  Israelis,  Dr.  Weiler  sensed  a 
heightened  willingness  to  deal  with  the 
plight  of  the  Palestinians  and  to  recognize 
their  right  to  political  self-determination. 

More  often  than  not  positions  on  both 
sides  were  found  to  coincide  on  such 
issues  as  the  national  rights  of  Palestinians, 
Arab-Jewish  coexistence,  the  Jerusalem 
question,  Jews  in  the  Arab  world,  and 
Christian-Moslem-Jewish  dialogue,  accord^ 
ing  to  a  second  member  of  the  team,  j 

Leopoldo  Niilus,  director  of  the  WCC's     ' 
Commission  of  the  Churches  on  Interna- 
tional Affairs. 

"The  tragedy  of  the  situation  seems  to  be 
that  each  side  believes  the  other  is  not  com- 
mitted to  peace,"  said  John  B.  Taylor,  whoi 
is  in  charge  of  Moslem-Christian  dia- 
logue for  the  WCC.  He  quoted  an  Arab 
politician  who  spoke  of  "the  inevita- 
bility of  peace"  and  said  this  phrase  con- 
veyed best  the  "deepest  aspirations"  felt 
by  all. 

"The  mood  of  the  moment  is  significant 
ly  different  from  what  it  has  been  before." 
Dr.  Niilus  said.  He  cautioned  that 
"although  there  are  signs  of  hope  and  a 
climate  of  willingness  for  political 
settlements,  the  situation  remains  very 
dangerous  and  explosive.  It  will  continue 
to  remain  the  World  Council's  concern  to 
endeavor  building  bridges  of  understand- 
ing and  mutual  trust  so  that  the  parties  in  i 
the  conflict  can  begin  to  hear  each  other's 
voices." 

Mixed  tours  to  mixed  lands,  interper- 
sonal exchanges,  communication  play  a 
strategic  role  in  widening  understanding, 
the  delegation  declared.  It  urged  Christian 
churches  to  educate  their  members  toward 
open  and  accepting  attitudes  toward  all 
parties  involved. 


Unique  situations  mark 
licensings,  ordinations 

Philadelphia  First  Church,  out  of  which 
Sarah  Righter  Major  became  the  first 
woman  preacher  among  the  Brethren  in  the 
early  1800s,  was  the  scene  this  spring  of  the 
licensing  of  two  women  to  ministry  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

One  was  Linda  Block-Coalter,  a  member 
of  Philadelphia  First  Church  who  received 
two  degrees  this  June — a  master  of  divinity 
from  Princeton  Seminary  and  a  master  of 
social  work  from  Rutgers  University.  Her 
husband  Milton  J.  Coalter  Jr.  is  engaged  in 
graduate  study  in  church  history  at 
Princeton.  Linda  seeks  to  serve  in  the 
parish  ministry. 

Also  licensed  was  Mary  J.  Hoover  of 
Modesto,  Calif.,  who  has  completed  the 
junior  year  at  Princeton  Seminary.  A  Mc- 
Pherson  College  graduate,  Mary  is  serv- 
ing this  summer  in  the  National  Parks 
Ministry  at  Kaibab  National  Park  near  the 
Grand  Canyon.  She  will  return  to 
Princeton  this  fall.  Mary's  licensing  was 
voted  by  her  home  congregation,  Modesto. 

The  licensings  were  conducted  by 
Philadelphia  First  Church  pastor  W.  Dean 
Crouse  and  Atlantic  Northeast  District  ex- 
ecutive Harold  Z.  Bomberger. 

Southern  Ohio  district  executive  Chester 
L  Harley  also  reported  unique  experiences 
in  the  commissioning  of  ministers  this  year. 
One  was  ordaining  a  pastor  and  licensing  a 
parishioner — E.  Merritt  Hulst  Jr.  and 
Joseph  A.  Moore,  respectively — at  the 
same  service  in  the  Cedar  Grove  congrega- 
tion. Another  was  his  first  ordination  of 
a  woman,  Elizabeth  G.  Rieman  (Mrs. 
Glenn),  a  member  of  the  Mack  Memorial 
church  at  Dayton  and  teacher  at  United 
Theological  Seminary. 

The  licensing  of  three  persons  at  the 
Zion  Hill  church  of  Northern  Ohio  oc- 
curred at  a  single  service  this  spring.  In- 
volved were  a  father-son  combination,  Carl 
(Gene)  Blakeman,  40,  and  his  son  Steve. 
19,  as  well  as  Tim  Bartholomew,  son  of 
Zion  Hill  pastor  John  H.  Bartholomew. 

Also  unique  were  the  ordinations  of  a 
husband-wife  team  from  Bethany 
Seminary,  James  L.  Abe  Jr.  was  ordained 
at  his  home  church,  Painesville,  in 
Northern  Ohio,  and  Maria  Bieber  Abe  at 
her  home  church.  Black  Rock,  in  Southern 
Pennsylvania.  The  Abes  serve  in  a  team 
ministry  at  the  Oklahoma  City  church. 


[U]D1](^S[rDDDl](E^ 


REFUGEE  PLACEMENT 


In  the  first  six  vfeeks  of  resettle- 


ment of  persons  from  Vietnam  and  Cambodia,  19  Church  of 
the  Brethren  congregations  either  placed  or  committed 
themselves  to  receiving  112  refugees.   "The  need  is  not 
over,"  commented  Jean  Kauffman  of  the  New  Windsor  office. 
"Refugees  will  be  needing  placement  for  a  long,  long  time. 


CONGREGATIONAL   COLLAGE 


From  funds  left  after  re- 


tiring its  mortgage  and  completing  payments  on  its  organ, 
the  Flower  Hill  Church,  Gaithersburg,  Md.,  designated 
$1,000  for  the  Brotherhood's  work  with  Indochina  refugees. 

Extensive  damage  to  the  basement  and  sanctuary  of 
Southern  Ohio's  Potsdam  church  resulted  from  a  fire  on 
April  28.  .  .  .  The  day  previous  another  Church  of  the 
Brethren  congregation,  San  Francisco,  Calif.,  rededicated 
facilities  damaged  by  fire  a  year  earlier. 

Milestones:   100  years,  French  Broad,  Tenn. ,  church, 
Wayne  F.    Geisert,    speaker,  June  7-8.   60  years.  Shepherd, 
Mich.,  church,  Kenneth  Hollinger ,    speaker.  May  18.   20 
years,  Lynnhaven  church.  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  Hubert  Newcomer , 
speaker,  April  12-13.   10  years.  First  church.  Phoenix, 
Ariz. ,  Frank  and  Ida  Howel 1 ,    speakers,  June  1.   Coming  Nov. 
16:   100  years,  Dallas  Center,  Iowa,  church,  Galen  R. 
Snell ,    speaker. 


IN  HER  FATHER'S  STEPS 


Anna  B.   Mow,    author  and  lec- 


turer, retraced  the  steps  of  her  father,  I_-N_.H_.    Beahm,    this 
spring.   At  Elizabethtown  College,  where  her  father  was  the 
first  president,  she  was  granted  an  honorary  degree,  along 
with  artist  Jamie  Wyeth,  whose  family  once  owned  the  land 
where  the  college  stands.   At  Jeters  Chapel  in  Virginia, 
where  her  father  delivered  his  first  sermon,  she  was  the 
speaker  for  the  congregation's  centennial  June  15. 


IN  MEMORIAM 


Donna  Sooby,   one  of  the  first  women 


to  receive  a  Ph.D.  in  radiation  biology,  died  of  cancer  in 
May  only  a  few  days  before  she  was  to  present  a  paper  on 
raditim  exposure  to  the  American  Physiological  Society.   A 
citation  which  she  was  to  receive  from  McPherson  College, 
her  alma  mater,  was  presented  to  her  parents.   Donna  was 
a  former  BVSer  in  Kassel,  Germany.  .  .  .  Joseph  E.    Whi tacre , 
77,  a  minister  for  56  years,  died  May  27  at  Neffsville,  Pa. 
He  was  profiled  in  a  Messenger  story  in  December  1972.  .  .  . 
Frank  S.    Carper ,    81,  pastor-emeritus  of  the  Palmyra,  Pa., 
congregation  and  minister  for  63  years,  died  May  29.   He 
was  a  Messenger  cover  subject  on  October  15,  1972. 

MOTHERS  OF  THE  YEAR   . . .  Michigan's  1975  Mother  of  the 
Year  is  Trudy  Radatz  Gromer ,   one-time  employee  of  the  Elgin 
General  Offices  and  a  graduate  of  Manchester  College.  .  .  . 
Named  Mother  of  the  Year  in  Vinton,  Va. ,  was  Joyce  Baker   of 
the  Jeters  Chapel  congregation.   She  was  nominated  by  her 
daughter,  Lin,   12.  .  .  .  Margie  Garst,   92,  was  named  Mother 
of  the  Year  in  Religious  Activities  for  Virginia's  Roanoke 
Valley.   The  Friendship  Manor  resident  sings  in  the  Ninth 
Street  church  choir,  quilts  two  days  a  week,  and  gives 
music  lessons  to  32  pupils  a  week. 

August   1975  MESSENGER  7 


by  Elsie  and 
VonHaU 


Community 

A  different  approach 

Community  Development  projects  emphasize  people 
involvement.  This  is  Brethren  Service  and 
Foreign  Missions  1970s  style. 


In  Uba  District  in  Nigeria's  Northeastern 
State  a  new  wind  of  change  has  been  blow- 
ing these  last  five  years.  In  areas  indiffer- 
ent to  progress  a  decade  ago,  villages  vie 
with  one  another  now  to  be  the  most  in- 
novative community  of  the  district.  One 
village  shows  its  visitors  its  new  well; 
another  points  out  its  new  health  center;  in 

8  MESSENGER  AugUSt   1975 


another,  you  are  led  to  the  new  market;  in 
another,  pupils  from  a  new  school  recite 
for  your  edification;  you  reach  still  another 
village  via  a  brand-new  road  cleared 
through  the  bush.  Chiefs  in  flowing  robes 
invite  you  into  shady  chambers  to  sit  in  on 
community  council  meetings.  Everywhere 
the  message  is  clear:  "Look  what  our  com- 
munity is  doing  by  itself." 

Why  this  change  where  once  the 
monotonous  complaint  so  often  heard 
was.  The  government  should  do  something 
to  help  us"?  The  answer;  A  Commun- 
ity Development  Program  initiated  in 
Uba  District  by  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren in  1970.  Basic  Community  De- 
velopment principles  and  process  as 


studied  and  interpreted  at  the  University  of 
Missouri  constituted  the  program's  founda- 
tion. The  program  was  designed  to 
cooperate  with,  and  augment,  the 
Northeastern  State  Community  Develop- 
ment Program  with  the  intent  that  in  time 
it  would  become  an  integral  part  of  the 
state's  own  program. 

Community  Development  as  understood 
here  is  a  definite  method  or  process  of 
developing  people  and  should  not  be  con- 
fused with  the  "brick  and  mortar,"  physical 
development  of  communities  that  has  been 
practiced  for  years.  Through  Community 
Development  people  gain  a  concept  of 
their  needs  as  they  see  them,  whereas  de- 
velopment agencies  tend  to  provide  the 


Development: 


solutions  to  the  community's  problems 
with  little,  if  any,  input  by  the  people. 

One  of  the  first  steps  in  the  initiation  of 
this  Uba  District  Intensified  Community 
Development  Program  was  to  employ  Ni- 
gerians to  help  design  and  execute  the  pro- 
gram. John  Waba  of  Lassa,  Nigeria,  as 
supervisor,  was  a  definite  part  of  the  plan- 
ning and  assisted  in  the  training  of  the  village 
level  workers.  While  John  attended  the 
Community  Development  diploma  course 
given  by  the  University  of  Missouri  at 
Columbia,  Missouri,  Ularam  Thliza,  also  of 
Lassa,  filled  his  position.  After  John  re- 
turned from  the  United  States,  Ularam 
received  the  same  opportunity  for  schooling 
and  returned  to  Nigeria  in  December,  1974. 
He  is  now  teaching  Community  Develop- 
ment at  a  government  school  in  Potiskum. 
The  success  of  the  program  has  been 
recognized  by  the  government  officials  and 
at  their  request  plans  for  enlarging  the  area 
of  work  have  been  developed. 

Community  Development  is  Community 
Development  only  when  it  involves  the 
people  themselves  with  their  community 
leaders  in  self-determination,  decision- 
making, and  formulation  of  their  own 
plans,  followed  by  their  involvement  in 
self-help  and  self-support  in  the  execution 
of  their  plans.  This  involvement  of  the  peo- 
ple themselves  in  a  community  project 
gives  the  opportunity  for  "human  develop- 
ment," which  includes  gaining  in  com- 
petence and  skill,  self-esteem,  a  new  sense 
of  dignity,  improved  leadership  and  hope 
for  their  future. 

Today,  Community  Development  is 
much  more  than  just  a  good  idea.  It  can  be 
studied;  that  is,  it  is  possible  to  study  ways 
that  people  free  themselves  from  their  old 
barriers  or  restraints.  Many  cultures  inhibit 
self-expression  and  governments  sometimes 
have  fostered  citizen  dependence  for  easier 
public  control.  Sociology,  anthropology, 
psychology,  as  well  as  economics  and 
technology,  must  all  be  integrated  in  a 
Community  Development  approach.  Com- 
munity Development  holds  that  people  can 
develop  in  such  a  manner  that  they  can 
better  manage  their  own  environment. 

To  recognize  an  activity  as  Community 
Development,  several  basic  principles  or 
(Continued  on  page  29) 


Moslems  were  suspicious  of  the  Christians'  efforts  to  dig  a 
community  well  until  a  Moslem  employee  of  the  program 
enlisted     everyone's     confidence,     resulting     in     cooperation. 

The  broad  gamut  of  the  community's  needs  and  resources  must  be  fully  examined  by 
the   people    with    their   leaders — involving    decision-making — before  priorities   are   set. 


August  1975  MESSENGER  9 


10  MESSENGER  August  1975 


'The  crazy  thing  isi 
we  suppose  that  driving  ourselves, 
keeping  constantly  on  the  go,  is  somehow  virtuous/ 

J 


\E 


[either  the  human  body  nor  the 
human  mind  can  do  without 
periodic  refreshment.  The  need 
lor  sleep  demonstrates  this  fact. 
As  far  back  as  history  goes,  there  are 
records  of  festival  days  and  holy  days 
which  provided  a  break  in  the  daily  round 
of  hard  work.  The  Hebrew  people  dis- 
covered that  man's  need  for  rest  was  one  of 
the  basic  laws  of  God.  Hence  the  fourth 
commandment:  "Remember  the  Sabbath 
day,  to  keep  it  holy.  Si.x  days  shaU  you 
labor,  and  do  all  your  work,  but  the 
seventh  day  is  a  Sabbath  to  the  Lord  your 
God;  in  it  you  shall  not  do  any  work"  (Ex. 
20:8-10). 

Now  that  commandment  has  two  parts 
to  it — and  the  first  part  has  to  do  with 
work.  Work  is  the  primary  means  of  stay- 
ing alive,  and  for  centuries,  work  has  been 
closely  related  to  the  immediate  needs  of 
the  family  — killing  game,  harvesting  crops, 
making  clothes,  preparing  food.  But  work 
has  acquired  new  meanings.  It  becomes  a 
way  of  identifying  ourselves.  We  are 
known  as  insurance  agents,  secretaries, 
homemakers,  teachers.  By  pursuing  our 
work  with  diligence,  enthusiasm,  and  pride, 
we  may  gain  approval  from  our  peers  and 
a  sense  of  well-being  for  ourselves.  Then 
too,  one  of  the  great  benefits  of  work  is  the 
chance  it  gives  us  to  serve  humanity.  Work 
in  this  sense  is  a  privilege,  a  gift  from  God. 


by  Kenneth  L.  Gibble 


Yet,  like  all  God's  gifts,  work  can  be 
misused.  Many  people  regard  work  as  a 
universal  good,  as  the  panacea  for  in- 
dividual maladjustment  and  social  crisis. 
What  is  the  average  American's  solution  to 
the  problems  of  the  young,  the  poor,  and 
the  minorities?  "Find  them  jobs,  make 
them  work" — as  though  the  process  of 
work  itself  was  a  means  of  salvation.  That 
idea  may  be  a  kind  of  Americanized 
theology,  but  you  won't  find  it  in  the  Bible. 

What  the  Bible  does  teach  is  that  any  ob- 
ject or  any  idea  can  become  a  false  god. 
And  when  it  does,  that  means  trouble. 
Somehow,  work  has  gotten  mixed  up  with 
the  Christian  religion  so  that  many  church 
people  regard  work  as  a  worthwhile  end  in 
itself.  Many  of  us  think  that  not  to  be 
working  is  itself  sinful.  We  find  it  hard  to 
relax  on  a  free  day.  to  kick  off  our  shoes 
and  just  goof-off.  Something  inside  nags  at 
us  to  do  something:  read  a  book  or  nail 
some  boards  together — anything  so  long  as 
it  keeps  us  busy. 

It's  high  time  we  wise  up.  This  compul- 
sion to  activity  that  disguises  itself  as  a 
Christian  virtue  is  no  such  thing.  Work 
saves  no  one  from  sin.  death,  or  the  power 
of  the  devil.  In  fact,  work  can.  and  often 
does,  become  the  center  around  which  a 
person's  life  revolves.  Work  can  also 
become  the  standard  by  which  we  measure 
a  person's  value.  In  both  such  cases,  work 


August  1975  MESSENGER  11 


is  used  sinfully.  True  enough,  work  as  a  sin 
is  an  eminently  "respectable"  one — seldom 
as  noticeable  as  alcoholism  or  larceny — 
but  a  sin  it  may  be,  all  the  same. 

Of  course,  one  can  argue,  there  are 
genuine  rewards  for  the  man  or  woman 
dedicated  to  work.  But  sometimes  the 
rewards  are  dubious  ones.  Those  who  take 
their  work  most  seriously  are  often  penal- 
ized (though  they  wouldn't  call  it  a  penalty) 
by  being  promoted  to  positions  that  re- 
quire them  to  work  even  harder.  And  the 
extra  money  they  make,  they  are  expected 
to  use  to  raise  their  standard  of  living.  That 
means  buying  things. 

And  when  we  buy  things,  we  have  to 
spend  time  using  them.  For  example,  a 
family  decides  to  purchase  a  snowmobile 
or  a  camper,  reasoning  that  it  will  be  a 
wholesome  form  of  recreation.  Either  one 
of  these  items  is  a  significant  investment  of 
dollars.  And  what  American,  having  spent 
hard-earned  money,  will  not  try  to  get  the 
dollar's  worth  by  using  the  new  equipment 
as  much  as  possible?  Now  using  a  camper 
takes  time.  It  may  take  some  of  a  family's 
work  time,  but  more  likely  it  will  cut  into 
their  non-work  time — their  "free"  time. 
Thus  the  more  leisure-time  products  a 
family  buys,  the  more  time  and  energy  they 
will  devote  to  using  them  and  the  less  truly 
"free"  time  they  have  left. 

So  it  is  that  leisure  and  work  become 
almost  indistinguishable.  And  the  refresh- 
ment and  renewal  that  we  need  so  badly  re- 
main only  a  deferred,  unfulfilled  hope. 

How  can  leisure  be  used  creatively  to  ac- 
complish that  renewal  of  ourselves  which 
God  wills?  We  can  begin  by  recognizing  the 
spiritual  dimensions  of  leisure. 

By  spiritual  dimensions  I  mean  simply 
that  the  process  of  refreshment  to  the 
human  spirit  is  essentially  a  gift  from 
God — a  gift  that  can  be  developed  and 
made  more  beneficial.  Consider  for  a  mo- 
ment some  of  the  elements  of  Christian 
worship.  People  worship  God  for  many 
reasons,  but  one  of  them  has  to  do  with  a 
desire  to  gain  strength  for  the  days  ahead.  I 
have  heard  many  people  say  that  activities 
of  daily  living  take  their  toll  on  them  and 
that  they  find  worship  in  God's  house  a 
great  restorer  of  both  faith  and  emotional 
well-being.  This  happens  because  in 
worship  we  put  ourselves  into  God's  hands. 
We  ask  him  to  forgive  us  for  the  wrongs  we 
have  done  and  for  the  good  we  have  left 
undone.  Then  we  ask  God  to  give  us 
strength  for  daily  tasks.  And  finally,  as  we 
listen  to  his  Word,  we  feel  that  God  does 
indeed  care  for  us,  that  he  has  the  power  to 


give  us  a  fresh  start.  And  so  it  is  that  in 
worship  we  are  remade. 

Now  of  course  one  can  worship  almost 
anywhere  and  under  almost  any  cir- 
cumstances. Yet  it  is  certainly  much  easier 
to  worship  in  surroundings  that  are 
reasonably  quiet  so  that  distractions  are  at 
a  minimum.  In  a  very  real  way,  the  ap- 
propriate time  for  worship  is  leisure  time  — 
when  we  do  not  feel  rushed  because  of  an 
appointment  to  be  kept  or  a  job  to  get 
done. 

It  was  this  combination  of  leisure  time, 
quiet  surroundings,  and  worship  that  Jesus 
sought  many  times  during  his  ministry.  The 
Gospels  tell  us  that  his  work  of  preaching, 
healing,  and  just  being  with  people  was 
quite  demanding  and  that  he  found 
renewal  through  seclusion  and  prayer. 
Jesus  took  the  need  for  leisure  seriously 
because  he  knew  that  physical  and  mental 
well-being  do  not  come  of  their  own  ac- 
cord. They  are  gifts  from  God  that  require 
times  of  being  ready  to  receive  them. 


T. 


his  idea  of  the  religious  dimensions  of 
leisure  is  found  also  in  the  Old  Testament. 
We  read  in  Isaiah  40:31,  "They  who  wait 
for  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength, 
they  shall  mount  up  with  wings  like 
eagles."  And  consider  the  setting  of  the 
beloved  23rd  Psalm.  How  else  could  it 
have  been  written  except  as  the  Psalmist 
sat  down  in  a  time  of  leisure  and 
remembered  the  gracious  blessing  of  God? 
"He  makes  me  lie  down  in  green  pastures. 
He  leads  me  beside  the  still  waters;  He 
restores  my  soul.  He  leads  me  in  paths  of 
righteousness  for  his  name's  sake."  How 
beautifully  those  words  describe  how  God 
intends  us  to  find  restoration  in  our  leisure 
time. 

And  yet  we  give  ourselves  all  too  few 
such  opportunities.  The  crazy  thing  is,  we 
suppose  that  driving  ourselves,  keeping 
constantly  on  the  go,  is  somehow  virtuous. 
From  my  own  personal  experience  I  know 
what  a  perverse  pleasure  ministers  can  get 
by  letting  people  know  how  busy  they  are. 

"My  goodness.  Pastor  Jones,  I  don't  see 
how  you  find  time  to  get  all  your  work 
done.  You're  always  on  the  go."  "Oh,  not 
really.  Why  just  two  weeks  ago  I  had  an 
afternoon  off." 

Ministers  aren't  the  only  ones  with  this 
problem.  We  all  make  constant  references 
to  the  lack  of  time  for  this  or  that  activity. 
We  deny  ourselves  leisure  because  it  makes 
us  feel  imporfaiit  to  let  our  friends  know 
how  constantly  in  demand  we  are.  And 


when  we  do  take  some  time  for  ourselves, 
we  feel  good  about  it  only  if  there  is 
something  to  show  for  it  afterwards:  "Well, 
1  broke  a  hundred  this  time  out  on  the  golf 
course";  "1  did  manage  to  get  some  sun  this 
afternoon";  "I  got  half  finished  with  that 
new  book  I'm  reading." 

All  of  this — the  whole  set  of  games  we 
play — is  more  often  than  not  just  plain  sin. 
It  is  sin,  after  all,  to  think  we  don't  need 
restoration  of  mind  and  body.  The  ancient 
Hebrews  knew  this.  They  said  that  even 
God  himself — after  six  days  of  creation — 
finally  rested  on  the  seventh  day. 
Somehow,  we  miss  the  message  of  that. 

Isn't  it  time  we  learn  to  let  God  renew  us 
in  times  of  leisure?  Let  me  briefly  suggest 
three  ways  we  can  prepare  ourselves  for  it. 

First,  we  can  guarantee  periods  of 
leisure.  Usually  what  we  do  is  tell  ourselves 
we'll  take  a  break  if  we  have  time  left  over 
after  work.  Not  surprisingly,  such  leftover 
time  rarely  materializes.  For  those  of  us 
who  need  help  in  finding  time  for  leisure, 
we  ought  to  schedule  it.  Sounds  strange, 
maybe.  But  we  schedule  the  rest  of  our 
time,  don't  we?  If  times  of  renewal  are 
vital — and  they  are — they  should  be 
scheduled  too.  Otherwise  they  just  don't 
happen. 

A  second  suggestion.  Take  some  of  your 
leisure  in  relative  solitude.  It's  true  that 
social  gatherings  can  be  both  fun  and 
relaxing,  but  how  few  times  we  truly  get 
away  from  interruptions.  If  possible,  stay 
out  of  range  of  the  doorbell,  the  tv  set,  and 
the  telephone.  One  who  advocated  solitude 
was  Henry  David  Thoreau.  In  his  words, 
"We  meet  at  very  short  intervals,  not  hav- 
ing had  time  to  acquire  any  new  value  for 
each  other."  There  is  wisdom  in  that  state- 
ment. And  in  our  leisure  time  spent  in 
solitude,  we  are  free  to  think  of  things  we 
normally  neglect.  Our  relationship  to  God, 
for  instance.  Quiet  times  of  meditation, 
reading  of  inspirational  literature  (especial- 
ly the  Bible),  prayer  ...  all  these  can  allow 
God  to  refresh  us  wonderfully. 

A  third  suggestion  is  this.  Don't  try  to 
justify  time  spent  at  leisure — either  to 
others  or  yourself.  If  golf  is  a  balm  for 
your  jangled  nerves — enjoy  it;  don't  feel 
you  must  improve  your  score  every  time.  If 
you  enjoy  reading  and  sleeping  in  the 
sun — do  it  without  apology  and  without 
justifying  it  as  a  way  to  get  a  tan. 

We  need  to  discover  that  goofing  off 
during  leisure  time  is  nothing  to  feel 
guilty  about.  It's  actually  a  way  God  can 
use  to  give  us  laughter  and  joy  and  inner 
peace.    D 


12  MESSENGER  August  1975 


The  germinating  seed 


n  Ohio's  Miami  Valley,  one  of  the  more  agriculturally  productive  areas  of  the  country  and  a  place 
where  Brethren  roots  go  deep,  the  scene  at  the  center  of  the  189th  annual  meeting  was  the  ger- 
minating seed.  The  seed  suggested  an  array  of  themes  integral  to  the  Christian  gospel:  Ex- 
pectancy . . .  birth  and  rebirth  . . .  nurture  . . .  regeneration  . . .  renewal . . .  discipleship 
. . .  adventure  . . .  hope. 

Yet,  surrounding  the  seed  symbol  was  not  the  lush  earth  that 
forms   the   valley's  farmlands,   where  seven   Annual   Conferences  met 
before.  Rather,  it  was  posed  in  an  environment  of  concrete  and  steel 
and  mercury  vapor  lights  and  controlled  air;  an  island  encircled 
by  Main  Street,  a  multi-story  parking  garage,  a  rail  over- 
pass; a  downtown  district  on  its  way  to  redevelopment. 
In  an  area   of  transition  a  people  in 
transition  gathered  to  pray,  to  confess,  to  af- 
firm, to  perceive  what  it  means  to  be  not 
only  the  people  of  God  but  the  part- 
ners of  God  in  the  unending  tasks 
by  Messenger  staff  and  writers  .^^W  .^J^^k.  of  creation.— h.e.r. 

photography  by  Ed  Buzinski 
art  by  Ken  Stanley 


A  report  on  the 

189th  Annual  Conference 


IK 


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H  ^  iyr  ^'Wfl 

^Hr^  raPft-v  -Si^V  B 

1 

Wk     '' ;  i^^^^^9Hflr             r 

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)^toDi] 


Creation  themes  lifted 
in  general  sessions 

Nearly  10.000  brothers  and  sisters  in  faith, 
gathering  together  from  across  the  nation, 
listened  on  Sunday  morning  to  the  address 
of  Brother  Floyd  Bantz.  He  shared  his 
faith  in  God's  ongoing  creative  activity 
which  moves  toward  fulfillment.  It  is  the 
culmination  of  creation  that  we  await.  The 
"travail  we  experience  is  the  result  of  being 
caught  betwixt  and  between  what  we  are 
and  what  we  will  become,"  suggested 
Brother  Bantz.  A  significant  implication  of 
this  view  is  that  "our  model  for  the  church 
should  be  taken  less  from  the  past  and 
more  from  the  vision  of  what  the  future 
will  hold." 

A  high  point  in  the  Sunday  service  was 
the  congregational  singing  of  "Great  Is  Thy 
Faithfulness,"  led  by  Al  Brightbill  and  ac- 
companied by  a  handbell  choir  and  brass 
ensemble.  This  hymn  seems  to  embody  the 
meaning  of  being  Brethren  and  captures 
the  feelings  of  the  Annual  Conference  ex- 
perience. During  the  hymn  one  could  not 
help  but  recount  the  previous  evening 
worship  events  in  the  week  of  the  189th 
recorded  Annual  Conference. 

In  the  recounting  of  some  of  the  vivid 
scenes  of  the  opening  session  of  the  con- 
ference the  sound  of  the  trumpets'  fanfare 
still  echoes  in  the  mind.  That  sound  was 


^^^^1 


Moderator-elect    Helman   congratulates    Donna   Forbes   Steiner  after   her  presentation. 


followed  by  the  spectacular  sea  of  colorful 
banners,  created  by  Brethren  from  each  of 
the  districts.  The  mood  was  set.  Beneath 
the  symbol  of  the  germinating  seed. 
Moderator  Don  Rowe  directed  the 
thoughts  of  the  assembled  toward  the 
social  implications  of  the  theme  "All  Crea- 
tion Awaits." 

Brother  Rowe  called  attention  to  the 
Scriptures'  hint  of  a  coming  glory  for  the 
world.  He  saw  the  seeds  of  love  being 
sown,  he  proclaimed,  in: 

— the  search  for  a  simpler  life-style; 

— the  rediscovery  of  Brethren  heritage; 

— the  exploration  of  new  relationships 
with  other  denominations; 

— the  efforts  to  make  better  relationships 
between  Staff,  General  Board  and 
Brotherhood  persons;  and 

— the  deepening  of  faith  across  the 
Brotherhood. 

in  the  prophetic  tradition.  Brother  Rowe 
confronted  the  conference  attenders,  "If  the 
world  is  going  to  change  then  we  must 
change."  He  concluded:  "Creation  awaits — 
let  us  keep  it  waiting  no  more!" 

Wednesday  evening's  worship  was 
highlighted  by  a  dynamic  hymn  by  Richard 
Buckwalter,  entitled,  "God  Who  Makes  Us 
All  One  Family."  The  singing  of  that  hymn 
set  the  stage  for  the  address  of  Sister  Don- 
na Forbes  Steiner. 

Sister  Steiner's  interpretation  of  the  con- 
ference theme  moved  attention  to  its 
relational  dimension.  Her  basic  contention 
was  that  what  creation  awaits  is  a  people 
willing  to  take  the  risk  of  depth  encounter. 
Sister  Steiner  suggested  that  Creation  now 


Moderator  Don  Rowe 
addresses  the  first  general  session 


witnesses  people  who  feel  desperately  lone- 
ly and  in  need  of  the  give-and-take  of 
genuine  relationship  found  in  koinonia 
with  God  and  each  other. 

Thursday  evening  a  dynamically 
delivered  message  by  Brother  James  F. 
Myer  posed  the  conference  theme  in  ques- 
tion form,  "All  creation  awaits  . . .  what?" 
His  response  was,  "The  'second'  coming  of 
Christ."  Brother  Myer  shared  his  convic- 
tion that,  "We  are  approaching  the  apex  of 
God's  dealing  with  the  world  in  history."  In 
his  message,  an  encouragement  to  faithful 
sacrificial  obedience  to  Jesus  Christ, 
Brother  Myer  focused  on  the  activities  of 
the  returning  Lord  through  an  interpreta- 
tion of  Revelation  22.  The  returning  Lord 
will,  suggested  Brother  Myer,  "rescind  the 
curse  of  Genesis  3,  rejuvenate  creation, 
ravage  the  condemned,  and  reward  the 
faithful  church."  The  service  concluded  on 
the  triumphant  sound  of  Handel's  Hallelu- 
jah Chorus,  sung  by  the  congregation. 

Brother  George  W.  Hill,  a  member  of 
the  American  Baptist  General  Board, 
delivered  a  prophetic  challenge  to  the 
Saturday  evening  worshipers.  His  response 
to  the  theme  was,  "All  Creation  Awaits  the 
Conversion  of  the  Church."  Brother  Hill 
pointed  to  the  current  dilemma  of  the 
church,  which  he  described  as  the  church's 
struggle  to  choose  between  "preserving  its 
own  existence  or  saving  its  life  by  losing 
it."  He  called  attention  to  the  church's 
tendency  "to  desire  self-sufficiency  and  its 
avoidance  of  dependency  on  any  Spirit." 

The  faithful  church,  he  suggested,  is  an 
experimental  and  probing  church  which 
tests  all  things  and  holds  on  to  what  is 
good.  It  is  a  fellowship  that  affirms  a  per- 
sonalization of  our  living  faith  by  meeting 
the  social  problems  of  our  day  in  Christ's 
spirit  and  name.  This  revived  church  of 
Christ  will  have  renewed  its  commitment  to 
share  in  Christ's  ministry.  "We  do  not  exist 
for  ourselves,"  Brother  Hill  said  of  the 
church,  "but /or  the  world!" — John  David 
Bowman,  Walkersville,  Md.  Pastor,  Glade 
Valley  Congregation 


Bethany  landsale  rebuff: 
Who  won?  Who  lost? 

Bethany  Seminary's  land  use  controversy, 
extending  over  the  last  two  Annual  Con- 
ferences is  officially  over. 

The  board's  proposal  this  year  to  sell  a 
prime  14.6  acres  of  the  Oak  Brook  campus 
directly  to  a  developer,  thus  avoiding  in- 
come tax  implications  and  the  burden  of 
financial  management,  differed  only  slight- 
ly in  content  from  last  year's  proposal,  but 
failed  for  the  second  straight  year  to  gain 
the  two-thirds  majority  vote  needed  for  the 
go-ahead. 

After  more  than  20  speeches  on  the  con- 
vention floor,  the  961  delegates  voted  58 
percent  for  and  42  percent  against  the 
proposal. 

If  approved,  the  board  would  have  given 
option  to  a  developer  to  sell  the  frontage 
along  Butterfield  Road  for  a  total  of  $1.38 
million.  The  earned  annual  income  would 
have  gone  toward  deferred  capital  im- 
provements (the  buildings  are  now  over  12 
years  old  and  in  need  of  some  repair),  stu- 
dent aid  to  keep  tuition  in  line,  and  con- 
tinued education  to  non-resident  pastors 
who  are  students. 

Still  smarting  from  the  Roanoke  discus- 
sion when  the  seminary  board  sought 
ratification  to  develop  the  land  jointly  with 
a  developer  by  building  an  additional  shop- 
ping center,  A.G.  Breidenstine,  chairper- 
son, cautiously  but  firmly  told  the  delegate 
body  that  this  year's  modified  proposal 
"...  does  not  come  on  the  tails  of  a 
negotiated  position." 

He  said  the  board  had  investigated  many 
possible  uses  of  the  land — low  cost  hous- 
ing, conventional  apartments,  the  possibili- 
ty of  a  new  hospital,  even  a  retirement 
home  or  two.  But  after  extensive  studies  of 
the  area  and  consultations  with  developers 
and  attorneys,  the  board  decided  the  best 
route  was  to  allow  a  developer  to  construct 
a  shopping  center  under  restrictions  com- 
patible with  Brethren  beliefs. 

No  liquor  could  be  sold  on  the  center 
premises  and  the  buildings  and  landscaping 
would  be  done  in  a  way  not  to  ruin  the 
beauty  of  the  campus,  he  said.  The  remain- 
ing 40  acres  would  be  ample  to  develop  the 
campus  in  the  future. 

Brother  Breidenstine  apparently  seemed 
to  the  opposition  to  be  more  cautious  than 
persuasive.  Many  were  not  convinced  of 
the  validity  of  the  "area  study"  and  saw  the 


sale  not  as  an  endowmerit  exemplifying 
good  stewardship,  but  as  less  than  respon- 
sible use  of  the  land,  showing  insensitivity 
to  the  basic  needs  of  an  overdeveloped 
Chicago  suburban  area. 

The  controversy  surfaced  a  conflict  of 
values  between  those  who  viewed  the  sale 
as  the  blessing  of  God  (appreciation  of 
land  value  from  $1250  an  acre  to  over 
$100,000  an  acre)  and  the  possibility  of  a 
$70,000  to  $100,000  earned  annual  income 
as  good  stewardship,  and  those  who  viewed 
it  as  acquiescence  to  a  decadent  capitalistic 
system  that  under  the  guise  of  sound  in- 
vestment, gobbles  up  necessary  open  space, 
disregards  the  social  injustices  and  diseases 
of  an  overrun  suburban  area.  Further,  they 
saw  the  sale  unhooking  the  seminary  from 
a  positive  dependency  on  the  church  by 
giving  the  seminary  an  outside  financial 
resource. 

Supporters  of  the  project,  generally  com- 
ing from  pastors  of  larger  churches,  saw 
the  sale  as  an  opportunity  to  stabilize 
operations  and  development  of  the 
seminary,  which  just  last  year  moved  away 
from  heavy  General  Board  financing  of  its 
program  to  a  direct  gifts  arrangement. 

"We  just  voted  down  the  drain  a  million 
dollars."  said  a  delegate  from  central  Penn- 
sylvania, "and  that  means  I'm  going  to 
have  to  go  back  to  my  church  and  request 
a  $1,000  more  in  seminary  support  when 
they  are  having  difficulty  meeting  their 
local  budget." 

But  the  opposition  didn't  see  that  as  a 
problem.  "Though  endowment  can  help  an 
institution,"  argued  Bethany  professor 
Dale  W.  Brown  in  a  paper  distributed 
before  the  floor  debate,  "historical  evidence 
can  be  marshalled  on  both  sides.  An  in- 
stitution that  depends  upon  month-by- 
month  support  of  its  constituency  remains 
close  to  the  people. 

"Endowment  from  a  shopping  center 
means  the  community  we  refused  to  con- 
sider would  be  providing  part  of  our  in- 
come through  their  purchases.  None  of  us 
can  be  certain  in  predicting  the  outcome, 
but  it  should  be  asked  whether  such 
freedom  from  raising  part  of  the  income 
might  undermine  or  begin  to  do  so  to  our 
present  close  relationship  to  the 
Brotherhood." 

From  the  seminary  board  and  staff  there 
seemed  to  be.  surprisingly,  almost  a  feeling 
of  relief  with  the  turn-down.  Even  though 
many  of  them  had  spent  hours  in  study  and 
negotiation,  they  seemed  to  accept  the  vote 


as  a  valid  decision  of  the  church. 

"This  gives  us  good  cause  to  come  back 
to  the  church  now  and  present  real  needs 
($20,000  for  a  new  roof,  $50,000  in  student 
aid,  etc.),"  Floyd  McDowell,  director  of 
Bethany's  development,  said,  heartened  by 
the  church's  new  support  of  the  seminary. 

Board  chairman  Breidenstine  was  not 
bitter,  but,  in  good  Dunker  tradition,  con- 
ciliatory. "I  take  this  as  the  will  of  the 
church,"  he  said  after  the  vote.  Later, 
Brother  Breidenstine  stated  privately  that 
he  was  glad  such  a  debate  got  on  record 
because  he  would  not  want  it  on  his  con- 
science if  the  church  later  struggled  with 
the  increasing  high  cost  of  the  seminary. 

Where  does  the  seminary  go  from  here? 


Warren  F.   Groff.  presented  at  Da \  ton  as 
Bethany    Seminary's    new   president-eleit 

Dr.  Warren  Groff,  president-elect,  says 
the  matter  will  not  be  revived  for  at  least 
another  five  years,  perhaps  never. 

Perhaps  the  best  commentary  on  the 
vote  came  from  the  shopping  center 
developer  himself.  Awaiting  his  flight  out 
of  Dayton  after  the  conference  decision,  he 
told  Floyd  McDowell:  "In  our  church 
(Roman  Catholic)  we  just  don't  do  things 
this  way.  Someone  makes  a  decision  about 
such  a  matter  and  the  rest  of  us  carry  it 
out."  Not  happy,  obviously,  with  the  deci- 
sion, he  marveled  at  the  democratic  process 
that  brought  it  about. 

Perhaps  herein  lies  the  wisdom  of  this 
decision.  A  Brethren  seminary  will  not  be 
$1  million  in  cash  richer,  but  a  denomina- 
tion is  immeasurably  wealthier  in 
democratic  wisdom  and  Christian 
freedom.  —  Richard  L.  Benner,  Everett, 
Pa.  Editor,  Bedford  County  Press 


August  1975  MESSENGER  15' 


Guy  Wampler  Jr.:  Act  out  God's  love  and  justice— work  for  change  within  the  system 


Criminal  justice  reform 
in  76-77  GB  program 

Annual  Conference  delegates  gave  strong 
backing  to  a  report  calling  for  reform  of 
the  criminal  justice  system  throughout  the 
country.  Rather  than  centering  on  biblical 
and  theological  issues,  the  paper  focuses 
upon  the  practical  and  appropriate  ways 
Brethren  can  work  for  changes  in  criminal 
justice. 

One  of  three  major  ways  Brethren  can 
"act  out  God's  justice  and  love"  is  to  work 
for  change  within  the  justice  system  itself. 
"The  bail  system  is  one  of  the  most  unfair 
systems  of  all,"  Guy  Wampler  Jr.  told  the 
delegates.  He  said  anyone  with  money  can 
avoid  jail  for  almost  any  reason,  whereas 
persons  without  money  are  held  for  the 
most  minor  kinds  of  offenses.  Wampler 
chaired  the  six-member  task  force  ap- 
pointed by  the  General  Board  to  develop  a 
response  to  last  year's  conference  query. 

The  report  claims  that  present  methods 
tend  to  serve  the  powerful  segments  of 
society  at  the  expense  of  the  poor.  "The  ar- 
bitrary use  of  discretionary  power  in  deal- 
ing with  offenders  often  punishes  the  poor 
and  powerless,  frees  the  rich  and  powerful, 
and  allows  the  prejudices  of  society  to  run 
unchallenged." 

One  of  the  conference  "stingers"  (the 
brief  dramatic  skits  used  to  focus  upon 
issues)  centered  upon  a  typical  prisoner's 
non-identity  and  being  fed  and  watered 
three  times  a  day.  From  the  conference's 
opening  day  various  persons  were 
"arrested"  and  placed  in  the  jail  cell  main- 

46  MESSENGER  August  1975 


tained  in  the  program  exhibit.  They  were 
incarcerated  for  not  "posting  bond,"  a 
reminder  of  the  jail  system's  power. 
Although  a  few  objections  were  heard 
about  these  dramatic  ways  of  sharpening 
the  issue  of  criminal  justice,  only  two  per- 
sons spoke  in  opposition  to  the  report. 

Two  amendments  strengthening  the 
paper,  one  calling  for  juvenile  offenders  to 
be  placed  apart  from  adults,  and  the  other 
seeking  to  eliminate  elements  that  con- 
tribute to  sexual  deviation  in  jails,  easily 
passed.  An  amendment  that  did  not  pass 
was  one  requesting  the  abolishment  of 
prisons  altogether. 

Brethren  who  choose  to  work  within  the 
system  are  encouraged  to  seek  more  ap- 
propriate means  to  deal  with  offenses  such 
as  vagrancy,  drug  use,  drunkenness,  gam- 
bling, and  prostitution.  Half  of  those 
arrested  and  half  of  those  jailed  are 
charged  now  with  these  offenses.  Brethren 
are  asked  to  work  to  abolish  capital 
punishment.  One  person  at  the  criminal 
justice  reform  committee  hearing  observed 
that  this  is  contrary  to  present  trends  in 
state  legislatures,  which  are  emphasizing 
stricter  ways  to  deal  with  crime. 

One  section  of  the  report  refers  to  mis- 
conceptions. Among  these  are  beliefs  that 
prisons  protect  us  from  crime,  that  jails 
rehabilitate,  that  poor  people  and  minority 
groups  are  more  inclined  to  commit  crimes, 
and  that  more  money  for  police,  police 
hardware,  judges,  and  jails  make  for  a  safe 
society. 

The  word  "punishment"  does  not  appear 
in  the  report  because,  Wampler  said,  it 
smacks  of  revenge.  Prisoners  are  held  ac- 


countaBle,  but  the  basic  philosophy  is  for 
rehabilitation.  One  of  the  more  "creative" 
ideas  would  allow  offenders  to  choose 
between  serving  a  fixed  sentence  and 
negotiating  for  ending  a  jail  term.  "Why 
have  someone  go  to  jail  for  breaking  a  win- 
dow when  a  more  responsible  act  would  be 
to  have  him  repair  it?"  was  Wampler's  ex- 
ample. 

Besides  working  to  change  the  system. 
Brethren  are  encouraged  in  another  set  of 
guidelines  to  work  with  individual 
offenders.  This  active  concern  for  the  op- 
pressed and  powerless  includes  visiting 
those  in  jail  as  a  friend  or  advocate, 
assisting  in  obtaining  an  attorney,  or  stand- 
ing with  defendants  in  court. 

The  portion  of  the  report  that  received 
greatest  attention  at  committee  hearings 
and  on  the  floor  was  the  section  supporting 
Brethren  who  choose  to  make  their  witness 
by  non-participation.  Such  a  position  was 
termed  valid  and  within  our  tradition. 
Robert  Gross,  a  task  force  member  and  ex- 
prisoner,  compared  it  to  the  stand  of  non- 
cooperation  with  the  draft. 

All  three  approaches — reforming  the 
system,  working  with  offenders,  and  non- 
cooperation — should  be  considered  so  that 
each  Christian  may  act  with  a  conviction 
consistent  with  conscience.  Implementation 
is  the  important  thrust.  Districts  are  given 
special  responsibility  to  lead  in  the 
ministry.  Added  support  was  given  to 
criminal  justice  reform  when  the  con- 
ference approved  it  as  a  1976-77  program 
for  the  General  Board. — Alton  L.  Mc- 
Daniel,  Staunton,  Va.  Pastor.  Staunton 
congregation 

Goals  and  priorities: 
unity,  one  purpose 

The  delegates  adopted  the  report  of  the 
Goals  and  Budget  Committee  and  General 
Board  to  continue  the  present  priorities  for 
1976-77.  These  are: 

A.  Heritage.  New  Testament  and 
Brethren.  Through  curriculum  on  non- 
violence for  the  United  Church  of  Ecuador, 
reconciliation  teams  in  Ireland/ Middle 
East,  Bible  study  workshops.  Brethren 
Press  publications.  Historic  Peace 
Seminars. 

B.  Evangelism.  Through  church  exten- 
sion particularly  in  Ecuador,  evangelism 
counselors,  support  for  new  congregations. 

C.  Nurture.  Through  seminars  and 


retreats  on  intercultural  education, 
leadership  development,  church  board 
planning,  continuing  education  for  pastors. 

D.  Communications.  Through 
Messenger,  Agenda,  Partners  in  Mission, 
resources,  mission  and  service  workers. 

E.  Volunteers.  Through  130  volunteers 
in  48  projects  in  the  US  and  1 1  other  coun- 
tries, 2  from  North  India,  34  "Post-30" 
volunteers,  BVS  network,  30  congregations 
involved  in  PVS. 

F.  The  disadvantaged.  Through  SHARE 
I  and  SHARE  2. 

G.  Missions.  Through  SERRV,  medical 
and  education  programs,  seminar  for 
Church  of  North  India  bishops,  new  fields 
of  witness. 

H.  Reconciliation.  Through  staff  visits  to 
the  Far  East  and  mainland  of  China, 
Polish  Exchange  Program,  World  Council 
study  on  nonviolence. 

I.  Disaster.  Through  Disaster  Network, 
personnel,  funds,  Sahel  health  programs, 
refugee  resettlement. 

J.  Stewards  of  Creation.  Through 
recommendations  on  land  use  and  life- 
styles, world  hunger  emphases,  low-income 
housing  assistance,  and  outdoor  camping. 

K.  Bethany  Theological  Seminary. 
Through  creative  educational  style,  suppor- 
tive student/ faculty  relationships,  exten- 
sion school. 

L.  Giving.  Through  Partners  in  Mission, 
special  gift  emphases,  disaster  relief,  mis- 
sion support  accounts,  commitment  plan 
resources. 

As  different  units  of  the  church  (denomi- 
nation, districts,  and  local  churches)  estab- 
lish their  own  priorities  in  relation  to  the 
above,  there  will  surely  bea  singleness  of  pur- 
pose and  sense  of  unity  within  the  church. 

A  process  for  heightening  the  develop- 
ment of  goals  at  all  levels  was  approved  in 
a  paper  coming  from  the  District  Ex- 
ecutives and  the  General  Board,  looking  to 
five-year  blocks  in  the  1980s. 

Why  have  priorities?  The  Goals  and 
Budget  Committee,  Leon  Neher,  chairper- 
son, suggests  the  following  reasons:  to 
create  unity,  enrich  programs,  share  infor- 
mation, gather  data,  secure  evaluations  and 
develop  team  spirit. 

Consultation  between  denomination  and 
district  staffs,  district  and  local  con- 
gregations, and  resource  persons  from  the 
districts  and  denomination  to  the  local 
churches  is  encouraged. — Ted  Whitacre, 
Woodbridge,  Va.  Pastor.  Woodbridge  con- 
gregation 


Without  the  family  we  are  not  whole 

For  about  forty  years  I  had  been  in  almost  continuous  attendance  and  involvement 
with  Annual  Conferences.  I  had  even  done  some  years  of  helping  report  the  con- 
ferences for  Messenger.  TTien  my  work  took  me  away  from  the  country  so  that  I  was 
not  able  to  attend  for  the  last  ten  years.  How  does  it  seem  to  be  "home"  after  a  decade? 
These  things  impressed  me: 

. . .  Sisterly  and  brotherly  affection  continues!  In  fact,  it  may  have  grown.  I  felt  at 
once  that  I  was  at  last  able  to  come  back  to  the  bosom  of  the  family.  And  that  was 
literal.  Arms  were  open  everywhere  as  "the  Brethren"  met.  The  more  formal  "saluta- 
tion" or  holy  kiss  had  given  way  to  an  informal  bear  hug  and  kiss  that  did  not  draw 
rigid  lines  as  between  the  sexes.  Personally,  I  was  kissed  by  more  women  than  men.  In 
fact,  men  with  other  men  were  the  ones  who  seemed  most  inhibited  in  these  greetings. 

This  could  be  one  of  the  unevennesses  of 
the  current  liberations.  This  "sisterly  and 
brotherly  affection"  feeling  seemed  to  creep 
further  and  further  onto  the  conference 
floor  until  at  times  it  appeared  that  the 
reuniting  of  the  church  family  was  more 
important  in  the  minds  of  the  people  than 
the  business  or  the  programs  of  the  con- 
ference. This  is  not  new;  it  has  caused  the 
moderators  and  conference  leaders  some 
distress  for  all  the  years  that  I  can 
remember.  But  the  visiting  congregation  is 
not  distressed  even  if  the  officers  are.  The 
conference  is  a  coming  together  of  the 
family,  and  the  family  insists  on  visiting 
when  and  wherever  it  meets. 

, . .  Informality  has  grown.  Almost 
every  form  and  style  of  dress  could  be  seen. 
The  men  at  last  had  adopted  color:  coats, 
ties,  slacks,  dashikis,  shoes.  They  also  had  liberated  themselves  regarding  hair  style. 
The  women  could  offer  even  more  variety;  long  dresses,  short  dresses,  slacks,  shorts, 
hats,  bonnets,  prayer  coverings,  wigs.  No  one  was  really  conspicuous.  First-name 
greetings  were  common.  Even  when  addressing  the  chair,  it  was  often  "Brother  Don" 
or  just  "Don."  Can  this  offer  a  direction  in  our  struggle  to  find  titles  not  sex-linked? 

. . .  Conference  color  included  only  clothes,  however.  We  may  have  broadened  the 
skin  tone  just  a  wee  bit,  but  any  progress  in  this  direction  has  been  embarrassingly  lit- 
tle. We  have  always  been  predominantly  the  white  Brethren;  in  America  we  still  are. 
Can  it  be  that  we  will  never  learn  to  speak  Christ's  message  or  render  Him  service  in  a 
way  that  can  appeal  across  ethnic  lines? 

. . .  There  may  have  been  a  few  more  women  involved  in  the  significant  offices  of 
the  church  than  ten  years  ago,  but  the  progress  has  not  been  enough. 

. . .  The  business  of  the  conference  seemed  familiar.  Through  the  years  we  have 
given  a  lot  of  time,  if  we  add  it  all  together,  to  the  organizations  and  the  structures  of 
the  church.  We  have  worked  on  the  office  of  the  deacon,  the  elder,  the  minister,  the 
boards  and  commissions.  We  still  do.  It  seems  difficult  for  us  to  catch  fire  on  programs 
such  as  the  Foreign  Mission  and  Brethren  Service  thrusts  of  some  years  ago,  or  even 
our  peace  mission.  But  our  program  is  highly  multiple  now;  our  continuing  interest  in 
peace,  hunger,  justice  is  evident  in  many  parts  of  the  world.  The  Cup  of  Cold  Water 
Celebration  one  evening  was  an  impressive  testimony  to  this  interest. 

. . .  The  church  as  it  gathered  in  worship  seemed  to  bring  together  more  skilled 
leaders  in  varied  forms  of  worship  than  formerly.  The  music,  the  preaching,  the  entire 
service  seemed  to  reach  upward  to  God  and  outward  to  persons.  This  form  of  worship 
has  always  characterized  the  Brethren. 

I  left  the  conference  believing  that  we  as  Brethren  are  "still  in  there."  We  may  be 
almost  more  a  fellowship,  a  family,  than  we  are  a  denomination  or  an  institution.  But 
we  do  have  a  great  message  for  this  time.  Christ  making  possible  a  Fellowship  or  a 
Family,  cast  worldwide  and  ethnically  one,  may  be  the  message. 

It  was  good  to  be  back  in  the  family.  I  hope  nothing  may  keep  me  away  ten  years 
again;  for  without  the  family  we  are  not  whole.  — Desmond  W.  Bittinger,  Orange, 
Calif.  Professor.  Chapman  College:  editor  o/ Messenger  1946-1950 


August  1975  MESSENGER  17 


^mM^^^ 


General  Board  Report: 
gloomy  trend  reversed 

The  General  Board  report  focuses  attention 
on  one  of  the  more  significant  parts  of  the 
life  of  the  denomination.  It  tells  of  exciting 
new  cutting  edge  ministries.  It  highlights 
persons  and  programs  with  potential  to 
change  the  world.  This  year  it  told  of  an  in- 
creasing support  for  the  Brotherhood,  both 
in  money  and  in  trust.  This  reverses  a  very 
gloomy  trend.  It  opened  our  eyes  to  a  new 
field  ready  to  be  harvested  for  Christ  in 
South  and  Central  America. 

And  yet,  with  all  this  excitement,  the 
report  itself  is  so  dull  that  it  has  become 
traditional  to   sugarcoat  it  for  delegate 
consumption.  This  year  the  sugarcoat  took 
several  forms,  the  most  delightful  of  which 
were  the  marvelously  well-done  exhibits 
and  the  stirring  slide  presentation  of 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service.  The  latter  was 
part  of  another  new  method  of  sugar- 
coating  tried  this  year,  splitting  off  from 
the  main  report  four  important  areas  of 
focus  for  special  treatment  throughout  the 
week.  Just  as  with  Elijah's  jar  of  meal  and 
cruse  of  oil,  extracting  some  major  parts 
did  not  diminish  the  main  report. 

Of  the  four  Focus  Sessions,  Wednesday's 
mini-report  covered  goals.  Thursday's 
report  was  in  the  format  of  a  television  talk 
show,  without  its  spontaneity.  Master  of 
ceremonies  Joel  Thompson  interviewed 
five  persons  on  the  theme  of  mission,  in 
direct  competition  with  the  roar  of 
peripheral  conversations,  the  whistle  of  air 
conditioners,  the  rumble  of  empty 
stomachs,  and  the  fatigue  of  overtaxed 
posteriors.  Friday  the  well-modulated  voice 
of  Wil  Nolen  introduced  us  to  some  of  the 
projects  funded  by  SHARE.  One  of  these 
was  a  charming  team  of  silk-screen  printers 
who  thanked  the  delegates  for  the  support 
of  the  Brethren  by  distributing  silk- 
screened  book  marks. 

When  the  main  report  was  presented  late 
in  the  proceedings,  its  significant  parts 
were  left  unmarked  and  unnoticed.  Discus- 
sion focused  on  the  consistency  of  the 
Brethren  stance  regarding  abortion,  the 
delegates  attaching  a  rider  to  the  report 
asking  the  Board  to  discontinue  association 
in  the  Religious  Coalition  for  Abortion 
Rights.  I  was  not  sorry  to  see  such  a  rider, 
but  it  wonders  me  why  the  great  excite- 
ment of  the  significant  parts  of  the  report 
was  overlooked.  —  Robert  C.  Bowman, 
Ephrata,  Pa.  Pastor,  Ephrata  congregation 


A   thirteen-vote  margin  instructs  the  General  Board  to  disassociate  itself  from  RCAR 


Interchurch  Relations: 
No  merger  assumption 

"As  we  listen  to  the  signs  of  the  times  we 
seek  guidance  of  the  Spirit  so  that  in  God's 
good  time  we  may  all  acknowledge  that 
Jesus  is  Lord." 

With  this  remark  James  W.  Malone  of 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  concluded  his 
luncheon  address  to  the  Committee  on  In- 
terchurch Relations.  The  Roman  Catholic 
bishop's  view  summed  up  well  the  mood  of 
and  outlook  of  the  Brethren  committee. 

Reporting  to  the  delegates  on  the  mean- 
ing of  associated  relationships,  the  CIR  af- 
firmed the  basic  approach  as  one  of 
openness  to  the  leading  of  the  Spirit  with 
no  assumptions  that  "merger"  is  the 
answer.  The  committee  is  ready  to  offer 
"the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  any  and  all 
who  acknowledge  Christ  as  Lord  in  a  bid 
to  become  involved  with  them  in  nurturing, 
witnessing,  and  serving  that  more  might  be 
won  to  discipleship  and  all  disciples  taught 
to  observe  everything  Jesus  commanded." 

The  official  associated  relationship  with 
the  American  Baptist  continues  to  be  ex- 
pressed in  new  and  meaningful  ways.  Dur- 
ing the  past  year,  areas  of  cooperation  have 
developed  at  many  levels.  Districts  have 
cooperated  in  camping,  workshops,  and 
ministerial  conferences.  Ongoing  explora- 
tions by  denominational  staff  members 
have  led  to  a  cooperative  arrangement 
between  Baptist  and  Brethren  bookstores 
and  the  placement  of  a  Baptist  staff  officer 
in  Elgin. 

Bishop  Malone  cited  three  areas  of 
cooperative  activity  into  which  the  church 
could  move:  Spiritual  ecumenism  where 
people  come  together  to  pray  for  peace, 
social  justice,  and  dignity  of  the  family; 
bilateral  dialogues;  and  ecumenical  serv- 
ice.— John  D.  Tomlonson,  Kalamazoo, 
Mich.  Executive  secretary,  Michigan  Dis- 
trict; pastor,  Kalamazoo  congregation 


World  hunger  concern: 
Priority  was  evident 

Throughout  the  Dayton  Annual  Confer- 
ence the  current  concern  for  the  hungry  of 
the  world  was  expressed  through  business 
items,  a  junior  high  "Hunger  Happening," 
the  wearing  of  "Skip"  buttons,  a  special 
offering,  banners,  exhibits,  an  Insight  ses- 
sion and  "a  cup  of  cold  water"  served  by 
the  Southern  Ohio  churches  during  the 
fellowship  hour  on  Friday  evening. 

The  delegate  body  adopted  the  1974  and 
1975  reports  on  world  hunger  concern  with 
amendments  related  to  family  planning, 
population  control,  the  status  of  women, 
the  role  of  high  mechanization  and  com- 
prehensive strategies.  A  motion  to  delete 
paragraphs  on  resources  used  for  pet  food 
was  rejected,  as  well  as  a  motion  to  channel 
material  support  solely  through  non- 
governmental agencies. 

The  report  on  hunger  does  not  raise  the 
issue  of  using  corn  in  the  making  of 
alcoholic  beverages  because  the  paper  is 
directed  to  Brethren  and  the  General  Board 
felt  that  the  use  of  alcohol  is  not  a  major 
problem  among  Brethren. 

A  crowd  at  the  Insight  session  on  the 
paper  heard  support  expressed,  but  also 
opposition  by  some  farmers  to  statements 
on  the  use  of  grain  for  animal  feed  and  the 
suggested  decrease  in  the  consumption  of 
meat.  Resource  persons  pointed  out  "it  was 
not  the  intent  of  the  report  to  establish  a 
Brethren  boycott  of  meat." 

Special  offering  envelopes  netted  $3166 
for  world  hunger  concerns.  One  fourth  of 
this  was  donated  to  the  Dayton  Area 
Emergency  Services  Committee  to  help  the 
host  city's  hungry. 

Conferencegoers  had  many  opportunities 
to  get  involved  in  the  concern  for  world 
hunger  and  responded  well.  —  Ronald  L. 
McAdams,  Tipp  City,  Ohio.  Teacher, 
Computer  Center,  University  of  Dayton 


18  MESSENGER  August  1975 


Ministry  Paper:  All 
have  special  gifts 

Annual  Conference  delegates  in  Dayton 
supported  "The  Ministry:  Ordination  and 
Family  Life"  report  with  the  required  two- 
thirds  majority  vote  of  acceptance.  Their 
action  followed  hours  of  both  public  and 
private  discussion  and  contemplation  on 
the  paper. 

Committee  chairman  Earl  Hostetter 
summarized  highlights  of  the  committee's 
report.  The  ministry  is  a  lifetime  call  of 
God,  confirmed  by  the  church.  The  con- 
cept of  ordination  is  firmly  rooted  in 
biblical  tradition.  In  the  act  of  ordination  a 
person  is  set  apart  for  a  designated  task  of 
leadership  in  the  religious  community.  The 
committee  listed  specific  existing  roles  in 
ministry  and  accounted  for  possible  new 
ministries  that  may  be  initiated  in  coopera- 
tion with  an  individual  and  a  district 
ministerial  commission.  Ordination  is  the 
commissioning  of  a  person  for  lifetime 
service. 

However,  if  the  ordinand  ceases  to  func- 
tion in  the  ministry  to  which  he  or  she  has 
been  called,  the  ordination  should  be  inac- 
tivated, although  not  automatically  ter- 
minated. The  minister,  as  well  as  all  com- 
mitted Christians,  is  called  to  service  and 
to  the  New  Testament  life-style.  Persons 
who  are  changing  and  growing  most  could 
be  the  most  vulnerable  to  deviations.  God, 
however,  confronts  those  in  trouble,  and 
the  Bible  exemplifies  mediation  that  leads 
to  redemption,  as  our  example. 

The  committee  editorially  deleted  Sec- 
tion VII,  as  delegates  learned  to  know  it. 
This  Counseling  and  Discipline  portion 
already  exists  in  the  Manual  of  Brother- 
hood Organization  and  Polity,  pp. 
E9-EI2.  Its  need  for  revision  was  reflected 
in  the  committee's  recommendation  that 
Annual  Conference  elect  a  separate  com- 
mittee to  study  and  revise  this  section  of 
polity,  and  delegates  later  approved  the 
motion. 

Discussion  and  debate  from  the  con- 
ference floor  was  varied,  informative,  fer- 
vent, and  interjected  with  appropriately 
timed  skits  capsulizing  the  issues.  Who  ex- 
actly is  a  minister,  and  how  does  this  per- 
son perform  his  or  her  tasks?  Both  Brother 
Hostetter  and  Brother  Charles  Zunkel  of 
the  committee  sought  to  clarify  the  com- 
mittee's position.  God  calls  persons  to  be 
ministers,  but  it  is  a  call  with  a  specific  job 
in  mind.  We  are  servants  with  a  function — 


preaching,  visiting,  teaching,  administering 
sacraments.  The  call  to  Christian  life-style 
means  representing  ourselves  as  persons  in 
whatever  actions  we  perform.  Calling  can- 
not, and  should  not,  separate  doing  from 
being. 

For  what  duration  is  a  person  called  to 
service  and  upon  what  terms  may  his  or 
her  ordination  be  inactivated?  The  major 
policy  change  that  the  paper  affirms  is  a 
means  for  termination  of  ordination  upon 
discontinuation  of  service,  rather  than  for 
resignation  or  for  disciplinary  measures 
only.  Committee  chairman  Hostetter  ex- 
plained that  the  paper  in  no  way  restricts 
the  activities  of  a  minister  emeritus.  Arlene 
May,  committee  member,  summarized  her 
position  and  that  of  the  report.  As  baptized 
members  of  a  church,  we  are  all  ministers, 
each  with  a  special  gift.  Some  of  these  gifts 
in  ministry  call  for  ordination.  When  one's 
tasks  call  for  ordination,  then  ordination  is 
"active."  If,  however,  the  expression  of 
ministry  ceases  to  require  ordination,  then, 
although  the  ministry  continues,  the  or- 
dination becomes  inactive.  In  other  words, 
a  preacher  changed  teacher  may  continue 
to  minister  to  students  and  others,  but  he 
or  she  has  stopped  performing  those  func- 
tions that  require  ordination.  This  concept 
is  the  application  of  a  historical  principle 
to  our  own  mobile  age,  according  to 
Arlene  May.  A  person 
remains  committed,  even  if 
the  expression  of  service  may 
and  does  change. 

Others  disagreed  with  this 
concept  of  ordination  and 
felt  the  paper  supported  an 
"on  and  off  commitment, 
rather  than  a  lifetime  one. 
Arguments  surfaced 
challenging  the  committee's 
theology  and  concept  of  or- 
dination and  questioning  its 
biblical  backing  of  each 
statement.  Ordination  is  a 
call  and  authorization  for 
selected  persons  to  perform 
certain  responsibilities,  such 
as  preaching  and  ad- 
ministering the  sacraments, 
but  the  report  downplays 
this,  it  was  argued.  Some  saw 
the  paper  as  corrupting  or- 
dination, almost  implying 
that  God  revokes  one's 
spiritual  gifts. 

Still  other  debate  revolved 
around  the  "implications" 


and  inferences  of  unwritten  lines  of  the 
printed  report.  Few  "answers"  were 
specifically  stated  on  the  issue  of  divorce  and 
remarriage  among  pastors,  a  question  to 
which  several  speakers  addressed 
themselves.  (But  this  was  a  question  which. 
Earl  Hostetter  explained,  was  not  a  directive 
in  the  committee's  original  query.)  During 
the  hearing  that  preceded  later  floor  debate, 
it  was  suggested  that  the  paper  calls  too 
many  persons  to  the  ministry.  Another  argu- 
ment chided  the  report  for  satirizing  the 
sacramentalist  viewpoint.  TTius,  several  in- 
dividuals were  apparently  provoked  by  what 
they  did  not  read,  rather  than  what  they  did 
read. 

Lay  men  and  women  and  active  min- 
isters, seminary  students  and  seminary 
alumni,  free  ministers  and  retired  ministers, 
young  persons  and  older,  considered 
together  in  written  word,  dialogue,  and 
prayer,  the  matter  of  ordination  and  family 
life  in  the  ministry.  The  three-year-old, 
five-member  committee  had  completed  its 
specific  task  of  providing  the  Brotherhood 
with  a  report.  The  delegate  body  moved  to 
other  business  of  1975.— Jean  Lichty 
Hendricks,  Oak  Brook,  III.  Public  school 
teacher,  musician:  student  at  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary 


August   1975  MESSENGER  19 


Christian  stewards 
in  life  and  death 

"I  want  to  be  remembered  as  I  am  now, 
sharing  my  love,"  was  the  consensus  of 
church  members  as  they  dealt  with  the 
issue  of  Life-Stewardship.  The  delegate 
body  accepted,  with  minor  amendments, 
the  recommendations  of  a  two-year  study 
committee  on  death  and  dying. 

The  study  was  initiated  in  1973  by  a 
query  to  Annual  Conference  pointing  out 
that  present  practices  surrounding  death 
are  based  more  on  secular  tradition  than 
on  Christian  conviction.  The  query 
challenged  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  to 
study  funeral  practices  and  relate  them  to  a 
concern  for  good  Christian  stewardship  of 
all  that  has  been  entrusted  to  us. 

Biblically,  the  physical  body  is  seen  as 
frail  dust,  given  life  by  the  breath  of  God. 
Resurrection  will  involve  a  new,  different, 
spiritual  body  whose  form  is  determined  by 
the  individual's  quality  of  faithfulness  to 
Jesus  Christ. 

The  delegates  agreed  that  the  expensive 
secular  funeral,  including  public  viewing  of 
the  body,  should  be  discouraged  for 
Christians.  Family  members  are  en- 
couraged to  consider  a  simple  dignified 
service  that  acknowledges  the  life  of  the 
deceased,  and  affirms  Christian  support  for 
those  close  to  the  one  who  has  died.  Such  a 
service  is  appropriately  held  in  the  church. 

While  several  persons  expressed  a  desire 
not  to  be  viewed,  some  also  felt  that  public 
viewing  could  be  an  aid  tp  dealing  with  the 
reality  of  death.  The  presence  of  these  op- 
posing ideas  may  be  an  indication  that 
secular  as  well  as  religious  ideas  concerning 
funeral  practices  are  changing. 

Good  Christian  stewardship  requires 
planning  for  the  time  of  death.  Spiritual 
preparation  may  include  discussing  the 
issue  with  other  Christians,  perhaps  in  the 
context  of  a  course  or  workshop.  A  local 
committee  may  be  established  to  assist 
families  and  individuals  at  the  time  of 
serious  illness  or  death. 

Decisions  also  need  to  be  made  con- 
cerning the  physical  aspects  of  one's  death. 
Family  members  need  to  be  informed  of 
these  decisions.  Alternatives  to  burial,  such 
as  cremation  or  donation,  ought  to  be  con- 
sidered. The  "living  will"  is  a  signed  docu- 
ment in  which  a  person  requests  the  right 
to  die  with  dignity. 

Christian  stewardship  requires  open  con- 


sideration of  death  and  planning  for  the 
disposal  of  one's  material  possessions,  in- 
cluding the  physical  body.  More  impor- 
tantly. Christian  stewardship  involves  be- 
ing an  active  part  of  a  community  of 
believers  who  share  both  the  joys  and  the 
griefs  of  life. 

In  time  of  death,  a  physical  body  dies, 
but  Christians  are  promised  a  spiritual 
body  radically  different  from  the  physical 
body.  And  for  that  time  when  the  faithful 
shall  move  into  a  new  and  glorious  life,  all 
creation  awaits.  —  Kay  Batdorf,  Dayton, 
Ohio.  Staff  writer,  Huber  Heights  Courier 

Concerns,  future  action: 
new  business  briefs 

In  actions  related  to  queries  not  otherwise 
reported  the  delegate  body 

. . .  encouraged  further  cooperation  and 
fellowship  with  Mennonite  bodies. 

. . .  extended  the  time  for  a  committee 
study  on  the  use  of  alcohol  and  enlarged 
the  study  to  probe  media  promotion  of 
alcoholic  beverages. 

. . .  accepted  recommendations  in  a  query 
calling  for  members  to  learn  and  to  prac- 
tice the  act  of  basic  life  support  in  restoring 
and  sustaining  life. 

. . .  respectfully  returned  to  the 
originators  a  resolution  on  political  en- 
dorsement. 

. . .  granted  a  request  asking  a  General 
Board  study  to  examine  the  relation 
between  Christian  ethics  and  the  system  of 
law  and  order. 

. . .  adopted  a  query  specifying  that  a 
recommendation  of  boards  or  continuing 
committees  must  come  not  in  reports  but 
as  an  item  of  new  business. 

. . .  established,  upon  Standing  Com- 
mittee recommendation,  a  committee  to 
suggest  procedures  to  "narrow  the  gap" 


between  Annual  Conference/ General 
Board  statements  and  "prevailing  con- 
gregational opinions." — H.E.R. 

Peters  active  as  leader 
for  health  and  welfare 

The  highlight  of  the  Annual  Conference 
Health  and  Welfare  Committee's  Report 
was  the  introduction  of  its  new  executive 
secretary,  Raymond  R.  Peters,  who  re- 
ceived the  gratitude  of  the  committee,  ex- 
pressed by  its  chairperson,  Larry  K.  Ulrich. 

The  remainder  of  Ulrich's  report  to  the 
conference  lifted  up  the  year's  work  of 
the  committee,  including  testimony  be- 
fore Congress  on  health  care  legislation, 
developments  in  Brethren  homes  and 
hospitals,  suggested  congregational 
responses  to  people  adversely  affected 
by  recession,  and  the  Bethany-Garfield 
Community  Hospital  fund-raising  pro- 
posal. 

Peters  explained  to  the  conference  that 
since  the  Health  and  Welfare  Committee  is 
financed  by  Brethren  homes  and  hospitals, 
the  committee  believes  its  primary  respon- 
sibility is  to  those  institutions  and  their 
problems.  Peters  visited  all  but  two  of  the 
retirement  homes  in  the  past  year,  and  he 
praised  the  boards  and  staffs  of  the  homes 
as  "a  great  group  of  people"  who  sees  the 
needs  of  the  elderly. 

According  to  Brother  Peters,  only  five 
percent  of  the  Brethren  past  the  age  of  65 
are  enrolled  in  Brethren  retirement  homes. 
The  Committee  is  working  with  the  Parish 
Ministries  Commission  to  open  new  con- 
tacts with  the  elderly  who  are  not  currently 
served.  He  noted  that  a  new  movement  to 
serve  the  aging  was  developing  in  the 
Brotherhood.— Steve  Longenecker, 
Washington,  D.C.  BVSer  in  the 
Washington  Office 


I 


20  MESSENGER  August  1975 


For  Bethany-Garfield: 
a  fund  drive  okayed 

A  request  for  permission  to  approach  in- 
dividuals and  congregations  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  in  order  to  raise  $2,000,000 
over  the  next  five  years  was  presented  to 
Annual  Conference  on  behalf  of  the 
Bethany-Garfield  Park  Hospital  by  the 
Conference  Committee  on  Health  and 
Welfare.  This  amount  is  part  of  a  wider 
effort  by  the  hospital  to  raise  $25,000,000 
for  the  construction  of  a  new  health  care 
facility  and  delivery  network. 

The  delegate  body  voted  overwhelming 
approval.  In  addition,  the  delegates  ap- 
proved a  Standing  Committee  recommen- 
dation that  the  hospital  work  cooperatively 
with  the  General  Board  and  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary  in  planning  the 
Brotherhoodwide  campaign. 

In  the  early  1900s  A.  C.  Wieand  and  E. 
B.  Hoff  planted  the  seed  from  which  has 
grown  a  health  care  network  that  is  model- 
ing new  patterns  of  urban  health  programs 
among  the  poor. 

From  fifteen  beds  in  1920,  Bethany 
Hospital  has  grown  into  a  multifaceted 
health  care  endeavor  that  treats  more 
than  50,000  people  on  a  regular  basis, 
many  through  low  cost  community- 
based  programs.  Health  care  at  Bethany- 
Garfield  focuses  on  keeping  people 
healthy  rather  than  waiting  to  treat  ill- 
nesses that  develop. 

The  proposal  to  Annual  Conference 
arose  out  of  a  need  to  replace  the  two  pres- 
ent hospital  structures,  recently  declared 
obsolete  by  the  State  of  Illinois.  Projected 
plans  call  for  a  facility  to  serve  ap- 
proximately 200.000  community  residents. 
State  and  federal  agencies  will  provide 
$3,000,000.  The  black  community  the  hos- 
pital serves  has  agreed  to  raise  $2,000,000, 
a  formidable  and  sacrificial  task,  consider- 
ing the  extreme  poverty  of  the  community. 
The  hospital  is  looking  to  the  Brethren 
for  $2,000,000  in  gifts.  In  addition,  nearly 
$18,000,000  will  be  borrowed  privately,  un- 
der government  guarantees. 

In  voting  to  support  the  proposal,  the 
Brethren  have  seized  a  unique  opportunity 
to  participate  in  a  vital  mission  of  healing 
in  the  inner  city,  thus  continuing  assistance 
to  health  care  programs  initiated  by  An- 
nual Conference  in  1926. — Robert  L. 
Earhart,  Pasadena.  Calif.  Pastor, 
Pasadena  congregation 


Are  the  Brethren  still  a  "People  of  the  Book?"  Within  the  Dayton  Annual  Conference 
programming,  there  was  some  evidence  of  a  concerted  effort  to  reaffirm  that 
distinction  for  the  church.  The  two-day  Pastors  Conference  preceding  the  main 
meeting  focused  on  how  we  Brethren  interpret  the  Bible.  One  leader  observed: 
"Sometimes  we  Brethren  have  tended  to  forget  how  deeply  the  Bible  is  ingrained  in  our 
corporate  life." 

The  Central  Committee,  hoping  to  give  Bible  Study  a  more  pronounced  emphasis 
in  the  conference  program,  projected  a  new  approach  for  the  1975  meeting. 
Conferencegoers  were  offered  eight  elective  "classes,"  Wednesday  through  Saturday 
mornings,  with  the  intent  that  persons  would  choose  one  particular  class  and  stay  with 
it  through  the  four  sessions.  A  ninth  option,  a  "Prayer  and  Praise  Bible  Study"  group 
was  added  in  midweek  by  persons  interested  in  a  charismatic  emphasis. 

The  early  morning  opportunities  differed  widely  in  style  and  interest  in  their 
approach  to  Bible  study.  Two  options  were  lecture  audience  in  nature,  drawing  75 
percent  of  the  total  Bible  Study  participants.  Brethren  matriarch  Anna  Beahm  Mow, 
in  her  warm,  homespun  style,  seasoned  with  a  liberal  sprinkling  of  anecdotes  from 
experience  and  garnished  with  her  trademark  laugh,  "walked  through"  the  Book  of 
Ephesians  with  a  standing-room-only  group  of  700  each  morning. 

In  the  other  lecture  series,  Harold  S.  Martin,  whose  character  and  discipleship  are 
identified  with  a  consistent,  dedicated  attention  to  New  Testament  teachings,  led  some 
300  persons  in  a  study  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  relating  Christian  life  to 
"Christ,"  "Creed,"  "Character,"  and  "Conduct." 

In  each  of  the  other  six  electives,  participant  involvement  or  learning  techniques 
were  utilized.  Seminary  professor  Grady  Snyder  directed  75  persons  in  probing  deeply 
the  conference  theme  by  sharing  individual  insights  in  small  group  discussions.  Such 
questions  as  "Is  liberty  freedom  from  or  freedom  forT'  provoked  the  students' 
thoughts. 

A  more  intensive  personal  study  was  directed  by  Dave  Wieand,  also  of  the 
Bethany  faculty,  exploring  the  Bible  on  the  theme,  "Discovering  the  Will  of  God  in  the 
Bible."  Participants  spent  fifteen  minutes  of  each  session  individually  reflecting  on  a 
suggested  scriptural  passage,  discerning  the  "situation,"  the  "concern,"  the  "major 
idea,"  and  the  "implication  for  life."  Discussion  and  sharing  ensued,  enlightened  by  the 
teacher's  interpretive  comments. 

A  small  group  of  people  during  the  week  courageously  tackled  the  interpretation 
of  the  conference  theme  (Romans  8)  from  a  study  of  the  original  biblical  languages. 
Christine  Bucher,  a  theological  student  at  Bethany  Seminary,  served  as  the  resource 
leader. 

Two  electives  incorporated  artistic  expression  as  a  way  to  understand  and 
appreciate  the  values  and  stories  of  the  Bible.  Mary  Ann  Hylton,  an  officer  in  the 
Association  for  the  Arts,  evidenced  the  growing  effectiveness  and  relevance  of  that 
fledgling  group  by  coordinating  an  exposure  to  various  ways  the  arts  help  interpret  the 
Bible.  Several  guest  artists  visited  the  group  to  share  from  their  own  creative  activity. 

Forty-five  persons,  directed  by  Fabricio  Guzman,  Milledgeville,  III.,  pastor, 
shared  in  a  simulation  experience  of  the  story  of  Isaac  and  Esau,  entitled,  "Blessing, 
Blessing,  Who  Has  the  BlessingT' 

Finally,  a  group  experience  for  Christian  education  leaders  in  local  congregations 
provided  insights  into  the  many  resources  available  for  meaningful  Bible  study  and 
instruction.  Rick  Gardner,  Parish  Ministries  editor  for  biblical  resources,  was  the 
leader. 

Reaction  among  the  1300  participants  in  the  new  approach  was  enthusiastic, 
citing  the  excellent  leadership  and  the  elective  content  as  definite  positives.  Many 
persons  interviewed  confessed  non-attendance  due  to  the  eight  a.m.  schedule,  which 
presented  problems  for  those  lodging  some  distance  from  the  Convention  Center  and 
those  families  dispatching  children  to  their  daily  activities  at  the  same  hour.  Several 
individuals  felt  that,  should  the  innovative  approach  be  used  in  future  conferences, 
additional  space  should  be  provided. 

The  general  attitude  of  the  conference,  however,  toward  the  early  morning, 
elective  Bible  Study  approach  was  a  warm,  receptive  one,  perhaps  best  expressed  by 
Guy  West's  prayer  that  began  the  study  of  Ephesians  on  Wednesday  morning:  "Thank 
you.  Father,  for  this  new  day  and  for  the  opportunity  to  start  it  with  the  study  of  your 
Word."  —  Fred  W.  Swartz,  Harrisburg,  Pa.  Pastor,  Harrisburg,  First  congregation 


L 


August   1975  MESSENGER  21 


IwmM^^^ 


Bieber  moderator-elect; 
others  named,  elected 

Charles  M,  Bieber,  pastor  of  the  Black 
Rock  congregation.  Brodbecks,  Pa.,  will 
serve  as  moderator  at  the  1977  Annual 
Conference  in  Richmond.  Va.  The  former 
Nigeria  missionary  and  former  member  of 
the  General  Board  was  elected  in  a  run-off 
ballot  over  Leon  C.  Neher  for  the  position 
of  moderator-elect.  Neher,  moderator  of 
the  Quinter  congregation  in  Kansas,  is  a 
member  of  the  General  Board,  and  present- 
ly its  vice-chairperson. 

Other  elections  and  appointments: 

Annual  Conference  Central  Committee: 
Roger  I.  Forry,  Hanover,  Pa.,  1978. 

Committee  on  Interchurch  Relations: 
Desmond  W.  Bittinger,  Orange,  Calif.. 
1978;  Naomi  Kulp  Keeney,  Harrisburg, 
Pa.,  1978  (reappointed  by  the  General 
Board). 

Bethany  Seminary  Electors:  Harold  S. 
Moyer.  Roanoke,  Va.,  1980  (ministry); 
Donald  L.  Click,  Port  Republic,  Va.. 
(reelected)  1980,  and  Ralph  M.  Delk,  Mar- 
tinsburg.  Pa.,  1976  (both  laity);  Ernest 


Barr.  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  1980  (at  large). 

Committee  on  Review  and  Evaluation  of 
General  Board  Program  (to  1977):  William 
R.  Paw  and  Anna  Beahm  Mow,  Roanoke, 
Va.;  James  S.  Flora,  Long  Beach,  Calif.; 
Wayne  F.  Geisert,  Bridgewater,  Va.;  Ray- 
mond R.  Peters,  Sebring,  Fla. 

Delegate  to  World  Council  of  Churches 
Fifth  Assembly,  Nairobi,  Kenya:  Wanda 
Will  Button,  Conrad,  Iowa. 

Representatives  to  the  National  Council 
of  Churches,  elected  by  Standing  Com- 
mittee: Diana  Bucher,  North  Manchester, 
Ind.;  Robert  Neff,  Lombard.  111.;  Stanley 
R.  Wampler.  Harrisonburg,  Va.;  alternate, 
Vernon  F.  Miller,  Arlington,  Va.  Named 
by  General  Board:  Arlene  May,  Timber- 
ville,  Va.;  S.  Loren  Bowman  and  Joel  K. 
Thompson,  Elgin,  111. 

Committee  on  Health  and  Welfare: 
Leona  Z.  Row,  Washington,  D.C.,  1980 
(reelected). 

Pastor's  Association  Cabinet:  J.  D. 
Glick,  Troy,  Ohio. 

Committee  on  Brotherhood  Understand- 
ing: Wayne  Fralin,  Orlando,  Fla.;  Beverly 
Good,  Churchville,  Va.;  Dean  Miller, 
Hagerstown,  Md.;  Pearl  Fruth  Miller, 


Conrad,  Iowa;  Pattie  Bittinger  Stern,  San 
Diego,  Calif. 

Committee  on  Divorce  and  Remarriage: 
Steve  Reid,  Oak  Brook,  111.;  Helen  Evans, 
North  Manchester,  Ind.;  Beth  Glick 
Rieman,  Dayton,  Ohio;  John  R.  Gibble, 
Lititz,  Pa.;  Robert  Neff,  Lombard,  III. 

Committee  for  Revision  of  Manual  of 
Brotherhood  Organization  and  Polity:  Sec- 
tion on  "Counselling  and  Polity":  Kent 
Zimmerman,  North  Manchester,  Ind.; 
Harold  Bomberger,  Mt.    Gretna,  Pa.; 
Duane  Ramsey,  Washington,  D.C.;  Donna 
Forbes  Steiner,  Lanark,  111.;  Nancy 
Studebaker  Ulrich,  Oak  Park,  111.;  Gary 
Jones,  Lincoln,  Neb.;  Judy  Tomlonson, 
Preston,  Minn. 

General  Board,  district  representatives: 
Doris  Cline  Egge,  Roanoke,  Va.,  1980; 
Galen  E.  Fike,  Eglon.  W.  Va.,  1978;  T. 
Wayne  Rieman.  North  Manchester,  Ind., 
1980;  E.  Paul  Weaver,  Nappanee,  Ind., 
1978  (reelected);  Earl  K.  Zeigler, 
Quarry ville.  Pa.,  1980. 

General  Board,  at  large:  Dale  Auker- 
man.  New  Windsor,  Md.,  1980;  Phyllis 
Nolan  Carter,  Wabash,  Ind.,  1980 
(reelected);  Monroe  C.  Good,  Baltimore, 


Insights  provide  potpourri  of  opportunities 


Thirty-five  Insight  sessions,  each  with  com- 
pletely different  subject  matter,  provided  a 
potpourri  of  opportunities  to  supplement 
the  other  activities  of  the  conference.  The 
only  complaint  heard  was  a  common  dis- 
appointment at  being  unable  to  attend 
them  all! 

The  Insight  series  serves  the  purpose  of 
enabling  interaction  on  special  emphases 
within  the  more  general  framework  of  con- 
ference program.  The  scope  at  Dayton  in- 
cluded special  ministries,  in-depth  ex- 
aminations of  different  approaches  to 
spreading  the  Good  News,  exposure  to 
ongoing  Brotherhood  programs  and  goals, 
confrontation  of  current  social  and 
theological  issues,  and  a  variety  of  ex- 
tremely specialized  presentations. 

Among  the  latter  were  programs  on 
Brethren  migration  patterns  and  on  the 
history  of  Brethren  involvement  in  printing 
over  the  years.  The  printing  session,  for  in- 
stance, attracted  printers  in  the  church  in- 
terested in  history,  and  persons  supportive 
of  the  role  of  church  publishing  in 
denominational  life. 


Brotherhood  staff  persons  used  the  In- 
sight sessions  as  opportunities  to  present 
and  discuss  information  about  priorities, 
programs,  and  projects — expanded 
ministries.  Parish  Volunteer  Service,  life- 
cycle  ministries,  media.  Pension  Plan.  On 
Parish  Volunteer  Service,  Tom  Wilson,  the 
presenter,  stressed  the  benefits  of  this  new 


"Rotting  Fish"  confronts  Gospel  accounts 


program  to  local  churches  and  described 
how  churches  can  get  started  with  the 
recruitment  and  training  of  volunteers. 

Another  of  the  staff-led  sessions  was  ei 
titled.  "E.xercising  Will  Power."  This 
centered  on  the  wills  emphasis  program  c 
the  Stewardship  Enlistment  Team.  This 
program  is  one  in  which  the  Church  oft! 
Brethren  cooperates  with  nineteen  other 
denominations  under  the  sponsorship  of 
the  National  Council  of  Churches.  Nordo 
Murphy,  the  executive  director  of  the 
National  Council's  commission  on 
stewardship,  appeared  at  the  session  alon 
with  Brethren  who  work  in  the  program. 
Comments  included  personal  concerns  an 
legal  questions  regarding  wills  and  estate 
planning. 

Mary  Cline  and  Ralph  Detrick  led  a  se; 
sion  on  aging  and  the  aging  process  as  pa: 
of  their  work  in  life-cycle  ministries.  Thej 
presented  a  dialogue  on  negative  attitude; 
toward  aging  and  positive  attitudes  towar 
youth,  in  order  to  help  those  in  attendani 
come  to  grips  with  their  own  feelings  in 
these  areas.  They  also  encouraged  par- 
ticipants to  begin  preretirement  planning. 
The  response  of  those  present  was  par- 


22  MESSENGER  August  1975 


Md.,  1978,  Joseph  J.  Schechter,  La  Verne. 
Calif..  1977. 

In  General  Board  Executive  Committee 
reshuffling.  Wanda  Will  Button  replaced 
C.  Wayne  Zunkel.— Randy  Miller 

Pastors  lift  theme  of 
The  Bible  as  Living' 

Story,  paradigm,  synthetic  approach.  The 
Brethren  Pastors'  Association  in  Dayton 
wrestled  with  these  concepts  of  biblical  in- 
terpretation as  Warren  Groff  and  Graydon 
Snyder  of  Bethany  Seminary  and  Vernard 
Eller  of  La  Verne  College  worked  through 
the  theme,  "The  Bible  as  Living," 

Warren  Groff  accented  the  story  ap- 
proach: The  Bible  lives  and  appeals  to  peo- 
ple because  it  is  a  collection  of  stories 
within  the  Story.  The  Bible  story  that 
culminates  in  Jesus  Christ  has  power  to 
convert  us  so  that  we  can  cope  with  our 
"nervous  anticipations."  including  death. 
Knowing  the  stories  of  the  Bible  gives  us 
the  "nurturing  memories"  that  convert  us 
from  thinking  "in  the  midst  of  life  we  die" 
to  believing  "in  the  midst  of  death  we  live." 


"Paradigm"  is  the  word  that  Graydon 
Snyder  served  up  to  the  pastors.  A 
paradigm  is  a  pattern  for  behavior  created 
out  of  human  experience.  Brother  Grady 
described  how  his  private  paradigm  of 
Christmas  was  aroused  by  "waffles,  maple 
syrup,  and  sausage."  and  then  moved  on  to 
the  basic  biblical  paradigm  of  salvation, 
the  death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ. 
For  the  pastoral  task  of  changing  mistaken 
and  sinful  paradigms  that  trouble  people, 
he  directed  the  pastors  to  Jesus'  encounter 
with  his  disciples  along  the  Emmaus  road 
(Luke  24).  He  urged  pastors  to  learn  Jesus' 
method  of  interpreting  the  Bible  to  people, 
by  listening  to  their  paradigms,  no  matter 
how  mistaken;  by  being  sensitive  to  the  in- 
trusion of  crisis  in  their  life  pattern;  and  by 
offering  to  them  the  new  paradigm  of 
Jesus:  that  God  brings  new  life  out  of  suf- 
fering and  disaster. 

Vernard  Eller's  synthetic  approach 
stressed  looking  at  the  Bible  as  a  whole.  He 
describes  this  as  "continuous  reading"  and 
ongoing  inspiration.  He  urged  pastors  to 
seek  persistent  themes  within  the  diversity 
of  the  Bible.  He  also  suggested  that  the 
Scriptures  are  inspired,  not  only  at  the  time 


of  writing,  but  also  now  as  people  use 
them.  And  really,  Bible  interpretation  is 
not  so  much  a  question  of  using  the 
Scriptures,  as  letting  the  Holy  Spirit 
use  us.  "The  Holy  Spirit  still  holds  the 
copyright  on  the  Scriptures,"  Vernard 
affirms. 

Groff,  Snyder,  and  Eller  converged  in 
emphasizing  personalism  in  Bible  inter- 
pretation above  the  techniques  of  historical 
analysis  of  the  text. 

In  their  business  session,  the  Pastors' 
Association  elected  J.D.  Glick  to  its  Ex- 
ecutive Committee.  Bill  Gahm  is  president 
for  1976  and  Ron  Beachley  is  vice 
president.  Dick  Witmer  was  reappointed  as 
treasurer. 

The  Association  adopted  statements  of 
its  study  committee  calling  for:  (1)  a  task 
group  to  develop  performance  standards 
for  pastors.  (2)  an  advocacy  committee  to 
work  with  denominational  leadership  in 
setting  guidelines  for  pastors'  salaries  and 
other  benefits,  and  (3)  longer  pastorates  in 
local  congregations  by  developing  better 
methods  for  dealing  with  conflict. — James 
McKiNNELL.  Rockford.  III.  Pastor, 
Rockford,  First  congregation 


cularly  strong  as  they  confronted  many  of 
leir  own  feelings  and  fears  about  the  ag- 
ig  process. 

One  of  the  special  interest  sessions  ac- 
uainted  attenders  with  the  Brethren  Bible 
nstitute.  A  large  group  heard  reports  on 
rie  institute,  which  had  its  first  session  last 
kugust  on  the  campus  of  Elizabethtown 
'ollege.  Linford  Rotenberger  led  the  ses- 
ion.  which  included  word  from  Paul 
Irubaker  of  the  institute  and  testimony 
"om  two  students. 

Merle  Crouse.  the  Latin  American  and 
^ispanic-American  representative  for  the 
Jeneral  Board,  convened  an  Insight  ses- 
ion  entitled  "Hispanic-American  Identity 
ii  the  Church  of  the  Brethren."  Its  aim  was 
3  engage  Anglo-American  members  of  the 
phurch  in  dialogue  with  Hispanic- 
kmericans.  Fabricio  Guzman,  one  of  the 
janel  members,  put  it  this  way:  "...  we 
jeed  to  know  each  other,  where  we  are 
loming  from,  before  we  can  get  together  in 
ur  understanding  of  the  faith." 

Several  sessions  were  intended  to  explore 
irious  expressions  of  worship,  of  "sharing 
le  Good  News."  One  such  session  used  the 
lay,  "What  Are  We  Going  to  Do  With 


All  These  Rotting  Fish?"  to  compel  con- 
frontation of  the  Gospel  accounts.  Another 
session  drew  on  the  talents  of  Blanche 
Marie  Gallagher,  a  painter  who  has 
produced  a  series  of  works  in  reaction  to 
the  thought  of  Tielhard  de  Chardin  The 
response  to  both  of  these  was  very 
favorable,  with  one  spectator  lauding  the 


"liberation  of  the  spirit"  which  can  be 
derived  from  artistic  expression. 

These  and  other  offerings  informed  and 
sensitized  conferencegoers  on  themes  that 
have  high  potential  for  study  and  action  at 
home. — Stewart  M.  Hoover,  Berkeley, 
Calif.  Student  assistant.  Pacific  School  of 
Religion:  tv  I  radio  producer 


Nordan  Murphy  (second  from  right)  and  the  Stewardship  Team  emphasized  "  Will  Power" 


05/ 


Brethren  pastors  and 
this  world's  goods 

Passed  as  presented  to  the  delegate  body 
was  the  paper  on  "Pastor's  Salary  and 
Benefits  Plan."  A  revision  of  a  1969  An- 
nual Conference  approved  plan,  the  new 
statement  contains  major  revisions  in  the 
sections  on  base  cash  salary  and  housing. 

As  revised,  the  suggested  salary  scale  will 
be  adjusted  each  year  by  the  Parish 
Ministries  Commission  in  relation  to  the 
Consumer  Price  Index  as  of  the  end  of 
May.  This  year's  revision  adjusts  the  scale 
to  a  nine  percent  increase.  The  sample 
provides  a  multiple  scale  based  on  educa- 
tion and  experience. 

Speaking  in  support  of  the  paper,  Galen 
Wine,  long-time  pastor  in  the  Virlina  Dis- 
trict, pointed  out  that  the  salary  scale 
represents  a  guide  and  encourages  pastors 
to  reach  out  for  further  education.  Other 
persons  speaking  from  the  conference  floor 
were  concerned  that  the  pay  scale 
represents  a  "worldly  approach"  to  the 
pastor's  salary,  especially  when  contrasted 
with  global  hunger  needs.  Estimates  are 
that  a  third  of  the  pastors  serving  con- 
gregations are  now  on  the  suggested  salary 
schedule. 

A  new  section  in  the  paper  deals  with 
performance  adjustment  that  urges 
"congregations  to  set  goals  for  their  mis- 
sion so  that  in  this  case  they  can  guide  the 
work  and  time  of  the  pastor."  A  job 
description  to  clarify  the  pastor's  work 
should  be  negotiated  between  the  con- 
gregation and  the  pastor. 

The  Study  Committee  acknowledged 
that  moving  from  traditional  housing 
provisions  to  putting  housing  into  salary 
will  represent  a  difficult  transition.  Where 
housing  is  provided,  the  addition  of  the 
one  percent  value  of  the  parsonage  provi- 
sion paid  by  the  congregation  each  year 
into  a  fund  to  be  available  for  future  use  or 
retirement  needs  attempts  to  strengthen  the 
financial  security  of  the  pastor. 

Both  housing  provisions  work  at  giving 
dignity  and  freedom  of  choice  to  the 
pastor. 

Primary  responsibility  for  implementa- 
tion of  the  paper  rests  heavily  on  its  inter- 
pretation by  local  congregations  in 
cooperation  with  district  executive 
secretaries. — Louise  Bowman,  Fairfax, 
Va.  Office  manager  and  adminisirative 
secretary  in  the  Washington  Office 


With  the  WCC  in  Nairobi: 
the  first  lay  delegate 

Wanda  Will  Button,  the  first  lay  delegate 
from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  will  join 
S.  Loren  Bowman  as  a  representative  to 
the  World  Council  of  Churches  Fifth 
Assembly  in  Nairobi,  Kenya,  November 
23-December  10.  In  addition  to  its  dis- 
cussions under  the  theme,  "Jesus  Christ 
Frees  and  Unites,"  the  Assembly  will  con- 
sider a  request  from  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  for  a  fixed  date  for  Easter:  the 
Sunday  following  the  second  Saturday  of 
April. 

As  a  part  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches,  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  has 
effectively  participated  in  study  sections, 
kept  alive  the  concern  of  the  Historic  Peace 
Churches  for  nonviolent  social  change,  and 
strengthened  the  WCC  library  in  the  area 
of  peace  with  a  grant  of  $2,580  from  the 
W.  Harold  Row  Memorial  Fund. — John 
D.  ToMLONSON,  Kalamazoo,  Mich.  Ex- 
ecutive secretary.  Michigan  District; 
pastor,  Kalamazoo  congregation 

NCC  report:  Oneness  in 
ministry  and  mission 

The  report  of  the  delegates  to  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  summarizes  a  diver- 
sified program.  Restructuring  has  been  ac- 
complished to  give  strong  leadership  even 
with  reduced  staff.  Constituent  giving  is 
up. 

Program  highlights  include  hosting  the 
19-member  Russian  Church  Delegation  in 
the  US,  a  new  Jewish-Christian  office,  new 
affirmative  action  program  in  the  area  of 
Equal  Employment  Opportunities,  joining 
other  church  groups  in  filing  a  stock- 
holders resolution  to  persuade  IBM  to  cur- 
tail its  computer  contracts  with  South 
Africa,  and  operation  of  the  Clemency  In- 
formation Center  in  Indiana. 

The  report  concludes:  "This  is  a  time 
when  many  persons  are  seeking  their  Chris- 
tian identity  and  we  are  convinced  that  we 
need  one  another  and  that  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  is  one  key 
forum  and  organization  to  bring  our 
diverse  groupings  together  in  celebration  of 
our  oneness  in  ministry  and  mission." — 
John  D.  Tomlonson,  Kalamazoo,  Mich. 
Executive  secretary,  Michigan  District; 
pastor,  Kalamazoo  congregation 


A  letter  from  Dayton 


Dear  Agnes, 

Well,  1  finally  got  a  chance  to  attend  An- 
nual Conference  and  it  was  great.  All  the 
way  here  we  peered  eagerly  into  passing 
cars  asking  each  other,  "I  wonder  if  they 
are  'Conference'  people?"  When  we  got  to 
Dayton  we  decided  a  good  many  of  them 
had  been— all  that  throng  had  to  come 
from  somewhere! 

We  finally  located  a  motel  that  wasn't 
bankrupt  or  overheated.  In  the  coffee  shop 
we  were  talking  with  the  couple  in  the  next 
booth  and  found  out  that  they  were  from 
Friendly,  Colo.,  members  of  the  Friendly 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  Harry — that 
was  the  man's  name  —  Harry's  sister  had 
married  a  first  cousin  of  our  pastor. 

1  don't  know  actually  how  many 
Brethren  were  in  the  motel,  but  I  saw  one 
young  girl  in  a  scandalously  skimpy  bikini 
sunning  herself  at  the  edge  of  the  pool  and 
by  her  side  lay  the  book,  "Simple  Living: 
by  Edward  K.  Ziegler. 

In  the  auditorium  of  the  Convention 
Center  was  a  worship  center  looking  like  a 
pregnant  mountain.  Beneath  it  sat  our 
moderator,  Don  Rowe,  speaking  softly  and 
wielding  a  big  gavel.  During  the  debate  on 
funeral  practices  he  regretfully  announced 
"Microphone  number  three  is  dead." 

On  the  whole,  though,  it  just  wasn't  a 
witty  conference.  Paul  Keller  acclaimed 
Floyd  Bantz  the  "Ben  Franklin"  of  Annual 
Conference  for  his  humor.  That  may  give 
you  some  idea.  Floyd  told  Paul  to  go  fly  a 
kite. 

You'll  never  believe  what  happened  to 
me,  Agnes.  As  I  was  chatting  with  a  nice 
young  lady  who  turned  out  to  be  a  niece  of 
next  year's  moderator,  a  big,  burly  man 
came  up,  blew  a  whistle,  and  grabbing  me 
by  the  arm  said,  "You're  under  arrest. 
Ma'am."  I  was  so  flabbergasted  that  I 
could  hardly  speak.  Then  he  marched  me 
over  and  actually  put  me  in  a  jail  cell!  It 
was  horrible.  I  found  out  later  it  was  a 
gimmick;  the  jail  cell  had  been  put  there  on 
purpose  to  teach  us  something.  But  they 
wrote  "Ex-Con"  in  big  red  letters  on  my 
name  tag.  I  was  so  embarrassed  I  left  the 
tag  in  the  motel  room  after  that. 

Well,  Agnes,  I  must  go.  All  creation 
awaits. 

Yours, 

JusTA  Lehman 

(  —  Robert  C.  Bowman,  Ephrata,  Pa. 
Pastor,  Ephrata  congregation)  , 


24  MESSENGER  AugUSt   1975 


±  belong  at  Conference.  My  understanding  of  the 
church  has  grown  as  I  have  grown — and  Annual 
Conference  has  had  a  decided  impact  upon  the 
process. 

There  have  been  other  influences  as  well.  As  I 
set  forth  reflections  from  the  Dayton  Conference 
it  seems  fair  that  you  know  the  perspectives  from 
which  1  write. 

At  home  as  a  youth,  I  saw  the  church  at  first 
as  Sunday  services,  the  weekly  "hour  of  power," 
and  the  annual  Sunday  school  picnic.  It  expanded 
to  include  the  monthly  singspiration  and  the 
watch  party  and  the  Easter  sunrise  service  that  in- 
volved other  denominations.  My  father  was  elder 
of  several  Brethren  congregations  and  I  often 
traveled  with  him,  not  so  much  because  of  interest 
in  the  congregations  as  in  certain  young  women  in 
them.  But  in  the  process  of  being  out  there,  my 
concept  of  the  church  grew,  unconsciously. 

Then  3YPD,  the  district  CBYF  cabinet,  visits 
to  churches  to  debate  "universal  military  training" 
offered  one  a  growing  edge.  College  and  seminary, 
with  pastorates  along  the  way  and  the  com- 
panionship of  Margie  and  the  family  continued 
the  process.  A  six-year  tour  of  missionary  service 


in  Nigeria  helped  immeasurably  in  establishing 
faith  relationships  with  brothers  and  sisters  of  a 
different  cultural  background.  Now  as  a  "district 
minister,"  I  am  having  yet  another  great  ex- 
perience of  the  church. 

Annual  Conference  prompts  this  recall,  and 
with  it  the  affirmation  that  I  believe  in  the  church. 
I  see  and  feel  the  Spirit  working  in  the  church.  I 
exult  in  my  involvement  in  it  all. 

I  rejoice  too  in  the  opportunity  to  sum  up  the 
Dayton  Conference,  sharing  as  I  am  at  close 
range,  as  one  conferencegoer  reporting  rather  ran- 
domly to  the  folks  at  home.  These  are  the  im- 
pressions: 

The  General  Board,  in  its  preconference 
meetings,  passed  a  budget  of  over  $3,000,000  in 
grateful  appreciation  of  increased  support  from 
the  congregations.  Proposals  for  an  array  of  new 
ministries  were  debated  and  approved.  What  a 
contrast  to  just  three  years  ago  when  at  con- 
ferencetime  in  Ohio  the  situation  was  going  the 
other  direction  and  the  Board  terminated  staff! 

Standing  Committee  (the  most  misnamed  of 
all  groups)  began  meetings  that  were  to  include  a 
hearing  on  the  report  concerning  "The  Ministry: 

August  1975  MESSENGER  25 


wifeytoD^ 


Ordination  and  Family  Life."  An  ad  hoc  group  of 
five  was  calling  for  the  dismissal  of  the  committee 
and  the  defeat  of  the  report.  That's  probably  not 
so  unusual  or  alarming — unless  you  are  on  the 
committee  in  question.  I  was,  and  my  anxiety 
grew. 

Working  in  the  press  room  as  calls  and 
releases  were  dispatched  to  the  media  (400 
newspapers  and  magazines)  impressed  me  with  the 
possibilities  for  our  witness.  Tv  and  radio  people 
called  in  for  interviews.  A  crew  of  coopted  writers 
for  this  Messenger  report  filed  in  and  out,  check- 
ing assignments  with  Communications  Team 
members.  It  was  a  beehive! 

The  Annual  Conference  Central  Committee 
was  on  hand  early  to  cover  last  minute  details. 
The  district  executives  and  their  companions  met 
for  business  and  fellowship  at  Trotwood.  The 
Pastors  Association  spent  meaningful  professional 
hours  together.  The  Health  and  Welfare  Com- 
mittee as  well  as  other  committees  reporting  to 
Conference  this  year  met  one  last  time.  The 
Womaen's  Caucus  met  for  a  Feminist  Film 
Festival.  And  all  this  before  Annual  Conference 
officially  began! 

If  that  was  not  activity  enough,  then  early 
arrivals  could  engage  in  other  popular  activities: 

—  Registering.  Our  family  contributed  to  the 
confusion  by  registering  twice,  necessitating  a 
third  trip  for  our  first  Annual  Conference  rebate. 

— Touring  the  facility.  Guessing  the  seating 
capacity  and  commenting  on  the  temperature  level 
are  as  "Conference"  as  Bible  hours  and 
moderator's  addresses. 

—  Rubbing  elbows  with  busy  Elgin  staffers 
who,  though  friendly,  are  harried  by  deadlines 
and  the  hammer  and  nail  reality  of  setting  up  dis- 
plays in  the  midst  of  the  great  congregation. 
Professor  Charlie  Brown,  not  of  Peanuts,  told  the 
district  executives  that  we  of  the  church  are  tent 
dwellers.  This  is  clear  in  a  physical  sense  as  booths 


materialize  on  Monday  and  disappear  on  Satur- 
day night. 

—  Practicing  the  "Conference  Step."  This  in- 
volves learning  a  mixture  of  karate,  ballet,  foot- 
ball, kung  fu,  and  soccer  movements  to  protect 
oneself  and  others  in  the  squash  and  squeeze  of 
the  hurrying  throng.  It  includes  becoming  adept 
nudging  timid  souls  gently  off  the  descending  es 
calator  to  keep  others  from  going  down  like 
dominoes. 

The  conference  theme,  "All  Creation  Awaits 
brought  us  to  Dayton  with  expectation.  The 
procession  of  district  banners — my  wife  had  mai 
ours — symbolizes  something  of  the  uniqueness 
and  the  commonality  of  who  we  are,  a  demonstr 
tion  of  (as  the  Hausa  of  Nigeria  put  it)  "eating 
forward"  together.  With  the  colorful  banners 
floating  like  gentle  waves  across  the  sea  of  joyo 
faces,  1  contemplated  the  faith  delivered  to  us,  ar 
the  church  through  which  M.  R.  Zigler  says  wei 
must  deliver.  | 

The  "On  Earth  Peace  Conference"  breakfast! 
focused  on  a  vital  ongoing  peace  witness  by 
gathering  interest  groups  together.  The  emphasi 
illustrates  the  flexibility  of  the  church  in  attemp 
ing  to  accommodate  and  cooperate  with  good  ' 
ideas  whether  they  originate  in  Elgin,  New  Win 
sor.  Locust  Grove,  or  Sebring. 

An  era  of  history  ended  graciously  and 
another  began  impressively  when  "my"  seminar 
president  resigned  and  Warren  Groff  became  oi 
new  president.  I  responded  to  his  prayer  reques 
and  will  support  him  and  Ruth  in  that  way. 

Donna  Forbes  Steiner  ministered  effectively 
us  Wednesday  evening,  asking  us  to  bite  the  bli 
apple.  I'll  be  looking  for  Brethren  with  stained 
teeth. 

It  was  good  to  see  Jim  Myer  on  the  platfori 
Thursday  evening.  He  presented  his  faith  in  an 
animated,  authoritative,  urgent,  and  sincere 
message.  My  basic  response  to  his  clearly-outlir 


■> 


26  MESSENGER  August  1975 


dtness  to  the  Second  Coming  is  simply,  "I'm 
5ady  . . .  but  not  waiting."  How  impossible  to 
lescribe  meaningfully  what  happened  to  us  as  we 
ing  together  the  "Hallelujah  Chorus."  Our  family 
ngs  all  parts,  and  after  a  little  while  1  moved 
oser  to  the  others  to  hear  our  entire  contribu- 
on.  As  the  thunder  of  the  last  Hallelujah  faded 
ito  silence,  the  now  familiar  moistness  clouded 
ly  eyes  and  I  asked  myself  again  the  most 
miliar  and  faithless  question  of  my  week:  "Can 
e  continue  this  high  spiritual  level  throughout 
le  conference?" 

The  Friday  evening  cup  of  cold  water  tasted 
freshing  and  reminded  us  that  there  are  simple 
ays  to  minister  to  our  needs.  It  came  after  the 
atorio  presented  by  205  talented  people, 
chnical  problems  coupled  with  the  massive 
owd  detracted  from  the  total  effectiveness.  More 
orus  singing  and  fewer  solos  would  have  made 
more  inspiring  for  me.  What  did  inspire  me  was 
baby  girl  performing  a  pre-walking  ballet  in  the 
le  while  the  choir  sang  about  creation.  Her  only 
op  was  an  overturned  stroller. 

In  the  final  worship  service  we  covenanted 
gather  to  witness  to  the  new  creation.  The 
nners,  silent  but  strong  sentinels  of  a  spiritually 
alizing  week,  led  us  out  of  the  Convention 
nter  to  our  home  districts  and  congregations. 
No  review  of  the  1975  Annual  Conference 
)uld  be  complete  without  reference  to  the  ac- 
mplishments  of  B.  Wayne  Crist's  worship  com- 
ttee.  As  Nancy  Faus  demanded  the  utmost 
im  the  choir  by  giving  her  utmost,  my  thought 
)eatedly  was,  "Clyde  Holsinger  must  be  exulting 
t;iight."  The  ubiquitous  Al  Brightbill  made  the 
s  ging  of  every  hymn  a  faith-sharing  opportunity. 
I  the  Brethren  came  to  Dayton  for  inspiration, 
t  y  got  full  measure  and  running  over. 

One  of  the  consistently  rich  hours  of  the  week 
vs  the  Bible  Study.  Participants  could  choose 
ti  m  many  approaches.  I  chose  the  simulation  ex- 


perience concerning  Isaac  and  family.  We  were 
divided  into  groups  representing  each  character.  I 
was  in  the  Rebecca  group.  We  researched  our  role 
by  reading  the  references,  talking  over  how  we 
saw  Rebecca  as  a  person,  and  laying  plans  for  the 
big  meeting  that  would  bring  the  family  together 
to  deal  with  the  problem  of  Esau's  stolen  blessing. 
For  the  first  time  we  saw  each  character  as  a  real 
human  being  and  entered  into  the  emotion  of  the 
situation  as  if  we  were  a  real  part  of  that  ancient 
drama.  Simulation  is  exciting  Bible  study. 

"We'll  start  at  microphone  four  in  ten  minutes. 
We're  recessed!"  Abruptly  the  Bethany  Land  Sale 
debate  halted.  A  break  was  good.  The  debate  con- 
tinued unofficially  all  around  the  great  hall.  I  ap- 
preciated the  officers'  attempts  to  provide  a 
balanced  discussion  of  the  issues.  But,  is  not  the 
adversary  role  only  accented  by  having  "pro"  and 
"con"  microphones?  If,  as  Dan  West  shared, 
Roberts  of  "Rules"  fame  was  a  military  man, 
maybe  we  need  to  look  for  a  better  way  to  con- 
duct our  business.  Is  there  a  way  we  could  all 
become  winners  instead  of  unquestioningly  ac- 
cepting the  usual  win-lose  dichotomy?  If  there  is  a 
"pro"  line  and  a  "con,"  does  this  mean  that  the 
debate  is  finished  before  it  begins,  since  one's 
mind  is  made  up  before  approaching  the  mike? 
What  are  the  ethics  of  individual  handout  sheets 
either  for  or  against  an  issue?  Does  the  timing  of 
the  distribution  affect  the  vote  in  any  significant 
way?  Isn't  there  a  conference  ruling  about  the  dis- 
tribution of  non-approved  literature?  Is 
applauding  fair  in  conference  discussions? 

High  interest  and  intense  debate  came  and 
went  with  irregularity  during  the  business 
sessions.  Emotions  and  feelings  once  expressed 
tend  to  cool  and  become  more  reasonable.  Some 
delegates  come  primed  to  debate  a  single  issue. 
Some  come  primed  to  speak  on  every  issue  (even 
some  not  on  the  agenda).  Some  come  pro- 
grammed to  keep  silent  on  all  issues,  following 


August  1 975  MESSENGER  27 


Lincoln's  dictum.  But  that  isn't  obvious  in  the 
lines  at  the  microphones. 

If  we  tended  to  take  ourselves  too  seriously  at 
times,  we  were  recycled  and  objectified  by  the 
"stingers"  produced  by  LeRoy  Kennel  and  his 
group.  Presented  almost  spontaneously  and  with 
excellent  timing,  the  short  dramatic  spots  focused 
on  stereotypes  of  ministry,  the  personal  needs  of 
pastors,  world  hunger,  ecumenicity,  alcohol,  and 
the  good  work  of  the  moderator.  While  perhaps 
not  a  howling  success,  the  Kennel  Club  still 
presented  timely  and  pointed  commentary  on  the 
current  issues  of  Conference. 

Earlier  I  referred  to  serving  on  a  conference 
committee.  How  does  one  feel  as  a  committee 
member  being  on  stage  for  a  day  awaiting  the 
decision  on  the  report?  Humble,  needed, 
vulnerable,  surprised,  convinced,  and,  when  the 
matter  is  finally  decided  by  the  delegate  vote, 
relieved  and  thankful  for  the  experience.  Elaine 
Sollenberger  wrote  concerning  Annual  Con- 
ference committees  in  Messenger,  August  1972: 
"Choosing  certain  individuals  for  these 
assignments  is  in  itself  an  act  of  faith."  I  would 
add  that  to  accept  such  an  assignment  is  an  act  of 
faith  as  well. 

Even  during  business  sessions  the  foyer  of  the 
Convention  Center  is  where  a  lot  of  action  is.  A 
meaningful  day  could  be  spent  viewing  displays 
and  the  art  show.  After  ignoring  all  this  for 
several  days,  1  took  time  to  tour  and  react.  Attrac- 
tive: A  large  banner  depicting  our  host  district. 
Educational:  The  Messenger  family  tree.  In- 
teresting: The  Brethren  Homes  Association  pin- 
points retirement  homes.  Informative:  Con- 
gregational representatives  identifying  their  con- 
gregations on  a  large  styrofoam  map.  Comprehen- 
sive: Colleges  and  camping  groups  showing  a 
united  front  and  offered  information.  Exciting: 


Florida  District  giving  away  2000  shells  that  were 
collected  and  polished  by  one  couple.  And  don't 
forget  the  beautiful  quilts  stitched  and  joined  on 
the  spot. 

In  the  tour  1  took  I  came  upon  an  attractive 
sister  sketching  portraits  with  the  proceeds  going 
to  world  hunger  relief.  I  was  so  impressed  with 
her  graciousness,  friendliness,  talent,  and  energy 
that  I  married  her — twenty-five  years  ago!  She  is 
symbolic  of  the  many  people  at  Conference  and  at 
home  extending  themselves  for  the  sake  of  others. 

There  are  some  big  words  related  to  Con- 
ference. Paul  M.  Zimmerman,  head  usher  this 
year,  and  a  conference  regular  since  1970,  felt  the 
word  was  "fellowship."  "Inspiration"  rates  high. 
Don't  leave  out  "work."  "Education,"  "growth," 
"variety,"  "awareness,"  "relevance,"  "anticipa- 
tion," "tiredness,"  "orderliness,"  and  "democratic" 
are  others  in  this  merely  suggestive  list. 

The  feel  of  Annual  Conference  is  not  complete 
without  recognizing  the  many  who  fasted  for 
world  hunger,  and  the  roving  marshalls  arresting 
people  on  trumped-up  charges  to  dramatize  dif- 
ficulties in  the  criminal  justice  system. 

Well,  that's  a  part  of  it  . . .  the  Dayton  Con- 
ference I  attended  and  saw  and  felt.  Perhaps  the 
one  you  attended  was  different.  Perhaps  you 
didn't  even  attend.  If  so,  I  hope  these  words  made 
you  feel  as  if  you  did.  ^ 

Again,  I  believe  in  the  church.  I  have  faith  in 
the  way  it  goes  about  its  business.  I  have  hope  for 
its  future.  My  love  and  devotion  for  it  grows  in 
direct  proportion  to  my  commitment  and  interest. 
I'll  be  in  Wichita  in  1976  because  I  care. 

I'll  be  looking  for  you  and  will  be  anxious  to 
hear  your  evaluation  of  that  Annual  Conference. 
Until  then! — Carroll  M.  Petry,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.  Executive  secretary.  South  I  Cen- 
tral Indiana  District  n 


28  MESSENGER  August  1975 


COMMUNITY  DEyELOPMENT  /  conlinued  from  page  9 


elements  must  be  present  and  adhered  to 
by  both  the  agency  and  the  people.  The 
broad  gamut  of  a  community's  needs  and 
resources  must  be  fully  examined  by  the 
people  with  their  leaders  before  priorities 
are  set.  In  this  way  being  involved  in 
decision-making  also  increases  the  growth 
of  an  individual's  ability  to  think  and  to 
reason,  thus  making  him  more  effective  in 
his  role  as  a  participating  or  contributing 
member  of  the  community.  An  agency 
should  not  approach  a  community  with  a 
development  plan  already  formulated  and 
expect  the  community's  answer  to  be  "yes" 
or  "no"  for  their  services.  A  program  that 
is  based  on  a  "yes"  or  "no"  answer  fails  to 
help  the  community  become  aware  of  its 
needs  and  resources;  it  fails  to  develop 
leadership;  and  it  fails  to  develop  a  feeling 
in  the  community  that  people  have  the 
ability  to  improve  their  future  on  their  own 
initiative.  Physical  labor  alone  on  "self- 
help"  projects  will  neither  improve  the 
ability  to  reason  nor  give  dignity  to 
recipients  of  a  development  project. 


T. 


he  concept  of  self-help  is  vitally  impor- 
tant as  a  means  for  the  community  to 
realize  that  the  result  of  its  activity  is  deter- 
mined by  its  efforts;  that  it  will  continue  to 
have  a  responsibility  for  the  project's 
future,  which  is  its  future.  A  Community 
Development  worker  must  accept  that  peo- 
ple, although  illiterate,  can  be  intelligent 
and  capable  of  reasoning  and  decision- 
making in  matters  related  to  their  com- 
munity and  environment.  When  persons 
are  denied  the  privilege  of  reasoning  and 
decision-making  they  fail  to  exercise  their 
potential  to  the  fullest.  They  also  develop  a 
dependence  upon  that  worker,  agency,  or 
government  that  makes  their  decisions. 
They  fail  to  become  the  complete  persons 
they  have  the  ability  to  become.  And  the 
worker  who  denied  that  right  to  make  per- 
sonal decisions  has  denied  one  of  the  basic 
human  rights.  Programs  based  upon 
decisions  made  by  outsiders  are  often  con- 
sidered by  the  recipients  still  to  belong  to 
those  who  made  the  decision.  Responsibili- 
i  ty  for  such  a  completed  project  is  difficult 
\  for  a  community  to  accept.  Therefore,  one 
I  principle  for  "human  development"  is  that 
j  people  have  the  opportunity  and  be  en- 
,( couraged  to  participate  in  a  developmental 
j  process  where  they  reason  and  act  with 
I  competence  for  their  own  betterment. 
Community  Development  is  viewed  as 


being  a  community  undertaking.  No  sec- 
tion of  a  community  may  systematically 
exclude  others  from  the  community  activi- 
ty. This  is  especially  important  when  racial 
or  religious  differences  are  present.  An  ex- 
ample for  the  need  of  community  coopera- 
tion is  illustrated  in  a  village  well  project  of 
the  Uba  District  Program,  Nigeria,  where 
Christians,  Moslems,  and  pagans  compose 
the  community.  Since  the  program  was 
directed  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Mission,  the  Moslems  of  the  community 
were  suspicious  of  the  Christians'  efforts 
for  digging  the  well.  However,  when  a 
Moslem  employee  of  the  program  worked 
with  the  community  he  was  able  to  gain 
everyone's  confidence,  resulting  in  coopera- 
tion of  the  entire  village  in  the  completion 
of  digging  the  well. 

A  Community  Development  practitioner 
must  think  of  Community  Development  as 
a  process  where  certain  practices  are  par- 
ticipated in  by  the  community  as  the 
citizens  strive  to  decide  their  own  future. 
The  first  step  in  the  Community  Develop- 
ment process  may  be  an  effort  by  in- 
dividuals in  the  community  to  learn  more 
about  their  own  environment,  perhaps  by 
self-survey.  As  the  community  moves 
through  the  process  and  identifies  its  needs 
it  will  also  evaluate  both  local  and  outside 
resources.  As  a  community's  people  in- 
creases understanding  of  themselves,  they 
can  be  encouraged  to  consider  ways  to  im- 
prove and  the  process  moves  into  the  set- 
ting of  priorities  and  plans  for  the  future. 
With  this  understanding,  then,  of  their 
proposals,  the  people  actually  look  forward 
to  and  anticipate  their  participation  in  the 
direct  execution  of  their  finalized  plans. 
For  the  community  the  Community 
Development  process  has  become  a  simple 
procedure  of  (1)  learning  about  its  needs 
and  resources,  (2)  setting  of  priorities,  and 
(3)  the  making  of  plans  and  execution  of 
those  plans.  If  the  people  of  the  community 
deem  it  necessary  to  request  the  assistance 
of  a  technical  specialist  or  particular  serv- 
ice, they  are  certainly  encouraged  and  en- 
titled to  seek  that  service. 

Community  Development  is  a  program 
for  both  the  so-called  developing  nations 
and  the  developed  nations.  There  is  no 
stage  of  development  where  Community 
Development  principles  will  not  work  or 
should  not  be  used.  Today,  in  America, 
where  progress  and  development  has 
reached  such  a  high  level,  we  realize  that 
something  important  has  changed — the 


feeling  of  community  has  been  lost  in  the  ur- 
ban sprawl.  Studies  show  that  communities 
that  are  working  together  to  solve  their  needs 
are  restoring  this  sense  of  "community." 
People  need  a  sense  of  security  that  can  be 
found  where  people,  through  intentional  ef- 
fort, work  together  for  the  good  of  their 
community. 


An  the  developing  nations,  where 
traditional  values  and  beliefs  are  being 
challenged  or  changed — often  by  outside 
influence — or  among  people  suffering  from 
a  natural  disaster,  such  as  refugees  in 
Bangladesh,  Community  Development  prin- 
ciples and  process  offer  hope  for  regaining 
human  dignity.  People  appreciate  respon- 
sibility and,  when  given  the  opportunity,  will 
work  to  improve  their  community.  In  a 
refugee  camp  in  Niamey,  Niger,  in  1974,  the 
doctor-in-charge  encouraged  the  people  to 
keep  the  camp  clean,  which  the  people  were 
able  to  accomplish.  Distribution  of  supplies 
was  done  by  the  accepted  leaders  among  the 
refugees  and  order  was  good  inthecamp.  As 
rehabilitation  takes  place  with  such  people, 
it  is  important  that  their  dignity  be  re- 
established. 

The  completion  of  a  project  is  a  thing  of 
pride  to  the  community.  Celebration,  then 
evaluation,  are  vital  parts  of  the  process, 
helping  people  to  appreciate  their  own 
abilities,  which  encourages  them  to  continue 
as  responsible  citizens  of  their  community. 
As  people  see  the  rewards  of  their  labor  and 
learn  that  they  have  contributions  to  make  to 
their  environment,  they  are  ready  to  begin 
the  Community  Development  process  again. 

Thus  the  Community  Development 
process  is  self-perpetuating.  As  one  project  is 
completed  it  is  evaluated  and  the  community 
goes  back  to  its  initial  priorities  and  plans 
and  initiates  action  again. 

Community  Development  has  been 
successful  in  Uba  District.  Neighboring 
areas  are  eager  for  help  in  getting  organized. 
The  state  government  views  Uba  as  a 
prototype  for  its  own  program.  This 
different  approach,  emphasizing  people  in- 
volvement is  Brethren  Service  and  Foreign 
Missions  1970s  style:  People  sense  their 
needs;  a  program  is  initiated;  indigenous 
leadership  is  encouraged  and  trained;  the 
program  is  firmly  established  and  offered  as 
a  model  for  areas  with  a  similar  situation 
to  emulate  or  improve  upon.  Community 
Development  is  a  different  approach  to 
service.    Q 


August  1975  MESSENGER  29 


Lov€5t  Ihou  lh€€p 


Read:  Luke  10:25-37 

Jesus,  in  answering  the  challenging  lawyer, 
drew  from  two  ancient  sources — 
Deuteronomy  6:4  and  Leviticus  19:18  — 
clearly  linking  together  love  for  God  and 
love  for  brother  and  sister.  Jesus  reminds 
us  in  the  great  command  that  we  respond 
to  God's  love  with  our  whole  being.  It 
shows  expression  of  "soul"  or  wholeness 
that  is  life  and  life  giving. 

Jesus  then,  with  beautiful  perception 
said,  "Love  the  neighbor  as  you  love 
yourself."  We  tag  that  on  very  easily  and 
have  often  glossed  over  the  end  of  the 
statement  and  dwelt  on  "loving  the 
neighbor"  in  a  misunderstanding  of  its 
meaning.  We  Brethren  have  cheered  the 
Good  Samaritan,  saying,  "That's  where  we 
are,"  but  in  skipping  over  the  last  half  of 
Jesus'  "command"  or  declaration  we've 
missed  the  "how"  of  loving  the  neighbor  . . . 
love  the  neighbor  as  you  love  yourself.  I 
love  God  with  myself,  so  that  puts  self  in  a 
focus  and  in  a  special  relationship.  If  I 
believe  his  love,  I  can  recognize  I  have 
worth,  value,  lovability,  so  1  can  love 
myself  too!  In  loving  myself,  knowing  the 
rascal  that  I  am  at  times,  knowing  my 
failure,  knowing  my  sin  and  my  un- 
loveliness  as  well  as  my  worth,  I  am  then 
able  to  love  my  neighbor — "those  other 
people."  That's  the  way  it's  supposed  to 
work,  but  we  get  lost,  deny  the  value  of  the 
self  that  God  has  given  and  loves,  and  fail 
to  love  either  ourselves  or  our  neighbors. 


T. 


.  he  Leviticus  words  primarily  deal  with 
the  Hebrew  neighbor,  but  Jesus  broadened 
it  to  the  "human"  neighbor.  Jesus'  words 
are  a  declaration  more  than  a  command. 
We  do  love  as  we  love  ourselves  ...  or  we 
hate  as  we  hate  ourselves.  We  cannot  get 
away  from  this  because  we  cannot  deal 
differently  with  other  persons  from  how  we 
basically  deal  with  ourselves. 


How  do  we  feel  then  about  ourselves? 
Quite  frequently  we  have  been  taught  — 
"don't  love  yourself,  that's  selfish,"  "don't 
look  at  your  good  points  or  admit  them, 
that's  bragging,"  "give  yourself  away  in 
meeting  other  people's  needs,"  "don't  be 
concerned  about  you,"  "be  self-less,"  "don't 
consider  yourself,  think  only  of  others."  It 
is  my  conviction  that  Jesus  is  saying,  "Lov- 
ing neighbor  as  self  means  that  I  must 
place  a  great  sense  of  worth  on  myself  . . . 
that  1  must  love  myself  and  care  for  myself 
. . .  that  I  have  confidence,  trust,  respect, 
presence  of  mind  and  being  that  says,  'I  am 
a  human  being  . . .  there's  worth  in  that  . . . 
there's  power  in  that,  and  1  can  love  myself 
because  God  has  loved  me,  because  God 
has  given  me  gifts,  because  God  seeks  to 
move  through  me  in  reaching  to  the  world 
of  people.'" 


T. 


his  is  not  self-worship,  for  only  God  is 
to  be  worshiped.  Self-worship,  or  self- 
righteousness,  or  self-pity  is  quite  a 
different  thing  because  it  leads  basically  to, 
or  comes  basically  from,  self-hate.  I  reflect 
upon  myself  and  find  there  is  much  that  I 
hate  . . .  failure  to  be  trustworthy  and  to 
trust,  lack  of  confidence,  a  sense  of 
weakness  in  not  being  able  to  do  what  1 
want,  striving  for  a  kind  of  perfection  that 
gets  me  into  all  kinds  of  trouble  (like  trying 
to  be  God)  so  that  1  can  scarcely  feel  good 
about  myself.  I  then  dwell  on  mistakes,  not 
being  able  to  pick  up  and  go  again,  sensing 
death  with  no  hope  for  rebirth  or  resurrec- 
tion. 

Self-love  is  developing  trust  and  con- 
fidence, and  relationships.  It  is  accepting 
the  gifts  of  life  and  expressing  those  gifts. 
It  is  a  recognition  that  there  is  something 
of  value,  there  is  something  worthy  of  love 
that  is  this  person,  me!  It's  recognizing  that 
1  don't  have  to  be  perfect  but  I  can  accept 
myself  as  one  who  fails  but  is  not  defeated, 
as  one  who  sins  but  is  not  lost,  one  who 


makes  mistakes  but  is  not  a  mistake.  It  is 
developing  a  sense  of  humor  about  one's 
self,  not  taking  one's  self  so  terribly 
serious.  It  is  a  recognition  that  I  am 
someone,  someone  important,  and  I  can 
know  that  life  is  good,  that  God  is  love 
even  in  a  world  of  struggle  and  tragedy. 


To 


.  o  love  my  neighbor  as  myself  is  to 
recognize  that  my  neighbor  is  a  human  be- 
ing. That  the  neighbor  is  like  me — suffers 
like  me,  cries  like  me,  sings  like  me,  re- 
joices like  me.  That's  exciting  . . .  it's  life 
giving  . . .  and  life  continuing!  How  do  you 
look  at  the  neighbor?  The  Priest  and  Levite 
(how  quickly  we  condemn  them)  saw  the 
world  as  Priest  and  Levite.  The  man  by  the 
side  of  the  road  was  neither  a  Priest  nor  a 
Levite  so  it's  all  right  to  leave  him  there 
because  "He's  not  our  kind!"  The 
Samaritan  came  along,  did  not  see  a  Jew, 
did  not  see  a  Samaritan,  but  saw  a  man — a 
human  being — "like  me,"  a  brother,  a  crea- 
tion of  God,  for  whom  God  had  given 
himself,  to  whom  God  has  given  life.  He 
saw  a  brother  who  needed  help  and  the 
strength  and  the  power  of  a  loving  touch. 
The  Samaritan  could  reach  out  and  bind 
up  his  brother's  wounds  and  see  that  he 
was  cared  for  because  he  was  a  fellow 
human  being.  That's  who  he  saw.  His 
world  was  that  wide  and  that  complete.  It 
is  so  easy  to  look  through  white  eyes  or 
black  eyes  or  majority  eyes  or  middle  class 
eyes  or  American  eyes  or  Brethren  eyes  and 
fail  to  see  "man"  or  "woman,"  fail  to  be 
neighbor  to  man  or  woman  in  need.  We 
fail  to  reach  out  and  seek  to  lift  or  to  bind 
or  to  care. 

As  we  see,  hear,  sense  the  world,  it's  all 
filtered  through  us  and  we  respond  with  in- 
differences, hate,  understanding,  love  de- 
pending upon  decisions  about  self.  God 
loves!  Love  God  with  your  whole  self. . . . 
love  yourself,  and  love  your  neighbor  as 
yourself.  D 


First,  bvG  goursG 


30  MESSENGER  August  1975 


og  David  L.  Rog^Ers 


"The  Good  Samaritan,"  by  Moral.  Ewing  Gallonav.  N.  Y 


August  1975  MESSENGER  31 


hmr®  0 


On  Palestine,  pastors,  life-style,  giving 


Nina  Bazouzi  Cullers 

Shalom  &  Salaam 
in  Palestine? 

I  was  very  impressed  by  the  resolution 
(Concern  for  Peace  in  the  Middle  East) 
adopted  by  the  General  Board  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  February  19-22, 
1975.  The  concern  for  peace  and  the  very 
fairness  which  the  statement  revealed 
are  signs  of  hope  that  should  the  great 
powers  heed,  the  world  would  be  relieved 
of  a  conflict  that  threatens  to  involve  all 
the  major  powers. 

The  conditions  in  the  Middle  East  at  the 
present  are  favorable  for  peace,  but  we 
know  from  facts  that  political  conditions  in 
that  part  of  the  world  can  easily  and  quick- 
ly shift  one  way  or  another. 

It  is  hard  for  Americans  to  understand 
the  mood  that  affects  Arab  diplomacy  and 
make  it  so  changeable.  You  have  to  be  an 
Arab  to  understand  for  instance  why  Sadat 
can  cooperate  with  Kissinger  to  achieve 
disengagement  agreements  and  call  the 
Americans  his  friends  and  still  be  popular 
among  the  pro-Russian  and  radical  Arab 
countries.  The  fact  that  Egypt  had  fought 
bravely  in  the  1973  war  against  Israel 
and  had  restored  pride  to  the  humiliated 
Arabs  had  placed  Sadat  at  the  head  of 
the  Arab  leaders. 

Historical  background,  religion,  cultures, 
mores,  economy,  climatic  conditions,  the 
social  structure  which  in  turn  affects 
tradition — all  these  elements  affect  the 
mentality  and  mood  of  a  people  and  make 
a  nation  respond  to  political  factors 
differently.  It  is  only  when  one  of  these 
complicated  factors  are  understood  and 
when  the  interplay  of  one  factor  affect- 
ing the  others  is  comprehended,  that  one 
could  understand  the  mentahty  of  the 
Arabic  people. 

To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those  in 
the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or  disagree 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation  of  this 
value,  and  to  an  open  and  probing  forum, 
that  "Here  I  Stand"  responses  are  invited. 


The  Arabs  look  upon  their  past  with 
great  pride.  Their  land  was  the  cradle  of 
civilization.  At  the  time  when  Europe  was 
in  the  Dark  Ages,  the  Arabs  were  advanced 
in  science,  medicine,  the  arts,  math,  and 
other  studies.  They  had  revived  the 
classical  Greek  and  Latin,  which  conse- 
quently inspired  the  European 
Renaissance.  But  their  great  empire  faded 
and  became  degenerate.  Ever  since,  they 
have  the  false  pride  of  a  sensitive  person 
with  an  inferiority  complex.  Now  there  is  a 
great  awakening  in  Arab  thought  and  a 
great  advancement  brought  about  by 
education  but  the  West  still  looks  down 
upon  the  Arabs  and  regards  them  with  the 
stereotyped  image  created  from  fanciful 
stories  of  the  Arabian  Nights.  It  is  because 
of  the  great  difference  in  historical 
background  and  the  lack  of  contact 
because  of  the  distance  (also  the  fact 
that  the  Arabs  have  not  tried  to  correct 
their  image)  that  the  Arabs  have  been 
misunderstood  and  misrepresented  in 
the  West. 


T. 


.  he  Arab  religion,  though  basically 
rooted  in  the  Old  Testament,  is  different 
from  Christianity  in  its  practices.  In  its 
beliefs,  Islam  is  closer  to  Christianity.  The 
Moslems  believe  in  all  the  prophets  of  the 
Old  Testament  as  the  Jews  do,  but  they  go 
further  in  that  they  believe  in  Jesus  as  a 
great  prophet  born  of  a  virgin  from  the 
Soul  of  God.  They  believe  that  Jesus  lived 
a  perfect,  sinless  life  and  performed  many 
miracles.  The  main  difference  in  the 
Moslem  belief  is  that  they  cannot  accept 
God  allowing  Jesus  to  suffer  on  the  cross, 
believing  instead  that  he  sent  an  angel  to 
take  Jesus'  place  and  to  be  crucified. 

Islam  is  based  on  law  and  order. 
Moslems  do  not  value  peace  over  justice. 
This  is  a  Christian  virtue.  War  for  a  just 
cause  is  thus  a  religious  duty.  A  fighter 
who  dies  in  battle  is  a  martyr.  He  has 
redeemed  himself  by  fighting  for  his  coun- 
try. Thus,  from  a  Moslem  point  of  view,  a 
Palestinian  liberator  is  not  a  terrorist.  He  is 
a  freedom  fighter,  a  hero,  and  a  saint. 

Arabic  societies  are  structured  differently 
from  western  societies.  This  makes  an  Arab 
a  slave  to  his  tradition;  a  conformist.  The 
"extended  family"  puts  a  lot  of  social 


pressure  and  control  on  the  individual.  The 
Arabs  live  in  communities  and  are  not 
mobile  like  the  Americans.  This  obliges 
them  to  follow  traditional  ways. 

Understanding  these  factors  helps  us  to 
see  why  the  Arabs  are  so  bitter  against 
Israel  and  belligerent  toward  the  West;  why 
they  are  willing  to  fight  until  the  end  to 
regain  their  lost  property  and  their 
lost  pride. 


T. 


.his  does  not  mean  that  the  Palestinians 
have  not  tried  peaceful  approaches.  Since 
1919,  they  have  put  on  peaceful  struggles 
to  maintain  their  independence.  They  have 
resorted  to  violence  now  out  of  despair  and 
a  realization  that  humanity  is  apathetic  to 
their  cause.  The  champions  of  democracy 
and  freedom  have  turned  their  backs  to 
them  and  are  supporting  their  oppressors. 

Now  the  Arabs  are  aware  of  the  power 
they  have  through  oil.  They  are  gambling 
with  this  commodity  and  are  willing  to  use 
it  to  redress  the  grievances  they  have 
against  colonialists  and  imperialists.  Peace 
at  this  opportune  time  before  the  oil 
countries  become  more  united  and  more 
powerful  and  before  the  industriahzed 
world  becomes  "strangulated"  is  there- 
fore very  necessary. 

To  say  that  Israel  has  a  right  to  the  land 
it  occupied  is  an  argument  that  has  its 
roots  in  American  culture  and  religion  and 
has  been  played  up  by  politics.  But  what 
about  the  Palestinian  refugees  who  are  still 
homeless,  uprooted,  humiliated,  without 
the  means  of  livelihood?  How  can  the 
world  stand  by  and  watch  them  suffer! 
Why  are  they  still  misunderstood? 

"There  will  be  no  peace  in  the  Middle 
East  unless  the  Palestinian  problem  is 
resolved."  This  statement  has  been 
repeated  many  times  during  the  past 
twenty-seven  years.   The  Palestinian 
problem  is  the  main  problem.  Until  a  few 
years  ago  people  have  not  heard  much 
about  the  Palestinians.  Everybody  knew 
there  was  a  war  in  the  Middle  East  but  few 
understood  why  and  how  the  war  started. 
It  took  such  shocking  acts  as  the  hijacking 
of  airplanes  and  the  killing  of  the  Olympic 
players  at  Munich,  to  acquaint  the  world 
with  the  Palestinians  and  make  it  aware  of 
their  grievances. 


32  MESSENGER  August  1975 


Having  been  a  Palestinian  myself,  I  must 
say  that  the  Fedayeen  are  not  terrorists. 
They  are,  at  heart,  a  peaceful  people,  who 
are  especially  noted  for  their  hospitality, 
their  courtesy  and  love  for  strangers,  and 
for  their  warmness  and  friendship. 
Christians,  Moslems,  and  Jews  had  lived 
together  in  peace  and  tranquillity  for  many 
centuries  prior  to  the  1948  war.  The  Chris- 
tian minority  of  whom  my  family  has  been 
a  part  for  many  generations  were  able  to 
practice  their  religious  duties  and  enjoy 
equal  rights  under  Moslem  leadership. 
Nowhere  else  in  the  world  has  a  Jew  lived 
more  happily  and  able  to  be  proud  than  in 
the  Middle  East  among  the  Arabs. 

It  is  therefore  hard  to  believe  that  a  peo- 
ple who  are  by  nature  peaceful  can  commit 
any  acts  of  terror.  I  have  taught  in  the 
refugee  camps  and  have  known  many 
fellows  who  have  perhaps  now  joined  the 
Fedayeen  groups.  It  is  tragic  to  see  what 

!  bitterness  and  a  sense  of  hopelessness  and 
despair  can  do  to  a  young  innocent  person 

1  who  is  humiliated  and  demoralized  by  hav- 
ing to  depend  on  the  UN  for  livelihood, 

I  who  has  become  very  disillusioned  with  the 
nternational  community  that  has  stood  by 
and  allowed  Palestinians  to  suffer,  offering 
no  sympathy,  ignoring  their  rights,  and  un- 
justly favoring  the  enemy.  You  have  to 
really  know  Palestinians  to  understand 
their  dilemma. 


Y. 


asser  Arafat,  however,  came  to  the  UN 
carrying  an  olive  branch  in  one  hand  and  a 
gun  in  another.  He  challenged  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  UN  not  to  let  the  olive 
branch  fall  down  from  his  hand.  For  the 
first  time  in  the  history  of  the  conflict  the 
Arabs  have  agreed  to  sit  at  the  conference 
table  and  negotiate  peace  with  Israel.  By 
doing  so,  they  have  come  down  from  their 
strict  refusal  for  negotiation  with  Israel. 

1  think  this  is  a  remarkable  step  toward 
peace.  The  time  therefore  is  right  for  the 
major  powers  to  seriously  push  for  peace, 
knowing  that  the  only  alternative  they  have 
is  devastating  war  that  would  threaten  the 
whole  world. 

My  fear  is  if  we  should  fail.  If  the  two 
main  powers  are  going  to  polarize  their 
strength,  then  the  opportunity  for  peace 
will  be  gone  and  conflict  which  now  for 
twenty-seven  years  has  inflicted  both 
Israelis   and    Arabs   will   continue   to   in- 
crease. 

The  words  "Shalom"  and  "Salaam" 


(peace)  are  the  most  frequently  used  words 
in  both  Hebrew  and  Arabic.  Could  peace 
once  more  prevail  in  that  troubled  land? 
Will  the  day  ever  come  when  a  Pales- 
tinian can  greet  an  Israeli  with  "Salaam 
or  Shalom  my  friend!"    D 


John  Mummert 

Think  of  those 
seventy  disciples 

In  Luke  10:1-17  we  have  the  great  passage 
about  the  Lord  sending  the  seventy  out  to 
preach.  One  of  the  striking  things  about 
the  passage  is  that  the  disciples  were  to 
travel  by  faith,  and  depend  upon  God  to 
supply  their  needs.  Luke  10:4  points  out 
that  the  disciples  were  commanded  to 
"carry  no  purse,  no  bags,  no  sandals." 
They  were  not  to  depend  upon  any 
guaranteed  wage,  but  rather  upon  what 
God  would  provide  by  his  grace. 

The  situation  described  in  Luke  seems  to 
me  to  be  far  different  from  what  is  happen- 
ing in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  today. 
Instead  of  operating  on  faith,  often 
pastoral  placement  operates  on  the  princi- 
ple of  money.  The  fact  that  Annual  Con- 
ference dealt  with  a  new  salary  scale  in 
Dayton  this  year  points  this  out  so  well. 
When  I  graduated  from  Bethany  Seminary 
two  years  ago,  I  was  encouraged  by  Elgin 
staff,  seminary  staff,  and  fellow  students  to 
seek  the  salary  that  was  up  to  the 
Brotherhood  scale.  The  feeling  that  many 
had  was,  "If  you  don't  get  scale,  don't  go 
there." 

In  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  we  have 
many  small  churches.  A  glance  at  the 
Directory  points  out  that  several  districts 
have  only  a  few  churches  served  by  full- 
time  pastors  while  many  more  are  served 
by  part-time  or  non-salaried  pastors.  Some 
churches  choose  the  free  ministry  for  their 
leadership,  but  many  small  churches  want 
professional  pastoral  leadership.  The 
Southern  Plains  District,  which  I  serve  as 
chairman  of  the  district  ministry  board,  has 
fourteen  churches.  Three  of  these  churches 
have  full-time  pastors.  Eleven  have  part- 
time  pastors.  None  of  these  churches  really 
have  the  resources  to  meet  the  Brother- 
hood salary  scale. 

I  see  a  great  need  today  for  good 
leadership  in  our  small  churches.  Too  often 


the  small  church  does  not  get  the  most 
qualified  leadership  because  it  cannot  af- 
ford to  pay  for  it.  The  Bethany  graduates 
usually  go  to  the  larger  churches  paying 
better  salaries.  They  are  needed  by  the 
larger  churches,  but  also  by  the  smaller 
ones  as  well.  E.xperienced  pastors  often 
seek  to  go  to  larger  churches  with  good 
salaries  instead  of  the  small,  struggling 
churches. 

We  Brethren  need  to  rethink  and  ques- 
tion the  salary  scale.  It  has  been  assumed 
that  scale  is  good,  and  it  has  done  much  to 
raise  the  standard  of  living  for  pastoral 
families.  Yet  in  so  many  instances  there  are 
churches  that  need  leadership  that  do  not 
have  the  resources  to  pay  for  it.  What  do 
we  do  about  churches  like  this?  We  can 
take  the  attitude  that  if  they  can't  pay  a 
good  salary,  they  don't  deserve  good 
leadership.  We  who  are  pastors  can  assume 
that  if  we  don't  get  scale,  we  can  forget 
about  going  any  place  with  limited  finan- 
cial resources.  But  then  we  need  to  think 
about  the  seventy  disciples  whom  Jesus 
sent  out.  They  were  told  to  go  in  faith, 
and  to  let  their  needs  be  met  by  God's 
grace.  If  they  waited  until  the  people  who 
needed  God's  love  could  afford  to  pay 
well  for  it,  they  would  never  have  gone 
out.  Isn't  there  a  message  there  for  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  its  pas- 
tors today?  n 


Gerald  W.  Roller 

Saving  up  for 
rainy  days 

In  a  recent  article  on  premarriage  counsel- 
ing the  author  suggested  that  the  young 
couple  starting  in  their  marriage  should 
plan  a  budget  in  order  to  help  overcome 
one  of  the  many  pitfalls  that  might 
otherwise  interfere  with  their  relationship. 
He  suggested  that  they  might  wish  to  es- 
tablish their  total  income,  and  then  save 
ten  percent,  give  away  ten  percent  (to  the 
church,  to  charitable  institutions,  etc.),  and 
spend  the  remaining  eighty  percent  on 
whatever  they  needed  or  desired.  The  value 
of  the  ten  percent  "given  away"  cannot  be 
measured  in  dollars  or  cents,  but  includes 
the  joy  of  involvement  which  only  those 
who  participate  can  feel.  The  ten  percent 
savings  over  a  number  of  years  could  result 
in  a  sizable  "fund"  available  for  the  multi- 


August  1975  MESSENGEK  33 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 


INVITATION  — If  you  are  planning  a  trip  to 
Florida,  why  not  worship  with  us?  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  7040-38th  Ave.  No., 
St.  Petersburg,  Fla.  33710.  Phone  341-3561. 
Sunday  School  9:15  A.M.  Morning  Worship 
10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor 

WANTED  — Salesperson  or  college  student 
needed  immediately  to  sell  fun  and  dis- 
covery in  this  area.  Phone  (507)  467  9741  or 
write  Park  Lane  Hotel,  Lanesboro,  Mn. 
55949. 


NOW  AVAILABLE! 


A  NEW  BRETHREN 
PRESS  CATALOG 

Write  for  a  free  copy. 

The  Brethren  Press 

1451  Dundee  Ave. 

Elgin,  III.  60120 


Written  in  another 
generation  yet  timeless 
as  man  himself  .  .  . 

CLARKE'S 
COMMENTARY 

It  took  Adam  Clarke  forty  years 
to  produce  the  best  in  interpre- 
tative material  for  the  Bible. 
His    commentary    reveals    step- 
by-step  the  stories  in  each 
chapter  of  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
taments and  uses  different 
interpretations   from  various 
scholars.  Includes  information  on 
origins  and  validity.  An  asset 
to  all  Bible  readers  and  teachers. 
Six  volumes.  5,468  pages.  Hand- 
some and  durable  binding.  .$7.95 
per  volume;   $42.95  per  set. 

at  your  local  bookstore 

Qbingdon 


34  MESSENGER  August  1975 


h(B\rm  W 


pie  things  that  arise  in  a  lifetime  of  oc- 
casional "rainy  days." 

There  is  another  kind  of  savings  we 
might  wish  to  look  at.  For  many  years  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  has  had  as  one  of 
its  points  of  emphasis  "the  simple  life." 
Part  of  this  living  simply  has  included 
proper  habits  of  health.  From  time  to  time 
over  the  years  Annual  Conference  has  dealt 
with  most  of  these  issues  and  given 
recommendations  and  guidelines  for  the 
membership.  Although  many  fail  to  realize 
this,  the  habits  they  now  follow  may  be 
"draining  their  rainy  day  savings"  on 
health  years  later. 

Perhaps  the  three  greatest  problems  we 
face  are:  (!)  Overeating  or  obesity.  (A  rule 
of  thumb  for  ideal  weight  is  100  pounds  for 
being  five  feet  in  height  and  five  pounds 
additional  for  every  inch  above  that,  plus 
or  minus  fifteen  pounds.  For  example,  five 
feet,  five  inches  tall  would  equal  125 
pounds  ideal  weight  with  1 10  to  140 
pounds  the  normal  range.)  How  do  you 
weigh  in?  (2)  Alcoholism  and  other  drugs. 
Truly,  more  persons  in  our  country,  as  well 
in  our  denomination,  are  consumers  of 
these  products.  "A  little  wine  before 
dinner"  may  lead  to  a  lifetime  of 
alcoholism.  I  am  not  aware  of  anyone  who 
intends  to  become  an  alcoholic  at  the  onset 
of  his  drinking.  Likewise,  few  persons  who 
experiment  with  drugs  expect  to  become 
addicted.  The  results  would  indicate  that 
many  do  so.  The  congregation  that  says 
there  is  no  problem  of  this  sort  in  its 
membership  does  not  know  its 
membership.  (3)  Tobacco.  A  real  trouble- 
maker twenty  years  later.  Directly  related 
to  cancer,  heart  disease,  circulation 
problems,  emphysema,  and  bronchitis. 
How  many  persons  who  are  now  smoking 
can  really  stop? 

Few  people,  it  seems,  realize  that  ade- 
quate rest,  recreation,  and  exercise  are  just 
as  important  as  work  in  physical  health. 
Even  more  persons  fail  to  release 
emotional  tension  by  expressing  their 
feelings  or  by  taking  a  break  from  routine, 
often  resorting  to  drugs  (coffee,  tea,  soft 
drinks,  beer,  tranquilizers)  to  overcome 
real  issues  m  order  to  "just  keep  on  going." 
The  real  fact  is  that  these  poor  health 
habits  lead  to  a  shorter  life  span,  chronic  il- 
lnesses and  diseases,  and  problems  of  men- 
tal health  that  otherwise  might  never  occur, 
or  at  least,  would  be  much  later  in  their 
onset.  This  in  effect  interferes  with  the  sim- 
ple life.  As  Christians  we  need  to  become 
aware  of  our  habits  of  living  in 
order  to  experience  more  richly  the  joy  of 
our  faith!  □ 


Boh  Beery 

Teach  gratitude, 
not  stewardship 

After  a  lapse  of  several  years,  I  was  agaii 
in  the  fall  of  1974  closely  involved  in  a 
stewardship  campaign  in  a  local  congregf 
tion.  The  following  observations  are  an 
outgrowth  of  that  involvement. 

The  patterns  of  response  in  such  a  carr 
paign  have  not  changed  very  much.  A 
relatively  small  group  of  dedicated  persoi 
still  do  a  major  part  of  the  giving.  The 
same  thrills  and  disappointments  are  still 
there.  The  thrills  come  from  knowing  tha 
some  persons,  usually  elderly,  have  made 
commitments  that  are  a  real  sacrifice  of 
love,  or  from  seeing  a  young  couple  on  a 
very  modest  salary  unhesitatingly  commit 
full  tithe  of  that  salary.  The  disappoint- 
ments come,  of  course,  from  discovering 
that  some  with  abundant  resources  make 
only  token  commitments  or  none  at  all. 

Christians  who  have  not  come  to  a 
definite  understanding  with  themselves 
concerning  their  relationship  to  material 
possessions  have  neglected  a  vital  part  of 
their  total  Christian  commitment.  Such  a 
understanding  can  have  validity  only  if  it 
reached  in  the  light  of  one's  most  earnest 
study  of  the  teachings  of  Jesus  on  the 
matter.  How  many  of  us,  for  example, 
have  examined  carefully  the  implications 
Jesus'  statement  that  it  is  with  great  dif- 
ficulty that  the  rich  enter  his  kingdom? 
Probably  our  chief  stumbling  block  here 
that  we  apply  the  principle  to  the  super- 
rich  and  conveniently  assume  that  it  hast 
application  to  those  who  are  merely 
"affluent." 

In  spite  of  the  ever-present  objection  th 
the  church  talks  too  much  about  money, 
it  is  my  judgment  that  Brethren  have  not 
been  adequately  challenged  to  consider  si 
riously  the  implications  of  holding  mem- 
bership in  the  upper  middle  class  (eco- 
nomically) of  a  very  affluent  society.  Per 
haps  any  future  efforts  to  bring  about  SU(  t 
a  challenge  ought  to  be  made  entirely 
apart  from  any  organized  stewardship  pr 
gram,  especially  if  it  is  aimed  at  generat- 
ing financial  support  for  the  church.  The 
two  are  only  incidentally  related  anyway. 

Those  who  are  charged  with  the  respoi 
sibility  of  conducting  stewardship  efforts 
seem  to  be  always  looking  for  new  ap- 
proaches, new  strategies,  and  new  tech- 
niques. When  we  hear  of  a  new  method 
that  has  produced  outstanding  results  wehi 
hasten  to  learn  all  we  can  about  it  and  triii 


to  determine  whether  it  can  be  used 
successfully  in  our  situation. 

We  may  find  it  necessary  to  continue  to 
use  new  methods  and  techniques,  but  we 
ought  to  do  so  knowing  that  none  of  these 
can  be  the  uhimate  answer  to  better 
stewardship.  Christian  stewardship  stems 
from  a  genuine  sense  of  gratitude;  methods 
and  strategies,  however  effective  in  raising 
money,  probably  do  very  little  toward 
developing  such  a  sense.  It  is  difficult  to 
say  why  some  seem  to  have  this  sense  to  a 
much  greater  degree  than  others  in  similar 
circumstances. 

if  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  a  feeling  of 
gratitude  as  a  part  of  one's  total  life 
philosophy  can  be  taught,  then  the  church 
probably  bears  some  responsibility  for  the 
apparent  absence  of  it  in  many  of  its 
members.  It  may  be  that  some  of  our 
"stewardship"  education  ought  to  be 
"gratitude"  education. 

It  is  probably  a  sin  to  be  grateful  only  or 
even  chiefly  because  we  have  been  blessed 
with  an  abundance  of  material  things,  yet 
what  can  we  say  of  those  who  have  sur- 
rounded themselves  with  all  the  con- 
veniences and  many  of  the  luxuries  that  a 
technologically  advanced  society  can 
provide,  yet  seem  unable  to  give  any  tangi- 
ble expression  of  a  sense  of  gratitude? 

Perhaps  when  we  learn,  either  voluntari- 
ly or  more  likely  by  force  of  circumstance, 
that  easy  access  to  an  abundance  of 
everything,  including  luxuries,  is  not  a 
God-given  right,  we  shall  be  better  able  to 
take  another  look  at  our  values  and  our 
life-style. 

Is  it  possible  that  some  restrictions  on 
our  ever  higher  standard  of  living  may  even 
help  us  to  "give  thanks  always  for  all 
things"  as  the  Apostle  Paul  suggests? 
Could  we  develop  a  sense  of  gratitude  for 
God's  goodness  even  in  the  absence  of  that 
wonderful  feelin'  that  everything's  goin' 
my  way"? 

A  less  affluent  manner  of  living,  forced 
upon  us  by  necessity,  may  not  be  immi- 
nent, but  it  definitely  appears  to  be  a  cer- 
tainty of  the  not  very  distant  future.  Does 
this  not  present  to  Christian  people  an  ex- 
cellent challenge  and  opportunity  to  . 
demonstrate  that  "one's  life  does  not  con- 
sist of  the  abundance  of  one's  possessions"? 
How?  By  molding  a  satisfying  life  out  of  a 
ni\  of  fewer  and  less  pretentious  things, 
Tiore  gratitude,  less  climbing,  more  reach- 
ng  out,  less  complaining,  more  sharing. 

W  ouldn't  it  be  fun  to  conduct  an  every- 
iicmber  enlistment  in  a  congregation  in 
\  hich  every  member  is  already  enlisted  in 
uch  a  life  pattern?  D 


New  Church  of  the  Brethren  annuities  now  pay  you 
guaranteed  income  from  4-10%, 
depending  on  your  age! 

Your  assured  lifetime  income  begins  when  you  in- 
vest $200  or  more  in  a  Church  of  the  Brethren  Gen- 
eral Board  Gift  Annuity.  Your  annuity  income  is 
largely  tax-exempt,  and  the  rates  are  higher  than 
ever  .  .  .  depending  on  your  age,  you  may  qualify 
for  the  new  maximum  rate  of  10%. 

Every  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board  an- 
nuitant is  a  partner  in  the  Brotherhood's  worldwide 
ministry.  Our  program  touches  thousands  of  per- 
sons with  love  inspired  by  Christ  in  the  United 
States,  India,  Indonesia,  Nigeria,  Ecuador,  Haiti  and 
many  other  places.  This  year  you  can  have  the  joy 
of  helping  the  General  Board  in  its  worldwide 
ministry. 

You  can  have  increased  income  and  a  larger  satis- 
faction as  a  Church  of  the  Brethren  annuitant. 


Mail  this  coupon  and  see. 


Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board 
Office  of  Stewardship  Enlistment 
1451  Dundee  Avenue 
Elgin,  Illinois  60120 

Please  send  me  more  information 
on  your  Gift  Annuity  Programs 


1 


Name                                                   age 

(mo. 

day 

yr.) 

Name  of  co-annuitant  ( if  desired )    age 

(mo. 

day 

F-) 

Address 

City                                                     State 

#34 

Zip 

8/75 

August  1975  MESSENGER  35 


[book  [r©wD®m7 


Owl  calls  and  other  evening  news 


Paul  W.  Kinsel 

Preparation  for 
the  owl's  call 

I  HEARD  THE  OWL  CALL  MY  NAME,  by 

Margaret  Craven.  Doubleday,  1973,  166 
pages,  hardback  $4.95.  paperback  S  1 ,25, 

This  deeply  religious  story  begins  with  a 
bishop  sending  his  young  ordinand,  Mark 
Brian,  deep  into  the  seacoast  wilds  of 
British  Columbia  to  a  parish  called 
Kingcome,  amid  the  Kwakiutl  Indians. 
Once  when  the  bishop  and  his  young 
minister  were  alone  in  Mark's  motor  boat 
the  two  quietly  drank  in  the  impressive 


view  of  water  and  rocks  and  sky.  The  older 
man  gently  pronounced  this  spot  a  place 
where  he  most  easily  could  learn  what 
every  person  must  learn,  "Enough  of  the 
meaning  of  life  to  be  ready  to  die." 

Margaret  Craven's  first  novel  is  a  story 
of  unusual  sensitivity  and  poignancy, 
written  with  consummate  skill.  It  is  poetry 
in  prose,  and  its  sheer  beauty  of  language 
and  narrative  lends  itself  admirably  to 
reading  aloud. 

The  author,  who  grew  up  in  Puget 
Sound,  Wash.,  reveals  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  Indians  in  the  section  of 
British  Columbia,  where  the  events  of  the 
tale  are  located.  As  the  young  minister 
sought  to  know  the  people  among  whom 
he  lived,  he  observed,  "they  are  not  simple, 
or  emotional,  they  are  not  primitive."  With 
him  we  gain  insights  into  their  way  of  life, 
their  culture,  their  myths,  their  ways  of 
relating  to  their  natural  surroundings — and 


their  inability  to  cope  successfully  with  an 
outside,  white  man's  world  that  relentlessly 
crowds  in  to  overwhelm  them. 

Little  by  little  Mark  earned  his  way  into 
the  hearts  and  lives  of  young  and  old.  And 
little  by  little  the  young  vicar  was  learning 
the  meaning  of  life — enough  so  that  he  too 
could  be  ready  to  die.  For  soon,  returning 
from  a  strange  memorial  service  that  he 
had  conducted,  all  alone  Mark  heard  an 
owl  in  a  dark  spruce  call  him  once  and 
then  again.  H 

Steve  Longenecker 

CBS  News  and 
the  military 

TV  AND  NATIONAL  DEFENSE:  AN 
ANALYSIS  OF  CBS  NEWS,  1  972-1  973, 
by  Ernest  W   Lefever   Institute  for  American 
Strategy  Press,  1974   209  pages,  paper- 
back $3,95, 

Dr.  Ernest  W.  Lefever,  graduate  of 
Elizabethtown  College,  former  student  at 
Bethany  Seminary,  and  Brethren  Service 
volunteer  in  Europe,  jousts  with  a  network 
media  goliath  in  his  book,  TV  and 
National  Defense:  An  Analysis  of  CBS 
News.  1972-1973. 

After  analyzing  "CBS  Evening  News" 
broadcasts  from  1972  and  1973  and  por- 
tions of  documentaries  and  "Sixty 
Minutes,"  Lefever  concludes  that  CBS  did 
not  give  a  balanced  presentation  of  all 
viewpoints  on  foreign  policy  matters  and 
the  military  and  "failed  to  provide  a 
'reasonable  opportunity'  for  broadcasting 
the  view  of  millions  of  Americans  who 
were  skeptical  about  the  politics  of  detente, 
the  SALT  arms  control  agreements,  or  in- 
creased trade  with  Moscow  or  Peking." 

Lefever  argues  that  while  CBS  frequently 
broadcast  the  problems  of  the  military, 
favorable  stories  about  the  Armed  Serv- 
ices received  little  exposure.  He  criticizes 
the  biased  presentation  of  the  Indochina 
war  that  focused  on  the  negative  parts  of 
US  Vietnam  policy,  and  he  faults  CBS  for 
neglecting  to  report  Soviet  and  Chinese 
weapons  improvements. 

TV  and  National  Defense  has  received 
wide  circulation,  and  Lefever's  conclusions 
fueled  fires  of  academic  debate.  The  author 
has  collected  over  750  articles  and  reviews 


and  speculates  that  1000  have  been  written. 
He  claims  that  the  ratio  of  favorable  to  un- 
favorable is  20:1. 

Several  months  after  Lefever's  book  was 
released,  CBS  president  Arthur  R.  Taylor 
responded  by  critizing  Lefever's 
methodology  in  the  study.  Taylor  main- 
tains that  the  study  is  too  limited  in  scope 
and  that  it  is  impractical  to  statistically 
quantify  fairness  because  statistics  "take 
into  account  none  of  the  realities  of 
professional  news  judgment." 

Walter  Pincus  in  77je  New  Republic's 
"Attack  on  CBS:  Who's  Biased?"  points 
out  that  four  out  of  every  five  items  carried 
on  "CBS  Evening  News"  contained  ab- 
solutely no  bias.  The  remaining  20  percent 
were  then  examined  for  bias.  Pincus  infers 
that  Lefever  himself  has  a  bias. 

However,  despite  misgivings  about 
Lefever's  methodology,  many  critics  have 
seconded  the  questions  raised  by  the  study 
and  suggest  that  the  media  re-examine  its 
coverage  for  bias. 

TV  Guide's  review  was  highly  com- 
plimentary. The  article  states  that  Lefever 
accurately  proved  that  the  "hard  line  (of 
national  security)  never  got  an  adequate 
hearing." 

The  controversy  over  TV  and  National 
Defense  emphasizes  difficulties  news 
editors  encounter  when  they  daily  decide: 
What  is  news?  Not  everything  that  happens 
is  news,  and  freshman  journalism  students 
quickly  learn  that  news  reporters  must 
selectively  judge  the  newsworthiness  of 
events.  Thus  begins  the  controversy.  As 
one  commentator  observed,  "Fairness  is  in 
the  eye  of  the  beholder." 

An  example  that  Lefever  criticizes  is 
CBS's  ignoring  of  a  report  by  US  analysts 
that  China  deployed  about  60  fighter 
bombers  with  a  combat  radius  of  300-500 
miles,  was  producing  medium  range 
bombers,  and  made  improvements  in  its  in- 
termediate range  ballistic  missiles.  That 
night  CBS  reported  on  South  Vietnamese 
air  strikes  over  Laos,  violence  in  Northern 
Ireland,  and  an  all-time  record  for  the  price 
of  gold,  $48  dollars  an  ounce. 

The  research  for  this  book  was  spon- 
sored by  the  conservative  Institute  for 
American  Strategy,  proponents  of  a  strong 
military  and  increased  military  spending. 
Lefever  is  a  Senior  Fellow  in  Foreign 
Policy  Studies  at  the  Brookings  Institution 
in  Washington,  D.C.     □ 


36  MESSENGER  August  1975 


IboiiinniDDT]©] 


Licensing/ 
Ordination 


James  Abe,  ordained  June 
15.  1975,  Painesville.  Northern 
Ohio 

Tim  Bartholomew,  licensed 
April  20.  1975,  Zion  Hill, 
Northern  Ohio 

Robert  Blake,  ordained  May 
18.  1975,  Mack  Memorial. 
Southern  Ohio 

Carl  Blakeman.  licensed 
April  20.  1975,  Zion  Hill, 
Northern  Ohio 

Steve  Blakeman,  licensed 
April  20,  1975,  Zion  Hill, 
Northern  Ohio 

Linda  Biock-Coalter,  licensed 
April  27,  1975,  First  Church, 
Atlantic  Northeast 

Lerry  Wynn  Fogle.  licensed 
April  6.  1975,  Frederick,  Mid- 
Atlantic 

Mary  Hoover,  licensed  April 
27,  1975,  First  Church,  Atlantic 
Northeast 

Julie  Hostettler,  licensed 
May  4,  1975,  York  Center,  Il- 
linois/Wisconsin 

Merritt  Hulst,  ordained 
April  13.  1975,  Cedar  Grove, 
Southern  Ohio 

Joseph  Moore,  licensed  April 
13,  1975,  Cedar  Grove, 
Southern  Ohio 

Beth  Rieman,  ordained  April 
27,  1975,  Mack  Memorial, 
Southern  Ohio 

Sam  J.  Sliger,  licensed  May 
1975,     York     Center,     Il- 
linois Wisconsin 

Gail  Snyder,  re-ordained 
December  15,  1974,  Topeka, 
Western  Plains 

mes  Thurman,  licensed 
May  25,  1975,  Mount  Pleasant, 
Northern  Ohio 

Murray  Wagner  11.  ordained 
March  16.  1975.  Chicago  First 
Church.  Illinois/ Wisconsin 

Pastoral 
Placements 

Lcroy  James  and  Maria 
Bieber  Abe.  from  Bethany.  Il- 
linois Wisconsin,  to  Oklahoma 
City.  Southern  Plains 

Robert  Paul  Blake,  from 
Bethany  Seminary.  Il- 

linois Wisconsin,  to  Pleasant 
Hill.  Southern  Ohio 

Ronald  Cassidente.  resigned 
from  Batavia  Faith.  Il- 
linois Wisconsin,  to  Lutheran 
General   Hospital,  Park  Ridge, 

J.  Oliver  Dearing.  from 
Pleasant  Dale.  South/Central 
Indiana,  to  Cedar  Grove, 
Southern  Ohio 

Scott  Duffey,  from 

Bridgewater  College,  to  Salem, 
interim  pastor,  Shenandoah 

Willard  L.  Grant,  from 
Woodgrove-Christian  Parish. 
Michigan,  to  Loon  Creek. 
South/Central  Indiana 

Gene  F.  Hipskind.  from 
Waterford.  Pacific  Southwest, 
o  Nappanee.  Northern  Indiana 

Joel      David      Kline,      from 


Bethany  Seminary,  Il- 

linois Wisconsin,  to  Big 
Swatara,  Atlantic  Northeast 

Larry  Dean  Little,  from 
secular,         to  Libertyville, 

Northern  Plains 

Ro>  Myers,  from  York,  Sec- 
ond. Southern  Pennsylvania,  to 
Aughwick  (German  Valley, 
Sugar  Run),  Middle  Penn- 
syhania 

Allan  L.  Patterson,  from 
secular,  to  St,  Joseph.  Missouri 

Rhett  Petcher,  resigned  Red 
Hill,  Virlina 

Jim  Shields,  to  interim 
pastor,  Oklahoma  City, 
.Southern  Plains 

Emory  Smith.  resigned 
Fostoria.  Northern  Ohio,  to 
retirement 

Earl  Stovall,  to  Pine  Grove, 
Shenandoah 

James  E.  Talcott,  resigned 
from  Manchester,  South  Cen- 
tral Indiana 

James  E.  Tomlonson,  from 
NISBCO  to  Root  River, 
Northern  Plains 

Barry  Weber,  resigned 
Springfield,  Illinois/  Wisconsin, 
to  graduate  study.  Loyola  Un- 
ix crsily.  Chicago 

Ronald  K.  Wine,  from  Dis- 
trict E.Kccutive,  Southeastern, 
to  Anderson.  South,  Central  In- 
diana 

Wedding 
Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarence  Ban- 
ning, Indianapolis.  Ind..  60 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Herbert  Dye. 
Norborne.  Mo.,  50 

Mr,    and    Mrs,    Raymond 
Flory,  Paradise.  Calif,,  66 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Arthur  W, 
Grim.  Kansas  City.  Kans,.  53 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Frank  Hatch, 
Franklin  Grove,  111.,  55 

Mr,  and  Mrs.  Harley  F. 
Hoover,  Albany,  Ore.,  58 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  James  Hoover, 
Norborne,  Mo.,  61 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Ralph  Koontz. 
Johnstown.  Pa,.  50 

Mr,  and  Mrs,  Frank  Layser, 
Myerstown,  Pa,.  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs,  John  Miller. 
Carrollton,  Mo,.  52 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reuben  D. 
Wickert.  Astoria.  111.,  55 

113th  BVS 
Training  Unit 

Kathy  Baxter,  of  Timonium, 
Md.,  to  Gould  Farm, 
Monterey.  Mass. 

Heidi  Bates,  of  Allentown, 
Pa,,  to  Fahrney-Keedy  Home, 
Boonsboro.  Md. 

Tina  Bowman,  of  Dayton. 
Ohio,  to  Black  Rock  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Brodbecks.  Pa. 

Linda  Carpenter.  of 

Millersburg,  Ind..  to  Handi- 
Camp.  Inc..  Tucson.  Ariz. 

Becky  Eberly.  of  Ligonier. 
Ind..  to  Bar  41  Ranch.  Wilbur. 
Wash. 

Phil  Gibboney,  of  Elgin,  111.. 


to  Marion  County  Juvenile 
Center.  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Diane  Gosnell,  of  New  Wind- 
sor, Md.,  to  Better  Way,  Inc. 
Elvria.  Ohio. 

Karin  Hills,  of  Elgin,  111., 
(left  program — did  not  accept 
an  assignment). 

Jeff  Miller,  of  Palmyra.  Pa., 
to  Good  Shepherd  Home. 
Fostoria.  Ohio, 

Sharon  Millison.  of  Poland. 
Ohio.  to  Dundalk  Youth 
Center.  Dundalk.  Md. 

Marvin  TenBrink.  of  Battle 
Creek,  Mich.,  to  Peter  Becker 
Home.  Harleysville.  Pa. 

Dave  Whitten.  of  Elgin.  111., 
to  Gould  Farm.  Monterey. 
Mass. 

Donna  and  Tom  Yingling,  of 
Martinsburg,  Pa.,  to  Camp  La 
Verne.  Angelus  Oaks,  Calif. 

Deaths 

Goldie  Rusher  Barnhart. 
Roanoke.  Va..  Aug.  19.  1974 

Daniel  Bennett.  73.  Turkey 
Valley.  Hollidaysburg.  Pa.. 
April  1975 

Maurice  Berkley,         93, 

Hiawatha,  Kans..  Oct,  22,  1974 

Grace  B.  Booz.  78. 
Shippensburg.  Pa.,  March  15. 
1975 

Homer  E.  Bower.  86.  New 
Carlisle,  Ohio,  April  25,  1975 

Dorus  I.  Bowman.  Rocky 
Mount,  Va,.  May  16.  1974 

l.ela-May  Bradenburg,  90, 
Boonsboro,  Md..  March  20, 
1975 

Estelle  Brant,  Brodbecks, 
Pa..  Feb.  7,  1975 

Earl  K.  Brillhart,  74, 
Warrcnsburg,  Mo..  April  27. 
1975 

Grace  Brubaker.  Rocky 
Mount.  Va.,  July  12,  1974 

Elizabeth  "Sadie"  Buchholz. 
89,  Morrill,  Kans..  Sept.  29. 
1974 

Howard  Button,  88,  La 
Verne.  Calif..  March  I.  1975 

Marv  Call.  87.  Klamath 
Falls.  Ore.,  Feb.  18.  1975 

Gladys  Carper,  59,  Holli- 
daysburg, Pa..  March  4.  1975 

Myrtle  B.  Carr.  87,  Bellefon- 
taine,  Ohio,  April  19,  1975 

John  C,  Cassel,  88, 
Neffsville,  Pa,.  Feb.  28.  1975 

Joseph  Clapper,  89, 

Hopewell.  Pa..  April  5,  1975 

Forrest  D.  Click.  80.  Weyers 
Cave,  Va.,  April  25.  1975 

Violet  Corbin.  Harrisonburg, 
Va..  April  11.  1975 

J.  Ivan  Crawford,  60,  Flat 
Rock,  111.,  March  26,  1975 

Sarah  Dubbs,  77,  Wakarusa. 
Ind..  March  13,  1975 

Robert  Dunkin,  66,  Flora. 
Ind,.  Feb,  28.  1975 

Leona  Etter.  77.  .Trotwood, 
Ohio,  April  1.  1975 

James  Felts,  Rocky  Mount, 
Va..  Dec.  2.  1974 

Marcia  Ann  Ferrell,  30,  La 
Verne.  Calif.,  March  6,  1975 

Sam  Whitney  Fisher,  63, 
Nappanee.  Ind.,  April  11.  1975 


George  Flora,  Rocky  Mount, 
Va..  Nov.  21,  1974 

Marvin  Flora.  Rocky  Mount. 
Va..  Jan.  20.  1974 

Don  Follis,  63,  South  Lake 
Tahoe.  Calif..  March  17.  1975 

Nora  L.  Garman.  81, 
Nokesville,  Va..  April  24.  1975 

Mrs.  Quentin  Gleim,  74, 
Hummelstown,  Pa.,  March  I. 
1975 

Rudolph  A.  Glick.  71. 
Bridgewater.  Va..  April  26. 
1975 

J,  Homer  Graybill.  75. 
Manheim.  Pa..  April  28.  1975 

Mrs,  Wilmer  Hammaker.  86, 
Dauphin.  Pa.,  Feb,  24,  1975 

William  C.  Hare,  64.  Polo, 
111..  March  6.  1975 

Edith  A.  Harter.  85.  Sebring. 
Fla..  March  16.  1975 

Donovan  Hollar.  61.  Nap- 
panee. Ind..  April  15.  1975 

Kenneth  Hood.  61,  Naper- 
ville.  111.,  March  8,  1975 

Hazel  Humphrey,  73, 
Peebles.  Ohio.  March  27,  1975 

Llovd  E.  Kagarise.  64, 
Riddlesburg,  Pa..  Feb.  21.  1975 

Edward  Kintner,  95,  North 
Manchester,  Ind..  April  1.  1975 

Richard  Krout.  York.  Pa.. 
March  30.  1975 

Pearle  M.  Lambert.  77. 
Peebles.  Ohio.  Dec,  12,  1974 

Edith  Lehman,  53.  Seven 
Valleys.  Pa..  March  8.  1975 

Lerov  Lehman,  80,  Glendora, 
Calif..  April  I.  1975 

Melvin  Lucas.  60.  Roanoke. 
Va..  Jan,  13,  1975 

Lucinda  Miller  Mays, 
Elizabethtown,  Pa,,  April  13, 
1975 

D.  J,  McCann,  80,  Okla- 
homa City,  Okla.,  March  30, 
1975 

Mrs.  Jessie  McCary.  Harri- 
sonburg. Va.,  April  4.  1975 

Elsie  F.  Michael.  66, 
Nokesville,  Va.,  March  5,  1975 

Mary  Sue  Michael,  58, 
Roanoke.  Va..  Feb.  18,  1975 

Graybill  Miller.  72,  Elm,  Pa., 
March  5,  1975 

Harry  Miller,  90,  Claysburg, 
Pa..  March  5,  1975 

.lesse  W,  Naff,  Richmond, 
Va,.  Feb.  27,  1975 

Robert  Norton,  50,  Crocker, 
Mo,.  March  6.  1975 

W,  Cecil  Parsell.  51, 
Roanoke,  Va..  March  26,  1975 

Charles  E.  Peck,  93,  Falls 
City,  Nebr..  April  10,  1975 

Tony  Peters,  21,  Roanoke, 
Va..  April  15.  1975 

Paul  Wesley  Piper.  74. 
Shippensburg.  Pa.,  Jan.  15. 
1975 

Ethel  Price.  80.  Plymouth, 
Ind..  April  12.  1975 

Dovie  Pryor,  86,  Ashland, 
Ohio,  March  25,  1975 

Clarence  Ream,  91,  Mexico, 
Ind..  April  9,  1975 

.1.  Homer  Reasy.  69.  Roaring 
Spring.  Pa..  March  31,  1975 

Valentine  Bruce  Reichard, 
84.  Boonsboro,  Md..  April  28, 
1975 

Solomon  Rodamer.  86.  New 


Oxford,  Pa.,  March  29,  1975 

E,  Lloyd  Roth,  68,  York, 
Pa..  April  II.  1975 

Arthur  Ruble.  87.  Polo.  111.. 
Jan.  2.  1975 

.Sarah  Ruffner,  84,  Flora, 
Ind..  March  7.  1975 

Jessie  Rusert.  67,  Mexico, 
Ind.,  April  22.  1975 

Amelia  M.  Sausser,  82, 
Lititz.  Pa.,  April  23,  1975 

Nevin  Schoenenberger,  Coop- 
ersburg.  Pa..  Aug.  23.  1974 

Una  Searer.  80,  Wakarusa, 
Ind..  June  2.  1974 

Walter  C  Sell.  78,  La  Verne, 
Calif..  March  5.  1975 

Doshia  Shively.  82,  Nap- 
panee. Ind..  March  14.  1975 

lona  Smith.  84,  Martinsburg, 
Pa..  March  28.  1975 

Vesta  Smith.  94.  Marcum, 
Ky..  Jan,  30.  1975 

Mary  J.  Snapp,  80,  Denver, 
Iowa,  Feb.  21.  1975 

Kenneth  H,  Sollenberger,  56, 
Curryville.  Pa..  April  13.  1975 

Donna  Sooby.  Garden  City. 
Kans..  May  16.  1975 

Lillie  Sowers,  80,  Willis,  Va., 
May  8,  1975 

Loren  Sroufe,  74,  North 
Manchester,  Ind,.  March  10, 
1975 

Ida  M.  Stover.  83,  Morrill, 
Kans..  March'16.  1975 

Emma  Summers,  87.  Rich- 
mond. Mo..  April  16.  1975 

Eva  Swartz.  84,  Morrill, 
Kans..  Dec.  16,  1974 

G.  Garland  Tanner,  71.  Grot- 
toes. Va..  April  21.  1975 

Alvin  Thomas,  61,  Johns- 
town. Pa..  March  14.  1975 

Phillip  Thompson.  30,  Mt. 
Crawford.  Va.,  Nov.  9.  1974 

Hazel  Treace.  82.  Ashland. 
Ohio.  April  6,  1975 

Orville  Turner,  70,  Marion, 
Ohio,  Feb,  16,  1975 

Mamie  M,  Vaniman,  88, 
Trotwood,  Ohio,  April  3,  1975 

Catherine  Wampler,  63, 
Bridgewater,  Va,.  April  7,'l975 

Everett  L.  Wampler.  80,  Mt. 
Sidney.  Va..  Feb.  28.  1975 

Marvin  Weaver  Jr., 

Coopersburg,  Pa.,  Nov.  17, 
1974 

Harry  T.  Webb.  Rocky 
Mount.  Va..  May  15.  1974 

Paul  D.  Welsh.  78.  York. 
Pa..  April  22,  1975 

Harold  O.  Westrup,  63, 
Morrill,  Kans..  March  22.  1975 

Samuel  L.  Whisler,  94, 
Alvordton,  Ohio.  April  11. 
1975 

Ralph  Winand,  61,  Brod- 
becks, Pa..  March  15.  1975 

Earl  Wolfe,  84.  Battle  Creek. 
Mich.,  Jan.  19.  1975 

May  Worley.  90,  McPherson, 
Kans..  Feb.  10.  1975 

Ida  Yost.  83.  Brodbecks,  Pa., 
April  23,  1975 

Lester  Youmans.  55.  Peru. 
Ind..  Feb.  13.  1975 

Hallie  Zellers,  77.  Mexico, 
Ind.,  April  2,  1975 

Bessie  Kinacofe  Zimmerman. 
Bridgewater.  Va..  March  13, 
1975 

August  1975  MESSENGER  37 


„*-*• 


The  hop 

by  Edward  Kintner 

Dear  Bill, 

The  conversation  to  which  you  refer 
too  one-sided  to  be  very  satisfying  to  eit 
of  us,  for  it  was  evident  that  your  first  c 
cern  had  to  be  piloting  the  plane,  while 
1  did  was  gab.  I'll  do  what  I  can  to  stat 
some  of  my  thinking,  though  you  may  f 
it  more  or  less  poorly  arranged  and 
sometimes  not  too  clear. 

.As  a  matter  of  course,  any  follower  o 
the  Master  will  have  questions  come  inl 
his  thinking  and  he  is  likely  to  try  to  fir 
answers.  That  often  happened  to  The 
Twelve  when  they  were  with  Him  and 
sometimes  they  were  afraid  to  ask  him  1 
the  answers.  But  in  his  last  long  talk  wi 
them  just  before  his  betrayal  he  told  tht 
that  there  were  many  things  he  wanted 
tell  them,  but  they  were  not  able  to  bea 
(understand)  them;  but  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  (Comforter)  would  come  he  woul 
help  them  to  further,  deeper  understand 
ing.  Quite  probably  you  have  had  some 
scripture  that  puzzled  you  every  time  yc 
saw  it.  Then,  perhaps  when  you  were  m 
thinking  about  it,  you  ran  across  it  and 
quite  suddenly  it  was  clear  as  day.  You 
likely  to  have  experiences  of  that  sort  m 
often  as  your  Christian  experience 
lengthens  and  deepens.  When  you  becon 
a  doctor,  have  Christ  with  you  in  your  ■! 
fice,  the  sick  room,  the  hospital,  wherev 
you  touch  patients. 

Many  times  I  read  and  heard  read  v/l 
Jesus  said  to  Martha  when  they  met  aft 
Lazarus's  death:  "He  who  believes  in  mi 
though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live,  and 
whoever  lives  and  believes  in  me  shall 
never  die"  (John  1 1:25-26).  He  made  thf 
first  part  come  true  when  at  his  call 
Lazarus  came  forth.  But  quite  evidently 
Lazarus  "died"  again,  though  we  have  n 
account  of  it.  1  should  like  to  have  been 
among  the  people  who  went  to  see 
Lazarus,  and  to  have  talked  with  him! 

How  could  it  be  true  that  "whoever  li' 
and  believes  in  me  shall  never  dieT'  The: 
one  day,  1  got  to  thinking  about  butterfli 


iefore  us 


id  moths  and  that  set  me  thinking  of  my 
//Ic  and  that  led  on  to  what  satisfied  me 
the  solution. 

^  cstcrday  when  I  was  coming  back  from 
.  exercise  ride  on  my  three-wheel  bicycle, 
aw  a  "wooly-worm"  or  "wooly  bear,"  as 
,s  \ariously  called.  It  is  the  caterpillar 
it  IS  reputed  to  tell  us  what  kind  of 
ntei  IS  ahead  of  us.  Unfortunately  for 
U  superstition,  they  are  not  very  reliable! 
igood  share  of  them  are  about  a  third 
ick  at  each  end  with  reddish-brown 
istles  in  the  middle  and  the  relative 
3portion  is  supposed  to  indicate  the 
ferity  of  the  coming  winter.  Unfortunate- 
Some  of  them  are  this  reddish-brown  all 
sr,  and  others  are  all  black,  and  all 
it  seems  to  indicate  that  there  are 
jphets  with  a  forked  tongue,  as  the 
dians  would  say. 

But  back  to  the  one  I  watched  yesterday 
jit  pursued  it  ways  for  six  or  eight  feet, 
lere  was  it  going?  Evidently  it  did  not 
ow,  nor  did  1.  But  I  knew  more  than  it 
I  as  to  what  would  happen  to  it  if  it  went 
:  usual  course.  If  any  of  its  brothers  or 
ers  were  to  hunt  for  it,  after  awhile  all 
;y  would  find  would  be  an  oblong  object, 
'f.  so  long  as  the  end  section  of  one's  little 
ger  with  some  of  their  lost  brother's  skin 
d  some  of  the  black  and  red  bristles  that 
:d  to  stick  out  from  it,  now  in  total  dis- 
ay,  over  it.  Their  brother  had  died  and 
t  was  that.  Next  spring,  if  they  went 
;k  to  look,  they  would  find  nothing  but 
ne  skin  and  some  brown  or  black 
sties;  that  is  all.  The  poor  fellow  had 
jd  and  nature  had  taken  its  course  and 
had  gone  back  to  the  "dust"  from 
ence  he  came.  Finis! 
Jut  they  did  not  see  all  the  drama.  In- 
ad  of  being  dead,  he  was  very  much 
/e  and  with  a  little  pushing  here  and 
re,  the  "skin"  and  bristles  that  clung  to 
)urst  open  and  he  crawled  out  of  the 
)ris,  with  much  longer  legs  and  two  fun- 
lumps  on  his  back.  He  tried  out  those 
g  legs  by  climbing  up  a  nearby  clean 
n  of  a  dead  weed.  While  he  rested  from 
climb,  those  lumps  on  his  back  began 


to  expand  down  his  back  and  take  form. 
Before  he  could  understand  what  was 
happening,  he  found  he  could  flutter  them 
a  bit  and  when  he  fluttered  them  when  the\ 
were  dry,  they  picked  him  up  and  he  found 
himself  floating  swiftly,  many  times  as  fast 
as  he  had  once  been  able  to  crawl. 

I  might  go  on  with  this  parable,  but  I 
think  I  have  gone  far  enough  to  see  the 
meaning  of  it.  It  seems  to  me  that  Christ 
was  saying  to  Martha  something  like  this: 
"When  those  who  believe  in  me  seem  to 
die,  it  is  only  a  transition  from  one  state  to 
another.  They  slip  out  of  their  mortal 
bodies  into  another  kind  of  body  that  those 
left  behind  are  unable  to  see  or  understand, 
and  they  lead  another  kind  of  existence,  yet 
connected  with  the  one  before." 

Now  I  know  that  does  not  answer  all  the 
questions  that  all  of  us  would  like  to  ask, 
but  we  have  some  hints  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Jesus  said  to  the  thief  beside  him, 
"Today  you  will  be  with  me  in  Paradise." 
Quite  evidently,  that  was  a  definite  place 
that  Jesus  knew  about,  and  one  would 
assume,  if  it  were  to  have  any  meaning  at 
all,  that  both  would  know  what  was  going 
on  in  Paradise.  The  following  Sunday 
night  when  the  disciples  (except  Thomas 
and  Judas)  were  in  an  upper  room,  all  at 
once  Jesus  was  there  among  them,  and 
they  were  so  surprised  that  they  couldn't 
recognize  him.  Apparently,  even  if  his  body 
form  was  the  same  they  had  known  for 
years,  yet  it  was  different,  and  walls  and 
doors  did  not  bother  him  in  the  slightest. 
He  was  the  same,  and  yet  different. 

In  I  Cor.  15,  the  Apostle  Paul  seems  to 
speak  of  the  same  thing  when  he  speaks  of 
the  transformation  that  will  occur  at 
Christ's  second  coming.  And  the  Apostle 
John  in  I  John  3:2,  says  the  same  thing.  In 
the  story  Jesus  told  of  the  Rich  Man — we 
have  invented  the  name  Dives  for  him — 
and  Lazarus,  both  died  and  the  important 
point  is  each  knew  the  other.  Further,  the 
Rich  Man  knew  Abraham.  It  is  doubtful  if 
Peter,  James,  and  John  had  ever  seen  an 
authentic  picture  of  Moses  and  Elijah,  but 
they  didn't  need  to  be  told  who  they  were, 
though  these  two  had  been  dead  for  hun- 
dreds of  years!  Will  we  know  each  other 
when  we  are  "over  there"?  It  seems  to  me 
that  everything  points  to  the  conclusion 


Edward  Kininer.  1879-1975 

that  we  will.  Evidently  about  the  only  thing 
we  will  leave  on  earth  is  our  sex  instinct. 

1  would  not  in  the  least  imply  that  Jesus 
had  an  easy  transition  and  thus  did  not 
suffer  for  our  sins  on  the  cross.  He  certain- 
ly suffered  just  as  the  thief  beside  him  did, 
and  as  did  the  many  who  were  clawed  by 
lions,  burned  at  the  stake,  or  made  into 
torches  by  Nero.  Besides,  many  Christians 
ha\e  suffered  tortures  for  the  disease  or  ac- 
cident that  started  them  "through  the 
valley  of  shadow."  Chapter  eleven  of 
Hebrews  has  a  long  list  of  those  who  suf- 
fered for  their  faith;  but  the  first  two  verses 
of  the  next  chapter  shows  the  other  side  of 
the  picture. 

No,  all  this  is  not  scientific  proof,  "But 
we  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight."  Those 
who  declare  they  live  by  the  things  they  can 
handle  or  see  or  prove,  are  not  on  the  solid 
foundation  they  think  they  have — they 
have  nothing  but  this  present  moment  and 
it  may  be  their  last!  We  have:  "I  am  the 
Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life."  They  have 
nothing!  We  have  a  hope  before  us  that  is 
"an  anchor  to  the  soul."  They  have  nothing 
but  black  darkness,  with  nothing  in  it,  at 
the  end  of  their  little  day. 

That  is  the  thinking  that  seems  to  me  to 
be  the  answer  to  the  question  that  puzzled 
me.  I  have  no  means  of  knowing  how  you 
think  it  fits  the  problem,  but  it  no  longer 
seems  a  problem  to  me.  I  think  it  sounds 
reasonable. 

Bye, 

Grandpa  D 

This  letter  was  dated  October  12,  1973. 
Dr.  Kininer  wrote  it  to  his  grandson.  Bill 
Kintner,  in  response  to  Bill's  request  that 
he  write  down  a  conversation  they  had  had 
a  few  weeks  earlier  when  Bill  was  piloting 
his  grandfather  to  a  visit  in  Michigan.  For 
over  four  decades,  Edward  Kintner  taught 
in  the  science  department  of  Manchester 
College.  He  died  April  I,  1975,  nearly  96 
years  of  age. 

August  1975  MESSENGER  39 


sdol^cDirDSiD 


'Happiness  is  a  warm  gun' 


So  headlined  an  article  in  The  American  Rifleman 
in  1968.  Depicted  in  an  accompanying  photo  was 
an  eight-year-old  boy  holding  a  shotgun  and  some 
dead  pheasants.  Elsewhere  in  the  issue  a  statement 
dealt  briefly  with  the  assassination  of  a  controver- 
sial national  leader.  The  statement  declared,  "No 
law  that  human  ingenuity  can  devise  could  have 
prevented  that  murder " 

I  am  not  convinced.  Just  as  1  am  not  con- 
vinced that  the  love  affair  many  Americans  have 
with  guns  and  their  expectation  of  what  a  gun  can 
do  or  mean  are  factors  unrelated  to  the  violent 
crimes  of  the  times. 

In  a  tv  special  on  "A  Shooting  Gallery  Called 
America,"  NBC  News  attributed  the  nation's 
proliferation  in  handguns — 40  million  of  them  — 
to  fear  and  paranoia.  "People  are  buying  guns 
for  their  own  protection  but,  in  fact,  what  they 
are  buying  is  grief,"  observed  Lucy  Jarvis,  pro- 
ducer. The  tv  film  showed  licensed  sales  to  peo- 
ple ill-equipped  to  own  a  handgun,  extensive 
transfer  and  sales  of  guns  in  the  street,  mount- 
ing usage  of  firearms  by  teenagers,  and  wide- 
spread leniency  by  the  courts  toward  habitual  gun 
offenders. 

"The  situation  is  grotesque,"  summed  up 
NBC's  Lucy  Jarvis.  "Is  the  United  States  in 
danger  of  becoming  one  great  battlegroundT' 

Testimonies  from  knowledgeable  sources 
suggest  that  the  question  is  more  than  rhetorical. 
"Our  cities  today  are  besieged  by  the  tyranny  of 
violence  as  they  have  not  been  since  the  Middle 
Ages,"  contends  Robert  McClory,  the  ranking 
Republican  on  the  House  Judiciary  Committee  on 
Crime  which  convened  hearings  on  handgun 
legislation.  Los  Angeles  mayor  Tom  Bradley 
characterizes  handguns  as  Public  Enemy  No.  1. 
Attorney  General  Edward  H.  Levi  insists  that  the 
conditions  of  modern  urban  life,  of  people  being 


congregated  together,  are  overlooked  in  many  of 
the  objections  to  firearms  control. 

Complex  as  the  issues  are  that  surround  the 
making  and  enforcement  of  laws  governing  per- 
sonal weapons,  one  option  gaining  support  is  the 
placing  of  constraints  on  the  manufacture,  sale, 
ownership,  and  use  of  handguns.  Allowing 
reasonable  exceptions  for  police  and  security  of- 
ficers, the  militia,  pistol  club  members  and  an- 
tique owners,  the  ban  would  eliminate  handguns 
from  the  general  American  public.  This  is  the  goal 
of  the  National  Coalition  to  Ban  Handguns,  an 
enterprise  of  25  'eligicuo,  "iucational,  and  citizen 
action  groups,  including  the  Washington  Office  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  working  to  develop 
public  policies. 

In  the  shaping  of  these  policies,  the  voices  of 
Brethren  and  others  concerned  with  the  level  of 
violence  in  the  nation  needs  urgently  to  be  heard. 
The  testimony  of  C.  Wayne  Zunkel  on  behalf  of 
the  General  Board  (see  article,  p.  5)  to  the  Sub- 
committee on  Crime  was  timely  and  perceptive. 
But  needed  too  is  the  engagement  of  Brethren  in 
congregations  and  districts  studying  the  facts, 
opening  and  widening  the  dialogue  in  their  com- 
munities, diffusing  the  appeals  of  special  interest 
parties,  and  supporting  state  and  national 
legislators  who  seek  reform. 


A 


society  arming  to  the  teeth  needs  to  be  con- 
fronted with  the  prophet's  call  to  beat  swords  into 
plowshares.  Apostles  of  nonviolence  themselves 
need  to  demonstrate  the  counsel  Christ  gave  to 
Peter,  "Put  up  your  sword."  People  running 
scared  need  to  be  reminded  wherein  security  lies. 
And,  in  light  of  the  evidence,  a  fresh  appraisal 
needs  to  be  given  to  an  archaic  bit  of  Americana: 
"Happiness  is  a  warm  gun."  —  h.e.r. 


40  MESSENGER  August  1975 


Ability 
^quire^i 
^HirWill 


Response  is  action.  It  is  move- 
ment.    It's     a     get-up-and 
word. 


Ability   is  a  great  deal   more  than 
having  special  talents  and  skills.  It  in- 
cludes being  able  to  act  mentally,  finan- 
cially, legally. 

Both  of  these  words  sum  up  the  mean- 
ing of  will  or  the  decision  for  a  particular 
course  of  action. 

Making  a  will  is  just  that.  "Why  bother?" 
we  may  ask.  The  most  compelling  reason 
may  be  because  we  love. 

Love  people  close  to  us.  Love  Christ  and 
feel  the  need  to  care  for  those  He  loves. 

Making  a  will  is  to  plan  reflecting  my 
sense  of  stewardship.  Indecision  or  no 
decision  means  we  accept  the  will  of  im- 
personal court  or  counsel,  applying  the 
law  in  ways  devoid  of  the  benefit  of  our 
values,  hopes,  and  dreams. 


To    make   a 
will    is,    there- 
fore,   an     important    act    for 
each  of  us. 


Ask  yourself:  What  are  my  values?  Can 
these  values  be  reflected  without  my 
personal  will?  Who  most  deserves  the 
fruits  of  my  labors?  Can  impersonal  legal 
disposition  of  my  estate  deliver  the 
greatest  benefits  to  these  people?  Who 
will  be  the  guardian  of  my  minor 
children?  Can  a  court  automatically 
know  those  who  must  truly  reflect  my 
personal  values?  Can  causes  and  in- 
stitutions in  which  I  have  faith  and  to 
which  I  feel  indebted  receive  benefit? 
How  could  a  court  know  this? 

Making  a  will  is  for  people  who  are 
responsible  and  able.  It  is  a 
humanitarian  act.  It  can  be  a  Christian 
stewardship  response.  It  should  reflect 
our  highest  values  and  the  basic  beliefs 
we  hold. 
Responsibility    Requires    Your    Will 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN   * 

General  Board 

Office  of  Stewardship  Enlistment 

1451  Dundee  Avenue 

Elgin,  Illinois  60120 

Sirs: 

Please  send  me  without  obligation  the 

following  booklets: 

D  Making  Your  Will 

D  A  Record  of  Personal  Affairs 


Address. 


City 


State 
#33 


Zip. 


Christian  Life  Pamphlets 

IOC  each;  $1.00  for 
12  of  one  title 

What  being  a  Christian  means  in 
terms  of  daily  living,  life-styles, 
attitudes,  and  in  personal  and 
group  behavior;  this  is  what  the 
new  Brethren  series  of  Christian 
Life  pamphlets  is  all  about. 
These  pamphlets  related  scrip- 
tural teachings  to  daily  living. 
Where  the  Spirit  Is,  Carroll  M. 

Petry 
Simple  Living:  A  New 
Necessity,  T.  Wayne 
Rieman 
Guideposts  in  the  Sexual 
Wilderness,  Guy  E. 
Wampler,  Jr. 
You've  Got  a  Lot  to  Give, 

Robert  Neff 
Reaching  Toward  the 

Promise,  Warren  F.  Groff 
Hunger:  A  Biblical  Perspec- 
tive, Richard  Gardner 
Tell  Us  About  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Edward  K. 
Ziegler 


Brethren  Foundation 
Pamphlets 

25C  each;  $2.75  for 
1  2  of  one  title 

The  earliest  Brethren  searched 
the  Scriptures,  looking  for  the 
principles  and  practices  that 
would  characterize  a  New  Testa- 
ment church.  They  agreed  on 
certain  ordinances  and  ideals 
that  are  basic  for  Christian  life. 
The  Foundations  Series  is  a 
group  of  these  Brethren  writings 
recently  redesigned  and 
reprinted  for  modern  readers. 
The  Brethren  Love  Feast, 

William  M.  Beahm 
Anointing  for  Healing, 

Warren  D.  Bowman 
The  Meaning  of  Baptism, 

William  M.  Beahm 
Ideals  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  D.  W.  Kurtz 


Please  send  Brethren  pamphlet 
display  unit  containing  12  each 
of  11  different  pamphlets. 
$22.00  including  p&h. 


Name . 


Address . 
City 


State 


Zip- 


a 


THE  BRETHREN  PRESS 

1451  Dundee  Ave. 

Elgin,  III.  60120 


Promote  Brethren  pamphlets 
in  your  church  narthex 


'~         ^    -A    I   'II 


©©[Hll^SDT]!^^ 


^Q     Coffee  Break  at  Four  Mile  Corner.  On  behalf  of  safety  and 

service,  three  Kansas  congregations  for  the  fourteenth  consecutive  year 
are  serving  free  snacks  over  the  78-hour  Labor  Day  Weekend,  by  Lois 
Teach  Paul 

^2     ^^^  Last  of  the  Ten.  in  a  Bible  study  piece  Ronald  K.  Morgan 
points  to  the  relevancy  of  the  commandment  on  coveting. 

^4     Nurturing  the  Faith  Community.  Teaching  about  the  Chris- 
tian faith  requires  far  more  than  the  church  school  could  ever  ac- 
complish, states  Donald  E.  Miller.  "We  must  recover  the  teaching 
function  ot  the  whole  congregation." 

^  Y    Andy  IVIurray:  Brethren  Balladeer.  a  boy  who  learned  the 

guitar  by  a  Virginia  creekside  has  gone  on  to  compose  songs  and 
ballads  that  capture  the  essence  of  being  Brethren,  by  Randy  Miller 

20     ^^  Instrument  of  Change.  Ronald  E.  Keener  pays  tribute  to 
one  of  his  heroes,  his  boyhood  pastor,  the  late  Frank  S.  Carper. 

21     Our  Ministry  in  the  Lord.  An  eight-page  interpretation  of  Scrip- 
ture, graphics,  ministries  which  describe  the  Church  of  the  Brethren's 
priorities  for  the  biennium  now  closing  and  the  next  one  soon  to  begin. 

33    Making  Friends  With  a  Canyon.  Randy  Miller  recounts  from 

firsthand  experience  how  for  a  group  of  Brethren  a  week  spent  in  the 
Grand  Canyon  at  Easter  was  a  worship  experience  as  well  as  a  hike. 

In  Touch  profiles  Edna  and  Paul  Snavely.  Medford  D.  Neher.  Virginia  and 
Nevin  Fisher  (2)  ...  Outlook  reports  on  new  General  Board  ministries,  farm 
worker  elections  in  California,  archeological  digs  in  Israel,  reconciliation  ef- 
forts in  Africa,  the  language  of  faith.  Messenger's  first  25  years,  new  per- 
sonnel, 1976  Consultation  on  Moral  Choice,  Bethany  Seminary  graduates,  and 
computerized  giving  (beginning  on  4)  . . .  Underlines  (7)  and  Update  on  con- 
gregations (8)  . . .  Word  from  Washington,  "Peace  . . .  Now  More  Than  Ever," 
by  Steve  Longenecker  (29)  ...  Here  1  Stand  statements  by  William  R.  Faw, 
Grace  and  Merlin  Shull,  Chauncey  H.  Shamberger  (30)  . . .  Turning  Points  (33) 
. . .  People  &  Parish  (34)  . . .  Resources,  "Appreciating  Appalachia."  by  Shirley 
J.  Heckman  (36)  . . .  Editorial  (40) 


EDITOR 

Howard  E    Royer 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Kermon  Thomason 

ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 

Kenneth  I    Morse 

DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 

Clyde  E   Weaver 

PUBLISHER 

Galen  B   Ogden 


l.amar  Oibble,  26  right.  Waltne 

r.  Bo 

nnie  Brook. 

27  right,  Don  Honick.  W  Jim 

Jones, 

39  Randy 

Miller. 

VOL    124.  NO   9 


SEPTEMBER  1975 


CREDITS:  Cover.  17  Kim  Ford,  courtesy  of 
Superior  Sound  Studios.  Inc..  Hendersonville. 
Tenn.  4  Elizabethtown  College.  5  John  Lei.  RNS. 
6  Howard  Pyle.  Harpers  New  Monthly 
Magazine.  October  1889.  9  E.  Floyd  McDowell. 
lO-ll  Jack  Kenward,  Farmland  News.  13  Marc 
Chagall;  Three  Lions.  18  Marvin  J.  Yoder.  20 
Ronald  E.  Keener.  21,  28  Ken  Stanley.  22  Right, 
Three  Lions;  left.  Stan  Kurtz.  23  left.  De  Wys. 
Inc.:  right.  Dick  Roller.  24  left.  Dick  Roller; 
right.  Randy  Miller.  25  left.  J.  Henry  Long;  right. 


Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug.  20,  1918,  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17, 
1917.  Filing  date.  Oct.  1.  1974.  Messenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version. 

Subscription  rates:  $6.00  per  year  for  indi- 
vidual subscriptions;  $4.80  per  year  for  Church 
Group  Plan:  $4.80  per  year  for  gift  subscriptions; 
$3. 1 5  for  school  rate  (9  months);  life  subscription, 
$80.00.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from 
Messenger  and  send  with  new  address. 
Allow  at  least  five  weeks  for  address 
change.  Messenger  is  owned  and 
published  monthly  by  the  General 
Services  Commission,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee 
Ave.,  Elgin.  111.  60120.  Second-class 
postage  paid  at  Elgin.  111.,  Sept.  1975.  Copyright 
1975,    Church    of  the    Brethren    General    Board. 


I 


A  SPECIAL  INTEREST  JOURNAL 

The  excellent  June  issue  of  Messenger  has 
truly  reached  the  distinction  of  being  a  monthly 
journal.  Hobbies  and  special  interests  motivate 
many  people  to  subscribe  to  a  variety  of 
magazines.  Brethren,  it  seems  to  me,  should  not 
neglect  their  Christian  nurture  by  failing  to  have 
Messenger  in  their  homes. 

Two  comments  on  the  June  Messenger:  the 
spiritually  enriching  testimony  of  our  friends, 
the  Spenser  Minnichs,  is  worthy  of  duplication 
and  sending  to  every  Brethren  home.  And  listing 
events  to  celebrate  in  1976,  let's  not  forget  the 
centennial  of  Juniata  College,  our  first  successfu 
adventure  in  higher  education. 

Bernard  N.  King 
York.  Pa. 

LIKES  THE  MESSENGER 

We  like  the  June  Messenger,  especially  the 
story  of  Spenser  Minnich  and  "A  Hopefu 
Witness,"  by  Brother  Bomberger. 

Medford  and  Ada  Neher 
Pompano  Beach,  Fla. 

DOESN'T  LIKE  THE  MESSENGER 

I  i/o  noi  want  to  renew  the  Messenger.  I 
think  it  is  the  worst  church  paper  1  have  read  in 
a  long  time. 

Mildred  Cutter 
Kcyser,  W.  Va. 

GOOD  ALL  ROUND 

Thank  you  for  an  excellent  magazine.  The 
quality  of  the  articles  and  the  paper  you  use  are 
both  tops. 

Verba  Allen 
Glendale,  Calif. 

SYMBOL  OF  OUR  ILLNESS 

A  person  in  any  industry  under  criticism 
usually  chafes  against  that  criticism  and  so  it 
must  be  for  th;  Crist's  (letters,  June  issue).  I  can 
understand  the  feeling;  I'm  in  a  profession  that  is 
more  often  misunderstood  and  abused  than 
criticized. 

However,  my  profession  has  yet  to  become  a 
symbol  of  what  some  may  call  a  basic  oi 
systemic  illness  of  our  society:  using  more  tc 
produce  less.  The  beef  industry  happens  to  be 
the  beautiful  symbol  of  the  illness. 

For  every  pound  of  usable  protein  in  beef, 
seven  pounds  of  usable  protein  must  enter  the 
beef  production  system.  In  terms  of  energy 
conservative  estimate  indicates  that  to  obtain 
one  calorie  of  energy  from  beef  our  system  must 
expend  ten  calories. 

How  can  this  highly  inefficient  system  be' 
Look  at  the  petroleum  products  alone  which  are 
used  in  beef  production:  pesticides,  herbicides, 
fertilizers,  lubricants,  plastic  utensils,  gasoline, 
oil,  natural  gas.  When  these  are  added 
together — though  people-hours  are  saved— 
energy  is  expended,  in  the  very  opposite  direc-j 
tion  of  efficiency. 

It  may  be  that  the  beef  industry  has  been  the 


p)g]gs  ©DTis 


unfortunate  choice  for  a  symbol  of  systemic 
illness  in  our  society.  However,  we  must  become 
aware  of  the  illness,  seek  out  the  alternatives, 
and  then  apply  the  cure. 

Maybe,  reduction  of  meat  consumption  by  95 
percent  will  be  sufficient  to  initiate  efficiency 
even  in  the  total  food  industry.  I  doubt  it 
because  most  of  us  prefer  doing  less  with  more. 
R.  Buckminster  Fuller,  indeed  even  Christian 
stewardship,  calls  us  to  do  more  with  less  (i.e., 
become  truly  efficient  as  is  nature). 

James  E.  Weaver 
Spokane,  Wash. 

ODE  TO  DEMISE  OF  VERBIAGE 

The  Annual  Conference  query,  "Brethren 
Mennonite  Relationship,"  was  well  written  and 
easily  understood.  It  was  the  first  one  I 
remember  seeing  composed  in  an  updated  form. 
It  eliminated  all  the  outdated  legal  language  e.\- 
cept  for  the  first  word. 

In  honor  of  this  singular  event,  here  is  a  short 
ode  (or  whatever): 

Whereas  this  new  trend  is  good. 
Therefore,  future  authors  should 
Resolve  to  alter  thus  the  form 
By  which  the  queries  should  be  born. 

Bruce  Barwick 
Middlebury,  Ind. 

ON  SEEKING  GOD'S  GUIDANCE 

In  a  letter  printed  in  the  June  Messenger,  the 
question  is  raised,  "What  would  Mary  do?"  In 
response  to  this,  my  question  is:  What  did  Mary 
do  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago?  The  answer: 
Mary  accepted  God's  will  and  guidance  through 
her  problem.  What  did  Joseph  do?  He,  too, 
accepted  God's  will  and  guidance  and  took 
Mary  for  his  wife.  They  together  brought  the 
baby  Jesus  up  in  the  best  moral  and  religious 
teaching  they  knew.  Luke  2:52  says:  "And  Jesus 
increased  in  wisdom  and  stature  and  in  favor 
with  God  and  man." 

If  present  day  lovers  and  would-be  parents 
were  willing  to  seek  God's  guidance  for  their 
lives  and  accept  his  leading  as  Mary  and  Joseph 
did,  how  much  reason  would  there  be  for 
anyone  to  think  of  abortion? 

Rosa  B.  Petrv 
Greenville,  Ohio 

THANK  GOD  FOR  UNCLE  JOE 

The  Reverend  Joseph  E.  Whitacre  on  May  28 
passed  from  life  on  this  earth  to  eternal  life 
in  heaven.  During  the  all-too-short  time  God 
loaned  him  to  us  he  made  brighter  the  existence 
of  all  who  came  within  the  sphere  of  his  in- 
fluence. The  number  of  sermons,  conversions, 
and  baptisms  he  shared  are  well  documented 
and  their  quantities  were  numerous. 

However,  those  numbers  weren't  his  impor- 
tant contribution,  nor  were  the  more  than  fifty 
consecutive  Annual  Conferences  he  attended.  He 
changed  the  life  of  every  person  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact  by  his  manner,  his  enthusiasm, 
his    witness,    and    his    testimony.    He    guided 


everyone  to  a  more  appreciative  and  deeper  in- 
sight toward  our  Creator. 

The  path  of  Uncle  Joe — as  he  was  affec- 
tionately known  —  in  this  life  crossed  that  of  the 
Woodberry  church  at  the  very  end  of  his  il- 
lustrious career.  For  that  brief  crossing  this  con- 
gregation gives  praise  to  the  Lord  and  thanks 
Him  for  our  blessing. 

Fred  Wilhelm 
Baltimore,  Md. 

KEEP  ORGANIZATION  LOCAL 

This  is  an  editorial  that  is  long  overdue. 

As  to  members,  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
1952  had  186,356;  in  1954,  193,871;  in  1959, 
200,635;  in  1961,  201,064;  in  1974,  181,183. 

The  Church  of  Christ  founded  in  1906  has  a 
membership  of  2.290,000.  The  reason:  It  is  strict- 
ly congregational  and  has  no  organization  larger 
than  local  congregational  membership. 

The  General  Board  is  the  reason  why  the 
membership  is  less  and  less  each  year.  If  the  An- 
nual Conference  had  put  as  much  effort  in  get- 
tmg  the  Bible  back  in  public  schools  instead  of 
amnesty,  no  member  in  good  standing  need  ac- 
tually see  war  service. 

The  General  Board  has  too  much  to  say  about 
local  church  boards.  A  lot  of  Annual  Conference 
delegates  should  be  sent  home.  What  use  is  the 
Annual  Conference  only  to  waste  money? 

Cl.\rence  W.  Rinebolt 
Johnstown.  Pa. 

AN  ISSUE  IN  REVIEW 

1  feel  the  April  Messenger  was  one  of  the 
greatest,  to  date. 

To  me.  these  were  some  of  the  high  points: 

Closed  Circuit  Programming.  This  is  an  un- 
limited field,  both  for  the  message  and  the 
recipients. 

"Students  and  Offenders."  A  fine  appeal  for 
meeting  the  simple,  urgent  needs  of  our 
forgotten  youth  and  adults  in  confinement  or  on 
parole. 

"She  Kept  on  Preaching."  We  need  to  be 
aware  of  the  vital  role  our  women  had  in  the 
church  and  in  society,  in  spite  of  our  male- 
dominated  heritage. 

Witness  in  Washington.  This  is  one  of  our 
most  vital  roles  if  we  are  to  prevent  our 
government/ war  department,  etc.,  from  destroy- 
ing our  civilization. 

"Learning  to  Be  a  Parent."  Should  be  man- 
datory reading  for  all  youth  and  young  (and  not- 
so-young)  adults. 

"New  Future  for  the  Rural  Church." 
Sometime  we  may  realize  how  much  the  rural 
church  contributes  at  all  levels. 

"Recruitment,  Not  Relocation,  Needed." 
Bethany's  location  is  great.  Let's  spend  our  time 
trying  to  take  advantage  of  her  resources  —  if  we 
expect  to  survive  as  a  church. 

Just  one  further  response:  The  May 
Messenger  was  also  great! 

George  D.  Wevbright 
Syracuse,  Ind. 


A^^ 


^T 


^ 


r.^ 


As  church  activities  begin  anew  this  fall, 
the  time  is  opportune  to  look  at  local 
congregational  goals.  Two  articles  herein 
provide  background. 

One  is  Donald  E.  Miller's  article  on 
"Nurturing  the  Faith  Community,"  which 
enumerates  the  aims  that  one  Maryland 
parish  set  for  its  educational  ventures. 
Important  as  aims  in  education  are,  the 
author,  a  Bethany  Seminary  professor 
now  studying  in  England,  accents  also  the 
degree  to  which 
the  entire  con- 
gregation is  cen- 
tral to  the  nur- 
turing task. 

Lifting  up  the 
current  priorities 
of  Annual  Con- 
ference and  the 
General  Board  is 
a  special  section  on  "Our  Ministry  in  the 
Lord,"  compiled  largely  by  Earle  W.  Fike 
Jr.  and  distributed  initially  to  Annual 
Conferencegoers.  Delegates  in  Dayton 
voted  to  extend  essentially  the  same  goals 
throughout  the  1976-77  biennium.  The 
goals  are  commended  for  district  and 
local  application. 

"Actualities"  from  parish  life  are 
revealed  in  a  special  report  on  three  Kan- 
sas congregations,  prepared  by  Com- 
munications staffer  Lois  Teach  Paul,  and 
by  People  &  Parish  contributors  Eleanor 
F.  Painter,  Palmyra,  Pa.,  Herbert 
Thomas,  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  Dean  M. 
Miller,  Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  Doris 
Pride,  West  Lafayette,  Ind. 

Contributing  two  feature  articles  is 
Randy  Miller,  Communications  intern 
now  completing  his  BVS  term.  The  Bible 
study  is  by  Ronald  K.  Morgan,  on  the 
staff  of  the  Fallsview  Mental  Health 
Center,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio. 

Other  writers  are  Steve  Longenecker, 
BVSer  in  the  Washington  Office;  Shirley 
J.  Heckman  of  the  Parish  Ministries  staff; 
Ronald  E.  Keener,  with  the  Illinois 
Savings  and  Loan  League,  Springfield, 
111.;  J.  Philip  Shankster,  pastor.  South 
Waterloo,  Iowa;  and  Phil  Hofer,  Fresno, 
Calif.,  observer  for  the  Mennonite  Cen- 
tral Committee. 

The  Here  I  Stand  contributors  are 
William  R.  Faw,  pastor.  Central  church, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  Grace  and  Merlin  Shull, 
now  in  training  for  mission  service  in 
Ecuador,  and  Chauncey  Shamberger,  lay 
member  and  business  leader,  Fruitland, 
Idaho. — The  Editors 


September  1975  messenger  1 


Edna  &  Paul  Snavely:  Friends  to  a  multitude 


If  it  is  true  that  "a  stranger  is  just  a 
friend  you  haven't  met,"  then  Paul 
and  Edna  Snavely  are  two  of  the 
loveliest  strangers  you  would  ever 
want  to  meet.  The  reason  is  simple: 
they  are  so  friendly. 

Paul  and  Edna  have  given  their 
lives  in  friendly  service.  Having  met 
when  both  were  in  BVS,  they  enjoyed 
working  together  so  much  that  they 
decided  to  make  it  full  time.  They 
married  and  settled  in  Waterloo, 
Iowa.  Edna  worked  as  a  nurse  while 
Paul  was  employed  at  several  jobs, 
eventually  becoming  a  farmer.  He 
also  worked  at  the  John  Deere  fac- 
tory. 

But  service  was  still  uppermost  in 
their  minds.  In  the  early  70s  Paul 
took  a  leave  of  absence  from  his  fac- 
tory job,  and  the  farm  was  rented. 
The  Snavelys  then  entered  the  Peace 
Corps.  They  were  sent  to  Belize, 
formerly  British  Honduras.  Edna 
worked  as  a  teacher  and  Paul  served 
in  agriculture  and  equipment  repair. 
However,  health  problems  forced 
them  to  return  to  the  states. 

But  the  work  they  had  started  in 
Belize  was  not  to  end.  While  in  that 
country,  they  became  acquainted 
with  a  Mennonite  community  near 
their  unit.  They  learned  of  the  com- 
munity's needs  and  saw  a  place  where 


they  could  help.  Back  home,  it 
seemed  odd  to  see  Paul  at  various 
farm  sales,  purchasing  old  stoves, 
refrigerators,  farm  equipment,  and 
tools.  But  then  the  purpose  became 
apparent.  The  Mennonites  had  dif- 
ficulty finding  or  purchasing  such 
items  in  Belize.  So  Paul  took  the  time 
and  money  to  secure  and  store  such 
items  for  them,  waiting  until  they 
could  travel  the  3000  miles  to  pick  it 
all  up. 

It  is  characteristic  of  Paul  and 
Edna  that  they  treat  their  Mennonite 
friends  as  good  "Brethren."  They 
have  never  asked  them  to  sign  notes 
or  advance  cash  for  certain 
purchases.  The  deal  has  always  been, 
"just  send  it  when  you  get  it."  The 
Snavely's  non-Mennonite  friends 
have  benefited  by  the  same  financial 
arrangements. 

A  minister  once  observed  in  a  ser- 
mon that  one  can  share  time  and 
talent,  but  one  really  gives  when  one 
will  jeopardize  one's  own  future.  Paul 
and  Edna  give  and  while  they  may 
still  be  strangers  to  a  few,  they  are 
friends  to  a  multitude. — J.  Phillip 
Shankster 


in 


Medford  Neher:  Mini! 


Visitors  to  Camp  Mack  this  summe 
have  been  celebrating  the  fiftieth  ar 
niversary  of  that  institution.  But 
many  are  also  reviewing  nearly  250 1 
years  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth-  | 
ren — thanks  to  the  work  of  artist  ail 
pastor  Medford  Neher,  whose  munj 
paintings  in  twelve  long  panels  are  ' 
housed  in  the  Quinter- Miller 
auditorium  at  the  Indiana  camp. 

Now  living  in  retirement  at  Pom 
pano  Beach,  Florida,  Medford 
speaks  with  appropriate  pride  abou 
his  part  in  a  project  that  got  under 
way  in  1944  with  the  support  of 
youth  in  the  central  region.  He  sayij 
the  plan  at  first  was  to  have  just  orj 
mural  painting,  but  the  project  grei! 
until,  by  the  time  of  dedication  in 
1949,  there  were  twelve  murals,  eac 
one  si.xteen  feet  long,  stretching  aloi 
two  sides  of  the  camp  auditorium 
Each  panel  covers  a  significant 
period  in  Brethren  history  (the  fina 
one  is  a  vision  of  the  church  in  the 
near  future);  along  with  places  and 
events,  there  are  150  actual  portraii 
of  Brethren  leaders. 

Where  does  an  artist  turn  for  infc 
mation  about  people  and  places,  in 
Europe  and  America,  across  200 
years?  Medford  indicates  that 
photographs  and  old  records  were  ; 
primary  source,  but  he  also  travele( 
with  L.  W.  Shultz,  camp  manager 
and  historian,  through  the  eastern 
states  to  visit  sites  and  talk  to  perso 
who  might  remember,  for  example, 
how  Henry  Kurtz  looked  (no 
photographs  are  available).  And  tb 
there  are  also  reference  books  in 


2  MESSENGER  September  1975 


liart 

libraries  that  offer  pictures  of  the  way 
iipeople  were  clothed. 

Called  to  be  a  minister  while  still  a 
(litudent  at  Manchester  College,  Med- 

^rd  Neher  has  served  as  pastor  of 
jD^veral  churches,  mostly  in  the 
raj/lidwest. 
;     Medford's  career  as  an  artist  has 

aralleled  his  service  as  a  minister. 

ie  took  a  master's  course  at  the  Art 
institute  in  Chicago  in  1916,  and 

oon  thereafter,  he  was  put  to  work 
)ii  y  A.  C.  Wieand,  his  teacher  at 
;[  Jethany  Bible  School,  illustrating 

iunday  school  texts.  But  he  also 
ysnrolled  in  a  cartoon  course  by  mail, 
ojnd  soon  he  was  providing  some 
ei comics"  for  a  Chicago  newspaper, 
I  aostly  about  farm  children  and  their 
sellnimal  friends. 

loij  Along  with  his  murals  and  por- 
I,  raits,  the  Brethren  artist  has  pro- 

uced  more  than  a  hundred  paintings 
rfjr  church  sanctuaries. 
lel  Though  Medford  no  longer  paints, 
idlue  to  physical  limitations,  and  is  no 
aiipnger  a  pastor,  he  tells  of  another 

linistry.  He  says,  "I  have  literally 
ilolundreds  of  persons,  my  own  family 
in  ad  the  church  family,  on  my  prayer 

St." 

All  of  this  sounds  appropriate  for  a 
ei  linister-artist — who  now  specializes 
i|a  1  portraits  in  prayer.  —  K.M. 


Virginia  &  Nevin  Fishen  Many  careers 


When  you  wave  good-bye  to  Virginia 
and  Nevin  Fisher,  standing  in  front 
of  their  lovely  home  that  sparkles  in 
the  Florida  sunshine,  you  think  of  a 
perfect  retirement  setting,  ideal  for 
sunning  and  gardening  and  cor- 
responding with  grandchildren. 

But  having  visited  the  Fishers,  you 
know  that  their  interests  and  ac- 
tivities cannot  so  easily  be  localized. 
For  Nevin  has  just  revealed  his  plans 
for  concert  recitals  this  fall  at  eastern 
colleges;  and  Virginia  has  shown  you 
a  copy  of  "The  Brethren  Story,"  a 
newly  re-written  and  updated  version 
of  the  history  of  the  church  she 
prepared  for  young  people  in  1957. 

How  Virginia  and  Nevin  have 
managed  to  coordinate  so  many 
careers  in  one  household  is  a  good 
topic  for  conversation  around  their 
table,  usually  distinguished  by  the 
naturally  healthy  foods  they  prefer. 

It  will  take  at  least  five  words  to 
suggest  the  range  of  Nevin's  con- 
tributions: college  teacher  for  more 
than  fifty  years  at  such  institutions  as 
Blue  Ridge,  McPherson,  Bridgewater, 
Elizabethtown,  Millersville,  Peabody, 
and  most  recently  on  a  part-time 
basis  at  the  South  Florida  Junior 
College;  concert  pianist,  whose  reper- 
toire consists  of  more  than  a  hundred 
memorized  compositions  (his 
forthcoming  recitals  will  feature 
romantic  works  by  MacDowell, 
Mendelssohn,  Strauss,  and 
Schubert);  composer  of  many 
original  hymns  and  arrangements  of 
hymn  tunes  (but  don't  overlook  a 
piano  number  called  "Moonlit 


River");  music  director  at  five  annual 
conferences  and  leader  of  college  and 
church  choirs;  and  editor  and  author, 
whose  "History  of  Brethren  Hymn- 
books"  is  a  valuable  resource  and 
whose  service  as  editor-in-chief  of 
"The  Brethren  Hymnal"  helps  to  ac- 
count for  its  usefulness  for  the  last 
twenty-four  years. 

The  words  that  apply  to  Virginia 
are  almost  as  many:  teacher  in  public 
schools,  church  school  teacher, 
college  and  seminary  professor; 
writer  of  "The  Brethren  Story"  as 
well  as  articles  and  study  materials; 
administrator  of  Christian  education 
programs  in  several  areas  of  the 
Brotherhood,  most  recently  in  the 
Atlantic  Northeast  District;  and  a 
pioneer  (she  was  the  first  woman  to 
be  nominated  for  Annual  Conference 
moderator  and  is  chairperson  of  the 
Florida  and  Puerto  Rico  District 
Constitution  Committee)  in 
demonstrating  that  women  are  ready 
and  eager  for  more  leadership  roles 
than  the  church  has  yet  made 
available  to  them.  She  has  also  held 
official  positions  in  the  American 
Association  of  University  Women 
and  is  listed  in  Who's  Who  of 
American  Women. 

It's  not  the  gifts  we  have  but  the 
way  we  use  them  that  makes  all  the 
difference.  Virginia  and  Nevin  Fisher 
continue  to  develop  their  God-given 
talents — and  through  them  God's 
blessings  reach  out  to  many  readers 
and  listeners  who  may  not  always 
know  the  source  of  the  words  and 
music.  —  K.M. 


September  1975  messenger  3 


Brethren  plan  series 
of  new  ministries 

Ten  new  program  ministries  in  the  United 
States  and  overseas  will  be  launched  by  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board 
over  the  next  two  years.  Funding  of  the 
ventures,  a  number  of  them  exploratory  or 
for  short  term  periods,  was  authorized  by 
the  General  Board  in  June. 

Four  projects  totaling  $95,200  include 
the  on-location  study  of  a  new  field  of 
ministry  in  Central  or  South  America, 
possibly  in  the  Andean  or  Amazon  Basin 
areas;  the  placement  of  a  Quaker-Brethren 
team  to  foster  dialogue  and  mutual  un- 
derstanding with  Israeli  Jews  and  Israeli 
Arabs;  tuition  scholarships  for  Hispanic- 
American  pastors  engaged  in  theological 
training;  and  a  guest  leadership  program 
for  the  smaller  churches. 

As  part  of  the  communications  program 
of  the  church,  $50,000  was  earmarked  for 
an  effort  to  be  devoted  largely  to  media 
education  and  advocacy.  The  social  and 
moral  implications  of  television,  the  media 
and  First  Amendment  concerns,  and  the 
creation  of  materials  that  convey  prosocial 
values  will  be  stressed.  An  amount  of 
$70,000  was  tabbed  for  a  field  marketing 
program  for  Mkssenger. 

Israeli  digs  enhance 
biblical  accounts 

For  an  Elizabethtown  College  professor  of 
religion  and  philosophy,  archeological  digs 
and  biblical  research  in  Israel  have  become 
regular  occurrences  since  1970. 

This  summer  Austin  Ritterspach  led  ten 
persons  on  a  field  seminar  that  involved 
three  weeks  at  Akko,  an  important  ancient 
seaport.  Nine  students  from  the  Penn- 
sylvania college  campus  and  Harold  Z. 
Bomberger,  Atlantic  Northeast  District  ex- 
ecutive secretary,  comprised  the  group. 

A  year  ago  Austin  and  Norma 
Ritterspach  spent  a  year  in  Jerusalem,  he 
as  a  research  associate  at  the  Albright  In- 
stitute of  Archaeological  Research,  she 
restoring  pottery  at  the  Israel  museum.  In 
the  spring,  he  co-directed  a  dig  at  Akko 
under  sponsorship  of  Israel's  Department 
of  Antiquities. 

It  was  during  that  leave  that  the 

4  MEssi-NGKR  .September  1975 


In  line  with  the  vote  of  Annual  Con- 
ference delegates  to  continue  essentially  the 
same  priorities  for  the  next  two  years, 
$42,500  per  year  is  earmarked  for  a  staff 
portfolio  built  around  farm  issues,  en- 
vironmental education,  and  camping,  and 
$12,500  per  year  for  criminal  justice  reform 
and  ministry  to  offenders. 

Other  new  or  expanded  undertakings  in- 
clude $30,000  to  assist  in  the  development 
of  two  new  congregations.  $15,000  to 
program  the  liberation  concerns  of  women 
and  men  in  the  church,  $98,560  for  wage 
adjustments  for  indigenous  personnel 
employed  in  two  hospitals  in  Nigeria, 
$39,000  for  community  development  in 
Nigeria,  and  $15,000  to  establish  a  counsel- 
ing network  as  a  new  component  in  the 
church's  ministerial  support  system. 

The  cluster  of  new  responses  to  needs 
and  concerns  within  the  church  is  made 
possible  in  part  by  an  unanticipated  boost 
in  donation  income  at  the  close  of  last 
year,  according  to  S.  Loren  Bowman,  gen- 
eral secretary  of  the  General  Board.  Other 
proposals  are  related  to  priorities  in  out- 
reach ministries  for  1976-77. 

Anticipating  continued  gains  in  dona- 
tions the  General  Board  has  established  a 
comprehensive  budget  of  $3,030,300  for 
1976  -  up  5.4  percent  over  the  1975  projec- 
tions. 

Ritterspachs  and  the  American  team  with 
whom  they  were  working  made  an  impor- 
tant discovery. 

Excavating  at  the  city  of  Meron,  the 
team  came  upon  buildings,  a  cistern,  and  a 
fortress  tower  from  the  First  Century  A.D. 
that  in  their  opinion  establishes  the  site  as 
the  ancient  city  of  Meroth.  And  it  was 
Meroth  that  Joseph  us,  the  historian,  claims 
to  have  fortified  about  that  time. 

"There  is  no  question  that  a  major  con- 
tribution of  archeology  in  the  Near  East, 
and  especially  in  Israel,  has  been  to  lend 
more  credence  to  the  basic  historical  ac- 
count that  you  get  in  the  Bible,"  states  Dr. 
Ritterspach.  "Now  one  has  to  be  very 
careful  in  saying  that,  for  two  reasons:  one 
reason  is  that  we  must  not  overdo  this 
claim  [because]  much  of  the  excavation  is 
outside  of  the  biblical  period.  The  other 
reason  is  that  archeological  evidence  is 
only  indirect. 

"There  is  almost  never  in  archeology  a 
clear  finger  pointing  toward  a  person  like 


Farm  workers  to  vote 
by  secret  balloting 

On  August  28  at  the  peak  of  the  Californi 
harvest  a  new  law  went  into  effect  that 
allows  farm  workers  in  that  state  to  expre; 
by  secret  ballot  their  wishes  regarding 
which  union,  if  any,  they  want  to  represei 
them. 

According  to  the  National  Farm  Worki 
Ministry,  the  measure  is  seen  as  a 
legislative  breakthrough,  producing  an 
historic  farm  labor  bill,  which  could 
provide  a  model  for  other  states  and  for 
national  legislation.  Some  of  the  small 
family  farmers  are  taking  a  wait-and-see  a 
titude.  however,  lauding  on  the  one  hand 
the  governor's  efforts  for  action  but  anx- 
ious on  the  other  hand  that  a  union  may  I 
forced  on  their  permanent  workers  by  ten 
porary  workers  who  do  not  understand  tJ 
sense  of  loyalty  and  concern  the  family 
farmers  have  for  their  workers. 

Passed  ten  years  after  the  first  Cesar 
Chavez-led  strike  in  Delano,  the  law  seek 
to  make  good  the  pledge  of  Gov.  Edmun 
G.  Brown  Jr.  in  January:  "It's  time  to  ex 
tend  the  rule  of  law  to  the  agricultural  se 
tor." 

Under  the  governor's  bill,  acted  upon  i 
a  special  session  of  the  legislature  and 


signed  into  law  May  29,  a  five-member 
Agricultural  Labor  Relations  Board  will 
oversee  all  elections,  investigate  com- 
plaints, and  interpret  the  bill. 

The  legislation  establishes  secret  ballot 
elections  as  the  means  for  choosing  the 
union  that,  if  any,  would  represent  the 
workers.  The  bill  provides  that  elections 
must  be  held  at  the  peak  of  employment, 
when  at  least  50  percent  of  the  employer's 
largest  work  force  is  on  the  job. 

Secondary  boycotts  are  allowed  if  the 
union  has  won  an  election  from  a  par- 
ticular grower  or  if  the  union  wants  to  ap- 
ply pressure  against  an  employer  when  no 
election  has  been  held  among  the 
employer's  workers  for  at  least  a  year  and 
when  no  other  union  has  been  certified  as 
the  collective  bargaining  agent.  The  act 
specifies  labor  practices  that  are  unfair  and 
puts  restrictions  on  the  secondary  boycott. 

Passage  of  the  law,  titled  the  Alatorre- 
Zenovich-Dunlap-Berman  Agricultural 
Labor  Relations  Act  of  1975,  climaxed  a 
two-month  negotiating  struggle  by  Gover- 
nor Brown  to  bring  rival  factions  together. 
In  the  weeks  following  the  introduction  of 
the  bill  on  April  9,  the  governor  held  con- 
ferences, met  with  growers,  union  leaders, 
church  leaders,  the  California  Chicano 
Caucus  and  legislators,  one  session  lasting 
over  100  hours.  Amendments  along  the 

Moses,  Joshua,  or  Jesus.  There  is  almost 
never  a  clear,  direct  reference  to  an  event 
like  the  destruction  of  the  Jewish  temple  in 
A.D.  70  or  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus.  Instead 
of  a  direct  correlation  or  indication,  what 
archeology  does  is  paint  in  the  back- 
ground culturally  of  the  times,  and  to  nail 
down  in  a  general  way  certain  historical 
events  that  are  reflected  in  the  Bible. 

Around  the  turn  of  the  century,  it  was 
in  vogue  to  doubt  the  reliability  of  the  Bi- 
ble, and  this  was  in  the  circles  of  biblical 
scholarship.  They  were  inclined  not  to  take 
the  accounts  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob 
to  be  historically  reliable  in  the  Book  of 
Genesis.  Since  that  time,  archeology  has 
discovered  much  material,  not  only  ruins 
of  cities  and  towns,  but  also  documents, 
that  substantiate  the  general  culture  that  is 
portrayed  in  the  Book  of  Genesis.  It  sub- 
tantiates  the  customs  and  itinerary  these 
men  used.  So,  in  its  way,  archeology  has 
forced  us  to  take  a  more  positive  view 
J  toward  the  historicity  of  the  Bible." 


way  dealt  with  United  Farm  Workers  on 
strike  against  the  Gallo  Wine  Company,  on 
craft  union  membership,  and  on  the  status 
of  present  Teamster  contracts. 

To  interpret  the  law  and  prepare  for 
collective  bargaining  elections  in 
September,  Cesar  Chavez  on  July  I  began 
a  1,000-mile  promotional  march  leading  up 
to  the  annual  convention  of  the  United 
Farm  Workers  Union  in  Fresno  in  mid- 
August.  The  march  was  to  be  concentrated 
on  the  Salinas  Valley,  center  of  the  lettuce 
industry,  and  the  San  Joaquin  Valley, 
center  of  the  grape  industry. 

Meanwhile,  the  United  Farm  Worker 
boycott  of  non-UFW  grapes,  head  lettuce, 
and  Gallo  wines  has  continued.  "It  is  not  a 
time  to  relax,"  wrote  United  Farm  Worker 
Ministry  executives  David  Hernandez 
(Messenger.  April  1975.  page  3)  and 
Wayne  C.  Hartmire  Jr.  "For  most  of  us  the 
breakthrough  points  to  a  victory  that  is 
surely  coming,  but  not  yet  come  ....  The 
boycott  will  continue  until  strong  contracts 
are  won." 

"And.  after  grapes,  lettuce,  and  Gallo 
there  are  tomatoes  and  strawberries.  And 
after  California  there  are  Yuma  lemons, 
Texas  melons,  Florida  sugar,  and 
Michigan  and  Oregon  and  Ohio  and  more 
and  more." 

But  the  test  run  is  in  California,  where 
farm  workers  covered  by  the  new  law 
number  250,000,  most  of  whom  have  never 
been  under  union  contract.  The  issue  is 
drawn  and  pressures  mount  as  farm 
workers  in  one  state  prepare  to  vote  on  a 
small  part  of  their  destiny. — Phil  Hofer, 
other  Messenger  news  sources. 

Brethren  grant  supports 
African  reconciliation 

A  grant  of  $7,500  from  World  Ministries 
bolsters  efforts  by  the  All  Africa  Con- 
ference of  Churches  toward  reconciliation 
on  the  strife-torn  African  continent.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Rev.  Canon  Burgess  Carr. 
general  secretary  of  the  Nairobi-based 
agency,  the  AACC  has  tagged  the  Brethren 
funds  to  help  finance  the  September  1-6 
consultation  on  liberation,  justice,  and 
reconciliation  in  Mozambique,  and 
for  mediation  in  the  conflict  between 
Ethiopia  and  its  rebellious  province  of 
Eritrea. 

Reconciliation  is  currently  of  highest 


B.  Carr  oj  All  Africa  Conference  of  Churches 

priority  in  Africa,  where  the  last  year  has 
seen  both  great  strides  toward  in- 
dependence for  its  peoples  and  the  tighter 
shackling  of  territories  where  white  rule 
remains  intransigent  and  entrenched.  The 
dismantling  of  the  500-year-old  Portuguese 
Empire  has  given  independence,  if  not 
peace,  to  Mozambique,  Guinea-Bissau,  and 
the  Cape  Verde  Islands.  Angola  is  slated 
for  independence  (and  predicted  Congo- 
like chaos)  in  November.  Leaders  of  free 
Africa  meanwhile  continue  their  demands 
for  independence  and  black  majority  rule 
in  Zimbabwe  and  Namibia. 

The  collapse  of  Portugal's  rule  and  the 
recent  Peoples  Revolutionary  Government 
victory  in  Vietnam  have  cheered  Africans 
by  shattering  the  myth  of  the  effectiveness 
of  military  power  against  popular  will. 

Compounding  the  reconciliation 
problem  is  the  situation  of  refugees — over 
one  million,  according  to  Canon  Carr — 
homeless  because  of  either  flight  from 
famine  or  fighting.  The  All  Africa  Con- 
ference of  Churches  is  dedicated  to  per- 
suading countries  to  accept  refugees  back 
home  again  instead  of  forcing  them  into 
permanent  exile  and  rootlessness. 

The  $7,500  grant  represents  one  part  of 
Brethren  World  Ministries  efforts  toward 
reconciliation  in  Africa  that  include  the 
current  $145,000  Sahel  rehabilitation  and 
development  program  in  Niger. 


September  1975  messenger  5 


Inclusive  terms  urged 
in  faith  community 

Should  the  name  "Church  of  the  Brethren" 
be  replaced  by  a  term  that  is  more  inclusive 
and  unifying? 

In  considering  this  question  a  five- 
member  task  force  of  the  Parish  Ministries 
Commission  responded,  "It  is  our  judg- 
ment that  to  suggest  a  major  change  in  the 
name  of  our  denomination  at  a  time  when 
awareness  is  just  beginning  to  emerge, 
seems  ill-advised.  Instead,  we  encourage  in- 
dividuals and  groups  to  develop  con- 
gregational awareness  that  may  result  in  a 
name  change." 

The  task  force  added,  "In  the  past  we 
have  changed  our  name  to  reflect  who  we 
are  as  a  community  of  faith." 

In  a  report  accepted  by  the  Parish 
Ministries  Commission  in  June,  the  task 
force  centered  its  attention  on  language 
and  imagery  related  to  God,  scripture,  the 
church  community,  and  liturgy,  including 
hymns. 

In  speaking  of  God,  the  report  states 
that  to  use  exclusively  male  terms  distorts 


and  limits  the  perception  of  the  deity.  "The 
Bible  provides  a  broader  range  of  images 
of  God  than  we  normally  employ.  These 
include  images  of  nurture  as  well  as  power, 
compassion  as  well  as  authority,  servant  as 
well  as  king,  images  that  unite  what  we 
culturally  define  as  'masculine'  and 
■feminine.""  The  report  commends  the  rich 
\ocabulary  of  designations  for  God 
developed  in  Jewish  tradition,  such  terms 
as  Yahweh,  Creator,  Elohim. 

In  reference  to  scripture,  the  report 
defines  the  translator's  task  as  rendering 
the  text  as  adequately  as  possible  in  today's 
language,  and  the  interpreter's  task  as  por- 
traying the  biblical  message  in  words  that 
allow  the  witness  to  reach  and  transform 
all  people. 

In  terms  that  describe  the  church  com- 
munity, the  report  upholds  images  that 
speak  of  intimacy,  unity,  earthiness  (the 
covenant,  the  vine  and  the  branches,  the 
body  of  Christ).  It  urges  that  the  incarna- 
tion of  God  in  Christ  be  lifted  up  "both  as 
a  first  century  Jewish  man  and  as  symbol 
of  the  Word  of  God  present  in  each  human 
fern."  When  the  metaphor  of  marriage  is 
used,  it  recommends  stressing  the  dimen- 


Messenger:  Retelling  publishing's  first  25  years 


A  fresh  look  at  the  beginnings  of  magazine 
publishing  among  the  Brethren  is  revealed 
through  "Roots  of  Messenger,"  a  new  mul- 
timedia release  prepared  as  a  prelude  to 
Messenger's  125th  anniversary  next  year. 

In  researching,  scripting,  and  directing 
the  2I-minute  slide/tape  production,  James 
H.  Lehman  uncovered  and  drew  on  a  large 
number  of  graphics  from  the  1800s  general- 
ly unknown  to  Brethren  today.  Among 
them  is  the  work  of  Howard  Pyle,  mentor 
of  the  famed  Wyeth  family  of  artists. 
Similarly,  the  narration  and  music  in  the 
production  represent  efforts  to  recreate 
authentic  sounds  from  the  period  covered 
by  the  treatment,  roughly  1850-75. 

Much  of  the  focus  is  on  Henry  Kurtz, 
the  complex  preacher  of  Lutheran 
background  who  petitioned  the  Dayton 
Annual  Meeting  of  1850  to  permit  the 
publishing  of  a  little  paper  to  be  called  The 
Gospel    Visiter.  The  delegates  responded 
by  laying  the  item  over  till  the  next  year, 
by  which  time  Brother  Henry  had  the  first 
issues  off  the  press  and  in  the  mail,  giving 
Yearly  Meeting  something  real  to  weigh. 

The  premiere  showing  of  the  production 
at  the  Messenger  Dinner  at  Annual  Con- 


ference in  Dayton  June  25  was  attended  by 
300  Messenger  congregational  represen- 
tatives, writers,  and  friends.  The  presenta- 
tion is  available  to  district  conferences  or 
for  other  special  showings. 


Deiail  from    "Going   to   Meeting 


Howard   Pvle 


sions  of  intimacy  and  unity  rather  than 
heirarchy. 

In  matters  of  liturgy,  the  report  sees  a 
place  for  both  ancient  and  modern 
resources,  and  for  material  that,  in  ad- 
dressing God,  draws  on  both  exalted  forms 
of  speech  and  language  of  common 
familiarity.  Because  hymns,  invocations, 
and  litanies  are  creations  of  artists,  the 
report  suggests  that  if  exclusive  language  is 
modified,  the  word  "adapted"  appear. 

In  speaking  of  church  offices,  the  report 
urges  the  use  of  terms  in  which  no  one  is 
excluded  because  of  sex.  "The  services  of 
licensing,  ordination,  and  installation  of 
pastors  should  be  appropriate  for  use 
whether  the  one  called  be  female,  male,  or 
a  team  of  husband  and  wife." 

As  supplemental  resources,  the  task 
force  recommended  the  use  of  the 
McGraw-Hill  Book  Company's 
"Guidelines  for  Equal  Treatment  of  the 
Sexes,"  which  has  been  distributed  to 
pastors  and  writers  throughout  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  and  the  Lutheran  Church 
of  America's  "Guidelines  for  Screening 
Bias." 

Members  of  the  task  force  were  Ruth 
Ann  Knechel  Johansen,  Princeton,  N.J., 
Richard  N.  Miller.  Manassas,  Va.,  Eugene 
F.  Roop,  Richmond,  Ind.,  Mary  Sue 
Helstern  Rosenberger,  Louisville,  Ohio, 
and  Mary  Cline  Detrick,  Elgin,  III. 

"We  acknowledge  that  language  can  and 
does  change."  the  task  force  concluded  its 
report.  "The  issue  is  whether  the  church 
will  participate  in  helping  to  improve  the 
way  we  speak  of  each  other  and  of  God,  or 
continue  to  use  language  which  divides  and 
distorts  God's  people." 

Districts  and  seminary 
employ  new  workers 

Three  district  executive  secretaries  and  a 
director  of  church  relations  for  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary  are  among  recently 
assigned  personnel  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 

Newest  on  the  district  scene  is  Bert  G. 
Richardson,  who  after  six  years  as  pastor 
of  the  Kingsport-Liberty  parish  in 
Tennessee  returns  as  Southeastern  district 
executive.  He  was  district  executive  for 
North  and  South  Carolina  and  Tennessee 
and  Alabama  1963-69.  and  carried  field 
and  pastoral  responsibilities  in  the  area 
since  1950. 

He  is  married  to  Iva  Dale  Pendry 


6  MESSENGER  September  1975 


'oiniees,     clockwise    from    upper    left, 
sel,     Brown.     Richardson,     Henderson 

lardson  and  has  one  daughter,  Gloria 
Zrist,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 
(ew  as  half-time  district  minister  for 
gon  and  Washington  is  Burton  R. 
wn  of  the  staff  of  the  United  Ministries 
Vashington  and  North  Idaho,  Spokane, 
is  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church 
sciples  of  Christ),  for  21  years  having 
1  a  pastor  in  Washington. 
le  and  his  wife  Mildred  have  two  sons, 
lothy  and  Stephen, 
^ay  V.  Henderson,  Perkins,  Okla.,  is 
imencing  a  second  year  as  district  ex- 
tive  in  Southern  Plains,  serving  on  a 
jnteer  basis.  A  native  Oklahoman  and 
irance  field  man,  he  has  had  long  in- 
/ement  in  local  and  district  programs, 
uding  three  terms  as  district  moderator. 
le  and  his  wife,  Lula  M.  Carrier 
iderson,  have  two  daughters,  Carol 
/is  of  Perkins  and  Charlene  Stanbrough 
juthrie,  and  a  son,  Charles,  of 
ahoma  City. 

ohn  J.  Cassel  is  director  of  church 
tions  for  Bethany  Theological 
binary.  Oak  Brook,  III.,  having  come  to 
position  in  mid-June  from  the 
torate  of  the  Curryville  church  in  Mid- 
Pennsylvania.  He  is  carrying  respon- 
lities  in  interpretation,  field  education, 
1  recruitment. 

H971  Bethany  graduate,  Cassel  has 
died  also  at  Elizabethtown  College  and 
in  State  University.  He  is  married  to 
■ce  McConnel  and  has  a  son  Peter,  and 
aughter,  Amelia  Jo. 


[LQDTldlSirDDDTlS^ 


ANDREW  W_.   CORDIER   ...    the  Church  of  the  Brethren's  foremost 
internationalist,  died  July  11  at  age  74.   The  former 
Manchester  College  professor  and  first  chairman  of  the 
Brethren  Service  Committee  helped  draft  the  United  Nations 
Charter,  was  executive  assistant  to  secretary  generals  Tryg- 
ve  Lie   and  Dag  Hammarskjold ,    advised  General  Assembly  presi- 
dents, headed  the  School  of  International  Affairs  at  Co- 
lumbia University,  and  was  the  university's  15th  president. 
Church  of  the  Brethren  Moderator  A.  Blair  Helman  and  General 
Secretary  S.  Loren  Bowman  participated  in  the  memorial  serv- 
ice, held  July  15  at  North  Manchester,  Ind. ,  where  Dr.  Cor- 
dier  was  ordained  to  the  ministry.   A  memorial  service  is 
planned  in  September  at  Columbia  University. 


NEW  PROGRAM  AIDES 


Ira  W.   Moomaw,   who  with  his  wife 


Mabel   recently  co-directed  the  World  Friendship  Center  in 
Hiroshima,  Japan,  has  been  named  consultant  on  farm  issues, 
a  two-year  volunteer  assignment  with  World  Ministries' 
Washington  Office.   He  will  work  out  of  his  home  in  Sebring, 
Fla.  .  .  .  Bonnie  Kl ins ,   Baltimore,  Md. ,  is  a  one-year  volun- 
teer in  the  life  cycle  program  of  Parish  Ministries. 


COLLEGE   PERSONNEL 


Commencing  Sept.  1  as  president 


of  Juniata  College  is  Frederi ck   W.  Binder,    since  1970  presi- 
dent of  Whittier  (Calif.)  College.   He  succeeds  John_N_. 
Stauffer.    .    .    .    Leland  B_.    Newcomer   resigned  in  June  as 
president  of  La  Verne  College,  after  seven  years.   He  is 
now  superintendent  of  a  school  district  in  the  San  Diego 
area.  .  .  .  New  dean  of  undergraduate  studies  at  La  Verne 
College  is  Wayne  L.   Miller;    former  executive  vice  presi- 
dent of  Elizabethtown  College.  .  .  .  Retiring  in  September 
is  Elizabethtown  College  educator  James  M_.    Berkebile,   who 
has  been  administrator  for  the  Teachers  for  West  Africa 
Program  and  the  experimental  Center  for  Community  Education. 


CLERGY  IN   THE  NEWS 


Richard  A.   Bollinger   has  been 


named  director  of  the  Division  of  Religion  and  Psychiatry 
for  the  Menninger  Foundation,  Topeka,  Kans.  .  .  .  Daniel  C_. 
Flory  is  Protestant  chaplain  at  the  Catholic  Good  Samaritan 
Hospital,  Dayton,  Ohio.  .  .  .  E.  Myrl  Weyant  chairs  the  St. 
Joe  Valley  Ministers  Fellowship,  South  Bend,  Ind. ;  James  S. 
Flora  is  president  of  the  Long  Beach 
Association.  . 


Calif.,  Ministerial 
Dolar   C.  Ri tchey   was  honored  for  50  years 
in  the  ministry  by  South/Central  Indiana's  Mexico  church. 


UPCOMING  EVENTS 


The  Eastern  Pennsylvania  CPS  Re- 


union will  convene  at  noon  Sept.  7  at  Brethren  Village,  7 
miles  north  of  Lancaster  on  Rt.  501.  .  .  .  Players  for  the 
11th  Brethren  Postal  Chess  Tournament  need  register  by  Oct. 
15.   To  enter,  send  $1  in  stamps  to  Ward  Crab ill,    11819 
Mentone  Rd. ,  Silver  Spring,  Md.  20906.  .  .  .  Vernard  Eller, 
La  Verne,  Calif.,  will  be  among  the  leaders  for  the  Nation- 
al Youth  Workers  Convention,  Oct.  7-10,  Atlanta,  Ga.  .  .  . 
Fall  celebrations:  Homecoming,  First  Church,  Harrisonburg, 
Va. ,  Sept.  28,  morning,  noon,  and  afternoon.   25th  anni- 
versary. East  Dayton  church.  Southern  Ohio,  Oct.  5,  morning 
and  afternoon.  Visitors  are  welcome  to  both. 

September  1975  messenger  7 


Mpdmt(B 


MILESTONES:      MARKING   THE  RACE 


Aug.  23-25  marked  the  200th 


anniversary  of  the  Fraternity  Church  of  the  Brethren    (Winston- 
Salem,  N.C. ) .  -  •  •  The  Florida-Puerto  Rico  district   began 
its  50th  anniversary  year  with  new  church  plans  in  Cape  Coral 
and  an  increased  ministry  to  wintering  Brethren.  ...  On 
May  4,  Camp  It hi  el    (Fla. )  dedicated  two  memorials,  the  new 
Dan  Wolfe  bell  tower  and  the  David  King  campfire  circle. 

CHECKPOINTS    . . .    May  18  the  Prince  of  Peace  Church    (South  Bend, 
Ind. ) ,  and  on  April  6  the  Hutchinson  Community  Church    (Ks.) 
celebrated  debt  retirement.  .  .  .  The  Staunton  Church    (Va.) 
used  profits  from  the  sale  of  church  land  to  pay  its  building 
debt  and  as  a  special  fund  for  projects  and  investment. 

AS   THE  RACE  BEGINS    . . .  the  Oakland  Mills   Uniting  Church   dedi- 
cated the  Meeting  House  May  11  to  18  in  Columbia,  Md.   Spon- 
sored by  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  United  Church  of  Christ, 
it  is  an  interfaith  facility.  .  .  .  When  the  Glade  Valley 
Meetinghouse    (Md.)  was  recognized  as  a  fellowship  last  fall, 
the  parent  congregation  in  Frederick  assumed  the  entire  debt 
for  the  new  church  property.  .  .  .  Southern  Pennsylvania's 
Pleasant  Hill   Church   added  an  educational  wing  in  April.  .  .  . 
Hartville    (Ohio)  Church  of  the  Brethren's  new  church  was  dedi- 
cated on  June  7  and  8.  .  .  .  The  Lor i da    (Fla.)  congregation 
dedicated  new  sanctuary  furniture  at  a  homecoming  May  11.  .  .  . 
Cedar  Lake  Church    (Ind.)  dedicated  new  educational  facilities 
June  1.  .  .  .  Dedication  of  the  Holsinger  Church ' s    (New  Enter- 
prise, Pa.)  newly  renovated  church  was  April  27.  .  .  .  Green_ 
Tree  Church    (Oak,  Pa.)  dedicated  a  new  church  on  May  4,  re- 
placing the  original  church  that  was  dedicated  130  years  ago. 

BOOST  UP:    . . .  Emergency  funds  have  been  established  in  the 
Florin  Church    (Mt.  Joy,  Pa.)  to  aid  hospitalized  members.   The 
Brethren  in  Kokomo  (Ind.)  are  offering  help  to  members  who 
are  unemployed  and  facing  financial  crisis.  .  .  .  Roscoe  Swit- 
zer.  Western  Plains   disaster  coordinator,  and  helpers  have 
equipped  a  trailer-van  with  tools  and  supplies  that  stands 
ready  for  immediate  use  anywhere  in  the  district.  .  .  .  PVSers 
staff  a  housewares'  bank  at  the  Olympic  View    (Seattle,  Wash.) 
church — bath  and  bed  linens  and  kitchen  utensils  are  supplied 
for  donations  to  needy  community  people.  ...  A  group  of 
Korean  Christians  are  using  the  chapel  of  the  Long  Beach 

(Calif.)  church  for  worship  services.  .  .  .  The  Elkhart    (Ind.) 
congregation  gave  the  food  money  for  the  fall  love  feast  to 
world  hunger  and  invited  communicants  to  bring  an  additional 
sacrificial  offering.  .  .  .  Sacramento  Prince  of  Peace   youth 

(Calif.)  spent  Easter  helping  the  Live  Oak   congregation  with 
its  new  building  and  playground. 


FINISHING   THE  COURSE 


The  late  Francis  Shenefelt  wrote  and 


directed  the  traditional  Easter  pageant  for  Abilene  (Ks.) 
while  pastor  of  the  Navarre   and  Buckeye   churches.   This  year, 
members  of  his  family  were  guests  at  the  dedication  of  a 
memorial  to  him  in  the  city  park.  .  .  .  Candace  Hoover,  widow 
of  the  late  Buryl  Hoover,  was  honored  guest  when  the  Wawaka 
(Ind.)  church  fellowship  hall  was  renamed  Hoover  Hall  honor- 
ing the  long  term  former  pastor. 

8  MEssENGHR  September  1975 


Support  system  is  goal  | 
for  medical  workers        I 

A  Church  of  the  Brethren  Consultation  o 
Moral  Choice  for  doctors,  nurses,  pastors 
and  others  involved  in  health  care  deliver 
will  be  held  June  20-22,  1976  at  Elizabeth- 
town  College  in  Pennsylvania.  The  event  is 
beingcalled  bythe  Parish  Ministries  Com- 
mission of  the  General  Board. 

The  Consultation  grows  out  of  a 
recommendation  in  the  1972  Annual  Con 
Terence  Statement  on  Abortion  that,  "at 
the  joint  initiative  of  the  Brotherhood  am 
of  interested  physicians,  a  group  of 
physicians,  informed  pastors,  and 
knowledgeable  lay  persons  be  called 
together  to  consider  ways  to  promote  sha 
ing  the  burden  of  responsibility  for  mora! 
choice,  so  often  left  to  the  physician  alone 

The  scope  of  the  consultation  will  read 
far  beyond  abortion.  Under  three  broad 
categories.  "Life  Begins,"  "Life  Continues 
"Life  Ends,"  participants  will  work  at 
guidelines  on  such  concerns  as  genetics, 
conception — coercion  or  choice,  con- 
trolling birth  quality  (amniocentesis), 
beha\  ioral  control,  transplants,  drug  ex- 
perimentation, informed  consent,  persons 
as  experimental  subjects,  the  patient  bein 
treated  with  little  hope  of  recovery,  the   ' 
patient  being  kept  alive  as  a  vegetable. 

Leadership  for  the  conference  includes 
Dr.  Lawrence  Burkholder,  formerly  of  J 
Harvard,  now  president  of  Goshen  Colle| 
Clyde  Shallenberger,  chaplain  at  Johns  I 
Hopkins  and  chairman  of  the  Church  on 
the  Brethren  General  Board;  Dr.  George' 
Harrcll  who  helped  to  found  two  medica 
schools;  and  Dr.  James  Gustafson, 
Chicago  Divinity  School,  a  writer  and 
teacher  on  Christian  ethics. 

Planners  named  by  the  Parish  Minist^j 
Commission  are  John  Hamer,  Lois 
Heckman,  Lauree  Hersch  Meyer,  Clyde! 
Shallenberger,  and  C.  Wayne  Zunkel, 
chairman. 

A  special  issue  of  Brethren  Life  and 
Thought  raising  many  of  the  moral 
questions  is  being  prepared.  It  will  be 
mailed  to  the  doctors  and  nurses  for  who 
the  committee  can  secure  addresses. 

Information  about  the  consultation  ca 
be  secured  from  Parish  Ministries,  Chun 
of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  III.  60120. 
Churches  are  asked  to  inform  the 
denomination  of  names  of  people  in  the 
health  care  delivery  professions. 


Although  beamed  to  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  other  church 
groups  will  be  represented  and  wider  par- 
ticipation is  invited.  One  of  the  aims  of  the 
experience  will  be  to  build  support  systems 
to  aid  persons  as  they  are  called  upon  to 
make  serious  choices  which  have  moral  im- 
plications. 

The  cost  of  the  conference  for  registrants 
will  be  limited  to  the  cost  of  board  and 
room.  Foundation  help  is  being  sought  to 
underwrite  some  of  the  expense.  A  con- 
sultation of  about  300  persons  is  pro- 
jected. 

Prior  to  the  conference,  congregations 
and  districts  are  asked  to  convene  meetings 
of  health  care  delivery  persons  in 
geographical  areas  to  raise  the  questions 
and  discuss  the  kinds  of  choices  they  face. 
It  is  hoped  that  these  conversations  can 
take  place  this  fall. 

'First  Fruits'  plan 
ready  for  testing 

This  fall  church  members  in  the  greater 
Philadelphia,  Kansas  City,  Dallas/ Ft. 
Worth,  Atlanta,  and  Los  Angeles  areas 
may  consider  a  unique  way  of  contributing 
o  their  local  churches  or  related  institu- 
ions  such  as  colleges  and  homes  for  the 
iging. 

Instead  of  sending  in  weekly,  monthly, 
quarterly  or  bi-annual  checks  or  envelopes, 
ontributors  can  make  a  once-a-year  deci- 
;ion  to  authorize  their  bank  to  do  it  for 


them,  automatically,  on  a  monthly  or 
quarterly  basis. 

The   new   plan  is  called  "First   Fruits," 
and  will  be  tried  in  those  areas  by 
congregations  and  institutions  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  nine  other 
bodies — American  Baptist  Churches, 
Christian  Church  (Disciples  of  Christ), 
Episcopal  Church,  Lutheran  —  Missouri 
Synod,  Presbyterian  U.S.,  Reorganized 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Latter 
Day  Saints,  United  Church  of  Christ, 
United  Methodists,  and  United  Presby- 
terians. 

Stewardship  executives  of  these  churches 
have  agreed,  after  months  of  study 
spearheaded  by  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  Commission  on  Stewardship, 
that  the  plan  holds  the  promise  of 
revolutionizing  present  methods  of  church 
giving  and  financing.  Therefore  they  will 
make  a  study  of  how  it  works  in  these 
areas  before  deciding  upon  wider  promo- 
tion of  the  service. 

Development  of  the  plan  was  prompted 
by  the  rapid  increase  in  the  use  of  bank 
cards,  electronic  payment  and  other  new 
fund  transfer  systems  that  some  pre- 
dict will  replace  the  use  of  checks  and 
cash. 

For  the  contributor,  the  plan  holds  this 
advantage:  once  the  "First  Fruits"  commit- 
ment card  is  filled  out  and  signed  there  is 
no  need  for  the  giver  to  write  weekly 
checks.  Essentially,  the  individual 
authorizes  the  local  church  to  forward  this 
commitment  to  a  data  processing  group 


called  Authorized  Contribution  Transfer 
Service  (ACTS).  It,  in  turn,  authorizes 
the  giver's  bank  to  make  the  payment  at 
the  monthly  or  quarterly  interval  chosen 
by  the  giver.  A  minimum  amount  of  $10 
monthly  or  quarterly  is  needed  to  partici- 
pate. 

The  giver  receives  from  the  bank  month- 
ly statements  and  a  yearly  report  of  the 
amounts  contributed  and  an  annual  sum- 
mary handy  at  tax  time.  Monthly  and  an- 
nual reports  and  remittances  of  con- 
tributors will  be  sent  by  ACTS  to  each 
receiving  congregation  or  institution.  The 
process  is  confidential  and  through  the 
year,  if  financial  or  other  circumstances 
affect  the  giver,  a  change  in  the  amount  of 
the  contribution,  or  change  of  address,  can 
be  made. 

The  result  is  not  only  an  easier  way  to 
give  than  through  present  plans,  but  also  a 
giving  of  the  "first  fruits"  in  biblical  terms, 
rather  than  the  residue  (or  remains)  that 
often  is  the  case. 

To  join,  a  local  church  needs  to  enroll 
and  offer  the  service  to  contributors  during 
its  annual  commitment  campaign.  It 
forwards  the  members"  signed  agreements 
to  ACTS. 

Some  questions  remain  with  stewardship 
executives  on  the  effect  the  new  plan  will 
have  on  that  portion  of  the  liturgy,  during 
worship,  which  has  to  do  with  presenting 
gifts. 

Stewardship  officials  are  hopeful  that  ten 
percent  of  the  members  of  pilot  con- 
gregations will  choose  to  give  through  this 
method. 

Robinson  addresses 
Bethany  graduates 

At  Bethany  Theological  Seminary's  70th 
commencement  celebration  June  15,  the 
graduating  class  of  19  students  was  ad- 
dressed by  the  retiring  president,  Paul  Min- 
nich  Robinson. 

Graduates  were,  beginning  from  the  left, 
Paul  Grout,  Samuel  Sligar,  Joel  Kline,  Lee 
Griffith,  Linda  Johnson,  James  Albright, 
Richard  Ukena,  Paul  Phipps,  David  Bow- 
man, Richard  Shreckhise,  Robert  Kiouse, 
Robert  Blake,  Calvin  Lawyer,  Karen  Allen, 
James  Lynch,  Daniel  Parulis,  John  Risden, 
Theodore  Bushong.  James  Abe,  who  is  not 
pictured,  completed  a  non-degree  pro- 
gram. 

Additional  data  on  the  graduates  will  be 
found  in  Turning  Points,  page  33. 


September  1975  messenger  9 


ps©DS]D  \r(Bp(n)\rt 


Coffee  break  at 


by  Lois  Teach  Paul 

The  headlight  caught  a  sign  far  ahead 
beside  the  wet  pavement.  "Stop  1  mile  Free 
Coffee"  it  read  and  the  tired  driver  whose 
eyes  burned  from  the  long  hours  of  holiday 
driving,  lifted  his  foot  off  the  accelerator. 
At  2  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  still  a  long 
way  from  Topeka.  a  cup  of  that  coffee 
sounded  like  a  gift  straight  from  heaven. 

Sure  enough,  up  ahead  on  the  right, 
lights  gleamed  from  a  roadside  park  picnic 
shelter.  The  sides  of  the  small  building  had 
been  draped  against  the  wind  and  rain  that 
seems  inevitably  to  hit  this  rolling  country 
of  Kansas  on  a  Labor  Day  weekend.  The 
driver  swung  into  the  lot  and  parked  beside 
other  cars  whose  license  plates  affirmed 
them  as  fellow  tourists. 

The  fragrance  of  brewing  coffee  greeted 
him  as  he  entered  the  shelter  and  trays 
heaped  with  plump,  homemade  cookies 
were  within  easy  reach.  Four  people  were 
acting  as  hosts — talking  with  other 
travelers,  filling  cups,  tidying  the  premises. 
A  man  walked  toward  him,  smiling.  The 
weary  driver  stretched  and  warmed  to  the 
greeting.  Whoever  these  people  were — they 
were  life  savers! 

Labor  Day  1975  will  mark  fourteen  con- 
secutive years  the  Brethren 
from  the  Sabetha,  Rock 

Creek,  and  Morrill  ^ 

churches  of  northeastern      \!iA"SAS, 
Kansas  have  offered  their 
free  coffee,  fruit  drink,  and 
cookies  as  a  special  ministry 
to  travelers  over  the  long 
holiday  weekend.  Two 
couples  from  different  con- 
gregations are  on  duty  in 
four-hour  shifts  through  the 
seventy-eight  hours  from  six 


o'clock  Friday  evening  until  midnight  of 
Labor  Day.  Weeks  in  advance  plans  were 
confirmed  with  the  Kansas  State  Highway 
Commission  and  local  city  and  county  traf- 
fic authorities.  A  first  aid  safety  unit  is 
supplied  to  give  assistance  if  needed  and 
the  H  &  R  Block  Tax  service  arranges  to 
furnish  250  dozen  cups.  A  news  release  is 
prepared  for  the  local  newspapers  and  the 
area  radio  and  tv  stations  carry  notice  of 
the  project  throughout  the  Labor  Day 
weekend. 

"We  keep  a  register  book"  says  Helen 
VanHorn  of  Sabetha  "and  usually  have 
about  2500  names  from  about  30  states. 
Folks  coming  from  St.  Joe  east  of  us  will 
share  weather  and  highway  condition  in- 
formation that  is  helpful  to  someone 
traveling  on  US  36  from  the  other  way.  We 
give  traffic  information  and  directions,  a 
little  friendly  chat  and,  we  hope,  a  more 
relaxed  and  alert  driver  goes  on  his  way." 

Charles  Domes  of  the  Rock  Creek  con- 
gregation has  taken  his  shift  for  several 
years.  This  year  he  is  serving  as  general 
chairman.  He  reports  that  some  of  the 
faces  he  sees  are  getting  to  be  familiar. 
Many  travelers  make  a  point  of  stopping  at 
Four  Mile  Corner  on  their  traditional 
Labor  Day  trip.  "One  man  from  Omaha,  I 
don't  recall  his  name,  has  stopped  every 
year  for  ten  years,"  says  Domes.  "I  will  be 
watching  for  him." 

The  three  churches  see  this  service  as  an 
opportunity  to  reduce  highway  injuries  and 
deaths  by  offering  rest  and  refreshment  to 
travelers.  They  make  no  charge  and  will,  in 


fact,  politely  refuse  donations  offered  from 
their  guests.  The  short  visits,  the  smiles  of 
gratitude  are  enough  to  keep  them  con- 
vinced that  this  is  a  worthwhile  project  for 
their  small  churches.  "You  don't  know  how 
many  lives  you've  saved"  remarked  one 
driver  as  she  returned  to  her  car  last  Labor 
Day. 

The  coffee  break  idea  was  launched  by 
Russell  Kiester  when  he  was  pastor  at 
Sabetha  in  1961.  This  year,  newly  assigned 
pastor  Gerald  Mease  found  the  project  well 
on  its  way  when  he  arrived  at  the 
Morrill/ Sabetha  parish  in  June.  Walter 
Chase  and  Keith  VanHorn  of  Sabetha  and 
Harlan  Bailey  of  Morrill  will  haul  out  and 


bur  Mile  Comer 


erect  the  four  huge  reflector  signs  a  mile 
away  from  the  shelter  on  east/ west  US  36 
and  north /south  US  75.  Two  Sabetha 
women  will  take  care  of  the  groceries  — 
Feme  Chase  and  Leona  Wikie.  Mrs.  Keith 
Van  Horn  and  Mrs.  Chase  will  arrive  on 
Friday  afternoon  to  clean  the  area  while 
Lester  Bailey,  B.  D.  Kanel.  and  Bill 
Eisenbeiss  of  Morrill  and  Rayburn  Wikel 
of  Sabetha  hang  the  giant  plastic  sheets  as 
temporary  walls  against  the  late  summer 
showers  and  wind.  It  will  be  Melvin 
Harold's  job  to  see  that  there  is  plenty  of 
ice.  He  is  from  the  Rock  Creek  congrega-_ 
tion.  Maxine  Myers  of  Sabetha  sees  to  the 
promotion  and  keeps  the  books.  Over  the 


years  a  warm  fellowship  has  developed 
among  the  people  from  the  three  con- 
gregations. "Spending  four  hours  together 
in  the  early  morning,  you  get  to  know  each 
other  pretty  well  and  talk  and  share," 
remarks  Helen  Van  Horn. 

A  paper  cup  may  not  be  anyone's  idea  of 
a  holy  grail,  but  it  is  shared  in  response  to 
another's  need  along  with  a  portion  of  car- 
ing concern.  Those  are  the  ingredients  of 
the  Holy  Supper  kept  indeed,  out  where 
the  west  begins  in  Kansas.   □ 

Bill  Eisenheiss  (center  in  right  photo)  and 
Charles  Domes  (pouring,  lower  right) 
greet,  assist  visitors  fro)}i  several  stales. 


The  ]asi  of  the  Ten 


Read:  Exodus  20:17 

The  text  is  from  the  Ten  Commandments, 
that  unsurpassed  summary  of  the  in- 
dividual's responsible  relationship  to  God 
(the  first  four  commandments)  and  to 
neighbor  (the  last  six  commandments). 
While  it  appears  in  the  Bible  as  part  of 
God's  Law  for  his  chosen  people  given 
through  their  leader,  Moses,  it  can  stand 
on  its  own  anywhere  and  does  not  require 
any  one  context  for  meaning  and  value. 
While  it  might  be  dated  as  part  of  the 
development  of  culture  or  discovery  of 
identity  by  Israel,  moving  from  slavery  to 
freedom,  from  Egypt  to  Canaan,  from 
dependency  to  responsibility,  from  chaos 
to  order,  from  brickyard  through  desert  to 
green  pastures,  the  statement  is  at  home  in 
any  time  and  circumstance. 

This  last  of  the  Ten  has  to  do  with  how 
we  relate  to  others,  and  assumes  a  close 
connection  between  the  person  and  what 
the  person  possesses.  Archbishop  William 
Temple  has  often  been  quoted  as  saying 
Christianity  (and  Judaism,  by  the  way)  is 
the  most  materialistic  religion  of  all 
because  it  puts  such  stress  on  Creation  as 
good,  on  a  person's  responsible 
relationship  to  Creation,  on  possessions  as 
an  expression  of  God's  goodness,  on  the 
ethics  of  accumulation,  the  responsible  use 
of  the  "stuff  of  Creation. 


T. 


-he  Tenth  Commandment  supports  this 
somewhat  shocking  statement.  On  the  sur- 
face an  anti-materialist  might  see  it  as 
"Don't  want  things."  (The  early  church 
contended  with  anti-materialism  in  the 
form  of  heresies:  Gnosticism  and 
Asceticism.)  Actually  this  commandment 
says  the  opposite:  a  person's  possessions 
are  God's  gifts,  are  so  important  to  a  per- 
son that  to  jealously  desire  them  sets  you  at 
odds  with  the  owner  by  violating  the 
owner's  worth  as  a  person  before  God. 
Possessions  were  considered  an  extension 
of  the  self,  and  still  are.  We  feel  personally 
violated  when  someone  damages,  steals,  or 


threatens  some  possession  we  value. 

Christians  are  more  familiar  with  Jesus' 
close  linking  of  feeling  and  act  (i.e. 
Matthew  5),  but  the  idea  was  in  Hebrew 
thought  ahead  of  him.  The  word  "covet" 
means  more  than  feelingjealously  desirous; 
it  also  refers  to  any  attempt  to  get  the 
desired  object,  and  thus  it  is  related  closely 
to  the  Seventh  and  Eighth  Com- 
mandments. The  gap  between  desire  and 
action  is  nebu'ous;  feelings  have  as  much 
power  as  ac*s  to  separate  and  alienate. 

I  must  admit  being  naive  about  this  con- 
cluding commandment.  I  had  found  little 
value  in  it  for  my  own  day-to-day  living.  I 
had  found  it  an  unnecessary  stipulation,  a 
fifth  wheel,  a  poor  ending  to  an  otherwise 
impressive  list.  I  don't  think  so  anymore. 

We  had  been  shopping  for  a  house  at  a 
time  when  real  estate  purchase  was  ex- 
tremely difficult — interest  rates  at  their 
highest  peak,  lack  of  available  money, 
stricter  lending.  The  prospects  for  any  im- 
provement in  the  situation  seemed  remote. 
In  the  process  of  shopping,  looking, 
dreaming,  planning,  and  hoping,  we  saw 
beautiful  houses  everywhere  that  we  would 
have  liked  to  buy,  all  of  them  beyond  our 
means.  At  first  I  responded  admiringly, 
"My,  what  a  beautiful  house."  After  more 
looking  and  admiring  I  felt.  "It  would  be 
nice  if  we  had  that."  Then.  "I  wonder  if 
those  people  appreciate  what  they  have?" 
And  as  the  frustration  of  not  being  able  to 
fulfill  our  hopes  and  ambitions  grew,  the 
feelings  became  more  intense:  "Why  are 
those  people  able  to  have  what  they  want 
and  we  are  not?"  The  feelings  of  frustration 
became  anger  at  the  "system":  "it  isn't 
fair."  And  feelings  of  self-righteousness: 
"We  are  in  helping  professions,  dealing 
with  people  in  their  deepest  struggles  of 
life,  and  making  much  less  money  than 
those  people  with  wealth  and  big.  fancy 
houses.  Society's  values  are  all  screwed 
up."  I  was  getting  angry  at  persons  I  didn't 
even  know  or  hadn't  even  encountered. 
Then  I  became  bitter.  I  even  began  to  lose 
appreciation  for  what  we  did  have,  which 
was.  by  comparison,  more  than  most  of  the 


world  that  daily  lives  at  the  brink  of  mere 
existence. 

When  I  became  that  bitter  about  the 
situation  I  became  aware  of  what  I  had 
been  doing  and  how  it  was  affecting  me.  I 
became  aware  that  I  had  been  coveting  and 
the  effects  that  had  been  having  on  my 
spirit,  and  my  attitude.  Then  the  Tenth 
Commandment  made  sense.  It  clicked  with 
my  experience.  I  became  aware  of  its 
wisdom  and  why  it  is  worthy  of  a  place 
among  the  Ten. 


T. 


-his  commandment  is  worthy  of 
obedience  because  it  is  true  to  life.  This 
and  the  other  nine,  indeed  Scripture  as  a 
whole,  is  worthy  of  attention  and  of  being 
a  direction  for  us  not  just  because  it  is 
handed  down  as  the  way  to  be,  as  though 
its  opposite  could  as  easily  have  been  com- 
manded for  obedience.  Scripture,  and  in 
particular  here  the  Tenth  Commandment, 
is  good  guidance  for  mental,  spiritual,  and 
social  health,  good  advice  for  how  to  stay 
out  of  that  descending  spiral  that  eventual- 
ly can  lead  to  total  despair  or  lashing  out 
in  jealous  rage  against  one's  neighbor,  be 
that  an  individual,  a  group,  a  class,  a  race, 
a  church,  a  nation. 

President  Ford  has  often  addressed  the 
nation  and  Congress  about  inflation.  In 
some  of  his  suggested  remedies  there  is  im- 
plicit the  recognition  that  behind  inflation 
is  the  violation  of  the  Tenth  Command- 
ment. Coveting,  greed,  compulsive  ac- 
cumulation of  more  and  more,  and  lack  of 
self-discipline  in  our  material  desires  are 
the  spiritual  and  emotional  roots  of  infla- 
tion. For  such  reasons  as  these  the  Tenth 
Commandment  may  need  the  focused 
attention  of  us  all  in  the  living  of  these 
days,  in  order  that  we  become  aware  of  our 
own  coveting  and  its  disastrous  conse- 
quences. 

Oh  yes.  we  did  buy  a  house,  but  after  all 
this  self-examination  it  is  a  modest  house 
within  our  means  and  needs.  And  because 
our  coveting  is  under  control,  at  least  for 
the  time  being,  we  own  it  as  a  castle.   D 


commandm(En[  or  ncr(Ea5ini. 


12  MESSENGER  September  1975 


"Moses  Receiving  the  Commandments"  by  Marc  Chagall 


evariGE/bq  Ronald  K.  Morgan 


September  1975  messenger  13 


Nurturing 

the  faith 
community 


by  Donald  E.  Miller 

Several  years  ago  I  was  asked  by  Parish 
Ministries  to  conduct  a  series  of  teacher 
training  workshops  across  the 
Brotherhood.  In  searching  for  a  theme  I  hit 
upon  the  phrase,  "The  Faith  Community 
As  Teacher." 

To  understand  why  I  would  choose  such 
a  theme,  you  need  to  know  several  things 
about  me.  The  first  is  that  I  attended 
church  school  at  most  only  a  handful  of 
times  before  I  was  twelve  years  old.  Usual- 
ly our  family  attended  the  Bear  Creek  Old 
Order  Church  just  west  of  Dayton,  Ohio. 
My  earliest  memories  of  church  are  those 
of  sitting  on  the  hard  benches  for  two 
hours,  feeling  the  thump  of  my  father's 
finger  if  I  began  to  squirm  too  much.  My 
grandfather  was  the  elder.  He  usually 
would  preside  over  the  meeting,  at  which 
several  preachers  would  speak.  The  hymns 
were  lined,  even  though  we  had  printed 
hymnals  to  follow.  1  remember  heaving  a 
sigh  of  relief  when  the  third  speaker  arose 
to  speak,  because  he  nearly  always  was  the 
last.  I  was  sure  by  then  that  1  could  tolerate 
no  more. 

After  the  service  the  adults  would  usual- 
ly stand  outside  the  church  exchanging 
greetings,  while  we  children  would  either 
tug  at  them  to  come  or  start  a  game  of  tag 
with  some  of  the  other  children.  Often  we 
would  be  invited  home  to  dinner,  or  would 
ourselves  invite  a  guest  from  some  distance 
to  come  to  our  home.  While  the  meals  that 

14  MESSENGER  September  1975 


tested  our  vow  of  "moderation  in  all 
things"  were  being  prepared,  the  adults 
often  talked  about  what  had  been  said  at 
the  service  that  morning.  We  children  tried 
to  sneak  some  food  before  the  meal,  and 
when  chased  away,  would  climb  the  struts 
and  tie-beams  in  the  barn.  I  often 
wondered  whether  God  was  real  or 
whether  he  was  a  fantasy  of  mine.  I  did 
know,  however,  that  God  was  real  for  the 
adults  I  loved  most,  and  those  who  loved 
me  most. 

I  don't  know  why,  but  when  I  was  eight 
years  old  I  began  to  pray  while  kneeling 
beside  my  bed  every  night.  God  became 
very  real  then,  and  I  would  often  wrestle 
with  him  about  the  problems  I  was  having 
with  my  teachers  or  my  parents. 

At  about  the  age  of  twelve  my  sister  and 
I  were  invited  by  the  neighbors  to  go  with 
them  to  Sunday  school  when  we  were  not 
going  to  church  otherwise.  Always  glad  for 
a  place  to  go.  we  were  pleased  when  our 
parents  agreed.  I  wasn't  at  the  Sunday 
school  very  long  before  I  began  to  realize 
that  my  sister  and  I  knew  the  scriptures  at 
least  as  well  as  those  who  had  been  attend- 
ing Sunday  school  for  years.  I  remember 
some  of  the  Simday  school  lessons,  but 
they  were  not  half  as  fascinating  to  me  as 
was  my  first  camp  experience  at  Camp 
Sugar  Grove.  Because  of  these  experiences, 
and  perhaps  in  part  because  of  Old  Order 
criticism,  I  never  was  convinced  that  Sun- 
day school  was  the  only,  or  even  the  best, 
way  to  teach  children  about  the  Christian 


faith.  Somehow  the  Old  Order  way  of  life' 
was  a  nurturing  community  for  me  and  m;' 
sister.  I  have  since  come  to  wonder  whethe 
the  Brethren  church  we  attended  did  not 
teach  as  much  by  its  total  community  life 
as  by  what  went  on  during  the  Sunday 
school  hour.  From  this  vantage  point  year 
later,  I  am  sure  it  did. 

Is  the  church  school  dispensable?  To 
answer  this  question  we  must  look  to  its 
origins.  The  Sunday  school  grew  up  in  thi 
nineteenth  century  hand  in  hand  with  the 
child  evangelism  movement.  The  formatio 
of  the  Sunday  school  union  in  the  middle 
of  the  century  led  to  the  mass  gatherings  c 
children  in  the  same  style  as  mass  adult 
evangelism.  Children  were  preached  at  an' 
often  frightened  into  committing  their  live 
to  Jesus.  This  was  such  a  powerful  thrust 
that  many  present-day  churches  were  first' 
started  as  Sunday  school  missions. 

In  the  late  nineteenth  century  Horace  ' 
Bushnell  wrote  a  book  that  changed  mosl^ 
of  this.  In  it  he  argued  that  children  ougli" 
not  be  frightened  into  Christianity.  Rathe? 
children  ought  to  be  reared  so  that  they  J 
never  know  themselves  to  be  other  than  f 
Christians.  The  coming  of  the  twentieth 
century  saw  the  beginning  of  the  religious 
education  association  and  the  beginning  < 
graded  curriculum  and  international 
lessons.  The  effort  was  to  prepare  materia 
that  each  child  would  understand  at  his 
own  level.  This  paralleled  the  developmei 
of  consolidation  in  the  public  schools.  Th 
Sunday  school  movement  was  at  an  all- 
time  high.  It  sought  to  evangelize  the  worl' 
in  that  generation. 


A, 


.11  of  this  began  to  change  in  1940. 
Perhaps  earlier,  but  it  was  felt  in  1940.  TI 
church  school  felt  the  attack  of  Karl  Bar! 
and  others  against  Liberalism,  with  its 
weak  doctrine  of  sin  and  its  strong  reliam 
upon  education.  Two  World  Wars,  a 
depression,  and  the  arms  race  severely 
shook  the  idea  that  children  could  be 
educated  into  Christianity.  In  1960  Peter' 
Berger  wrote  that  the  Sunday  school  movl 
ment  was  the  largest  propagator  of  the    r 
worst  elements  of  American  culture:  beliii'' 
that  we  are  always  right,  belief  in  AmeritT 
first,  belief  that  God  is  the  friendly  persw 


tairs.  More  recently  the  work  of  Jean 
get  and  others  have  shown  that  children 
not  capable  of  really  understanding  the 
istian  faith  until  they  are  adults, 
atever  they  are  taught  about  religion 
Dre  adulthood  they  misunderstand.  In 
day  the  vision  of  the  church  school  in- 
;ed  at  the  turn  of  the  century  is  almost 
illy  eroded.  The  vision  has  been  lost. 
;re  is  no  thought  about  evangelizing  the 
Id  in  this  generation;  rather  the  ques- 
1  is  whether  the  world  can  survive  for 
more  generation.  The  consolidated 
Dol  in  many  urban  settings  is  hopelessly 
fective.  The  better  schools  use  ungrad- 
open  classroom,  and  learning  center  ap- 
aches. The  church  school  seems  to  be  a 
:  of  another  era. 

)n  the  other  hand  the  heirs  of  the  child 
igelism  approach  are  holding  their 
I.  The  largest  Sunday  schools  in 
erica  today,  those  most  rapidly  in- 
sing  in  size,  work  for  the  conversion  of 
children.  They  bring  children  in  school 
:s,  give  them  rewards  for  coming  and 
learning  Bible  verses,  run  contests  and 
petition  between  them,  and  give  them 
;  and  attractive  trips  for  winning  the 
t  merit  points.  These  Sunday  schools 
growing  and  often  pulling  in  Brethren 
Jren. 

I  the  face  of  these  changes  and 
lenges  I  believe  that  we  must  reach 
;  to  recover  the  teaching  functions  of 
:ongregation,  something  that  was  there 
before  we  had  church  schools  and  of 
;h  church  schools  were  only  a  tem- 
xy  expression.  Was  this  not  what 
ved  Judaism  to  survive  the  exile?  Ap- 
ntly  ancient  Israel  had  worship  at  local 
les,  but  especially  in  the  temple  at 
salem.  The  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
ked  Israel  into  writing  down  their 
es  and  traditions  day  and  night.  The 
gogue  originated  as  a  gathering  of 
lie  congregated  to  hear  the  reading  of 
If  aw  and  a  commentary  on  it.  Surely 
-r;!  could  not  have  survived  the  Exile 
I  out  the  Book  and  the  Congregation, 
'iiristianity  was  born  of  the  same  vision, 
h!  Pharisees  were  a  group  dedicated  to 
itjidaptation  of  the  writing  to  contem- 
o,ry  conditions  of  life.  Jesus  sided  with 
lei  on  many  issues.  Jesus'  followers 


formed  congregations  and  soon  produced  a 
book  that  could  be  read,  studied,  and  ex- 
plained in  the  midst  of  the  congregation. 
That  is  a  2500-year-old  vision  and  was  not 
born  two  centuries  ago  with  the  Sunday 
school. 

We  must  recover  the  teaching  function 
of  the  whole  congregation.  We  need  a  new 
vision,  a  new  expression  that  will  serve  to 
organize  our  energies.  In  view  of  our  Chris- 
tian heritage  we  must  find  fresh,  lively 
ways  to  organize,  express,  and  reinterpret 
the  biblical  faith  of  our  people  so  that  it 
becomes  a  living  reality,  and  not  just  a  set 
of  irrelevant  habits.  We  do  have  a  faith  and 
a  tradition  focused  upon  the  saving  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ.  We  are  nothing  without 
that.  We  must  examine  all  of  our  church 
life,  all  of  our  programs  to  see  that  they  are 
born  of  that  faith.  What  is  not  should  be 
cast  away,  sold  in  order  to  purchase  God's 
treasure.  Board  meetings  should  be  con- 
ducted in  the  saving  power  of  Christ.  The 
budget  must  be  first  of  all  a  witness  to 
Christ.  If  we  do  this,  no  one  can  be  present 
at  any  gathering  of  the  church  without 


Every  person  in  the 
congregation  should 
be  surrounded  by  a 
more  hopeful  future 
by  virtue  of  being  in 
that  congregation 


catching  our  living  faith  in  the  saving 
power  of  the  Lord. 

In  view  of  the  revelation  of  God  in 
Christ  we  must  find  ways  to  envision  and 
create  a  hopeful  future  for  each  and  all  per- 
sons in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  world  is 
threatened,  indeed  it  is  dying.  If  we  have 
nothing  to  look  forward  to,  then  we  are  of 
all  persons  most  miserable.  No  learning 
takes  place  in  the  absence  of  hope.  The 
teacher  and  the  learner  alike  hope  for  the 


time  when  the  learner  will  have  a  new  un- 
derstanding, a  new  commitment.  Every 
person  in  the  congregation  should  be  sur- 
rounded by  a  more  hopeful  future  by  virtue 
of  being  in  that  congregation.  Every  person 
in  the  congregation  from  the  youngest  to 
the  oldest  should  not  only  be  prayed  for, 
but  carefully  considered  in  terms  of  in- 
creasing her  or  his  possibilities.  This 
applies  most  of  all  to  those  who  are  at  the 
point  of  death.  But  it  applies  equally  to  the 
youngest  child  and  the  most  rebellious 
teenager.  Christ  is  not  only  the  symbol  of 
God's  acceptance  for  what  we  have  been, 
but  the  sign  of  God's  power  to  bring  about 
what  we  will  become. 


An  view  of  the  love  of  God  in  Christ  we 
must  find  ways  to  accept,  respect,  affirm, 
liberate  and  celebrate  the  worth  of  every 
person  in  the  congregation — and  as  many 
beyond  as  we  can — in  spite  of  laxity, 
laziness,  stubbornness,  and  other  con- 
stitutional deficienceis  in  each  one  of  us.  In 
a  word  we  must  find  ways  to  love  every 
person  in  the  congregation.  I  must  say  that 
the  frequent  congregational  discussions 
about  how  to  be  a  more  friendly  church 
often  leave  me  cold.  We  become  more 
friendly  when  we  begin  to  love  people.  We 
begin  to  love  when  we  are  willing  to  go 
beyond  a  "friendly  greeting,"  to  a  genuine 
concern  about  the  problems  any  person — 
young  or  old — faces.  We  show  a  genuine 
concern  when  we  find  ways  and  oppor- 
tunities to  discover  those  problems  and 
give  time  and  resources  to  meet  them. 

Like  those  around  the  six  imprisoned 
Solingen  Brethren  in  the  early  eighteenth 
century,  people  will  marvel  at  how  we  love 
one  another.  Otherwise  we  are  merely  a 
friendly  church,  one  that  works  hard  at  be- 
ing cordial,  but  doesn't  have  time  to  be 
really  engaged  with  other  people.  Unless 
there  is  love,  no  one  will  learn.  So  we  need 
the  faith  that  is  expressed  in  our  heritage. 
We  need  the  belief  in  a  better  future  that 
our  hope  in  Christ  gives.  And  we  need  the 
genuine  engagement  with  one  another  that 
the  love  of  God  gives.  Faith,  hope,  and 
love,  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  love. 
Should  we  recover  the  depth  of  these  vir- 
tues, we  will  become  a  teaching  communi- 


September  1975  messenger  15 


ty,  a  community  taught  by  the  Spirit  of 
God. 

Let  me  try  to  be  more  specific  about  the 
nurturing  functions  of  the  faith  communi- 
ty. Some  group  in  the  church  ought  to  be 
dreaming  about  what  is  worth  teaching  out 
of  the  heritage  we  have  received.  Some 
group  ought  to  be  asking  the  question: 
What  do  we  want  to  be  sure  our  children 
and  youth  gain  from  participation  in  our 
congregation  if  they  gain  nothing  else? 
These  ought  then  to  be  put  in  the  form  of 
specific  objectives. 

The  Westminster,  Maryland,  church 
went  through  this  process  and  they  decided 
that  a  student  who  attends  their  church 
school  for  twelve  years: 

. . .  will  know  and  be  able  to  find  Bible 
references. 

. . .  will  know  Old  Testament  per- 
sonalities. 

. . .  will  know  New  Testament  per- 
sonalities and  Jesus'  effect  upon  them. 

. . .  will  have  studied  in  depth  the  life  of 
Jesus. 

. . .  will  know  the  Covenant. 

. . .  will  have  studied,  in  depth,  baptism, 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  resurrection. 

. . .  will  know  the  history  of  the  universal 
church  and  the  early  leaders. 

. . .  will  know  the  history  and  leaders  of 
the  church  in  America. 

. . .  will  be  able  to  discuss  the  effect  of  the 


There  are  so  many 
new  approaches  to 
learning  today  that 
no  one  need  wonder 
what  to  do 


church  on  our  country's  development. 

. . .  will  have  an  understanding  of  the 
church  today. 

. , .  will  know  Brethren  history  and 
leaders. 

. . .  will  know  Brethren  beliefs. 

. . .  will  know  local  history  and  organiza- 
tion. 

. . .  will  have  an  understanding  of  what 
membership  means  and  how  to  contribute 
and  participate. 

. . .  will  be  able  to  apply  one's  faith  in 
contemporary  society  and  relate  it  to  such 
problems  as  war  in  a  constructive  way. 


. . .  will  be  aware  of  one's  responsibilities 
in  terms  of  personal  ethics  and 
stewardship. 

Your  list  of  objectives  might  differ  from 
this.  1  guarantee  that  if  you  go  through  the 
process,  you  will  know  much  better  where 
you  are  going. 


Oome  group  ought  to  be  working  at 
recruiting  resources  to  move  toward  your 
objectives.  1  believe  that  every  member  of 
the  church  is  a  resource.  Recently  we  did  a 
series  of  church  school  sessions  on  world 
hunger  in  which  all  of  the  adults  worked 
together  with  the  children  and  youth.  Most 
children  had  one  adult  or  youth  who  was 
working  along  with  them.  Some  churches 
use  what  they  call  resource  and  enabling 
leaders  for  their  children.  The  resource 
leaders  make  the  major  preparation,  but 
the  enabling  leaders  are  there  to  help  out 
with  the  activities.  Many  adults  take  part 
in  this  activity  when  they  would  not 
otherwise  teach.  This  moves  toward  what  1 
mean  by  saying  that  the  total  faith  com- 
munity is  the  teacher. 

Children's  groups  and  youth  groups  need 
leaders  who  will  spend  time  with  them; 
they  need  someone  who  will  be  with  them 
at  parties,  at  evening  discussions,  at  drop- 
in  centers.  Not  only  do  the  youth  need  such 
couples  to  work  with  them,  the  junior 
highs,  the  juniors,  and  the  primaries  can 
grow  so  much  better  with  couples  who  are 
willing  to  spend  extra  time  with  them. 
Every  parent  knows  how  much  difference 
such  persons  can  make  in  the  life  of  the 
child.  Such  activities  are  often  on  some  day 
other  than  Sunday  and  at  some  time  other 
than  morning.  The  church  must  think  in 
terms  of  the  possibilities  of  a  seven-day 
nurturing  week  rather  than  a  fifty-minute 
week. 

Someone  in  the  church  ought  to  be 
trying  new  learning  patterns  that  may 
replace  the  old.  There  are  so  many  new  ap- 
proaches today  that  no  one  need  wonder 
what  to  do. 

Learning  centers  encourage  the  use  of  in- 
dividualized materials  and  the  growth  of 
each  person  at  an  individual  rate. 

Interest  groups  encourage  a  variety  of 
options  for  children  so  that  not  everyone 
must  fit  into  the  same  mould. 

Intergenerational  groups  get  older  and 
younger  persons  together  to  learn  from  one 
another. 

Ungraded  groups  put  children  of 
different  grade  levels  together. 


Family  clusters  encourage  several 
families  to  make  a  covenant  with  one 
another  to  meet  together  for  the  nurture  of 
all  family  members. 

Intentional  extended  families  include  not 
only  parents  and  children,  but  also  single 
persons  and  the  elderly. 

House  churches  carry  out  worship, 
prayer,  mission,  and  nurture  functions  with 
small  groups  meeting  in  a  home. 

Mission  groups  gather  persons  of 
different  ages  around  points  of  mission. 

Drama  groups  read  and  develop  drama, 
which  can  be  such  an  important  part  of 
learning. 

I  alue  clarification  is  a  method  of 
assisting  children  and  adults  to  mature  in 
their  decision  making. 

Magic  circle  is  an  approach  with  young 
children  to  encourage  them  in  the  expres- 
sion of  their  feelings. 

Serendipity  is  a  series  of  structured, 
small  group  experiences. 

Camping,  canoe  hiking,  bicycle  hiking, 
etc.,  can  be  excellent  nurturing  activities. 

Retreats,  well  planned,  are  important  for 
all  age  levels. 

Christian  education  resources  fairs  can 
acquaint  you  with  the  excellent  materials 
available  from  other  denominations  (e.g., 
the  Shalom  materials). 

There  are  so  many  interesting  trends  in 
education  today.  Each  church  ought  to  be 
visiting  and  learning  from  some  of  these. 

Some  group  in  the  church  ought  to  be 
evaluating  what  is  happening.  I  mean  more 
than  a  casual  discussion  of  what  someone 
happens  to  think.  If  you  have  objectives, 
you  will  be  able  to  hold  conversations  with 
people  to  see  whether  any  progress  has 
been  made  toward  the  objective.  You  will 
find  out  whether  the  children  are  able  to 
find  Bible  references  or  whether  they  know 
about  the  life  of  Jesus.  If  they  cannot  and 
do  not,  you  will  try  to  discover  why  you 
are  failing  in  these  respects. 

1  believe  that  a  congregation  teaches 
more  by  its  whole  life  than  by  any  program 
it  has.  A  lively  faith  with  a  vision  for  what 
God  has  in  store  for  your  congregation, 
and  a  deep  love  for  persons  is  the  basis  for 
a  truly  nurturing  faith  community.  Such  a 
community  will  find  a  variety  of  ways  to 
express  its  faith,  hope,  and  love  seven  days 
a  week.  Perhaps  a  transformed  church 
school  or  a  Tuesday  school  will  be  a  part 
of  the  program  of  a  faith  community  that 
seeks  to  nurture  all  its  members  in  the 
awareness  that  our  only  abiding  hope  is  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  IH 


16  MESSENGER  September  1975 


Aiidy  Mi^ray 


Brethren  balladeer 


by  Randy  Miller 

The  Chinese  have  a  saying,  "You  can't 
learn  to  swim  by  studying  diagrams  on  the 
blaci<board;  you  have  to  get  into  the 
water."  Andy  Murray  seemed  to  i<now  in- 
tuitively the  value  of  this  wisdom,  right 
from  his  first  musical  encounter  in  the 
seventh  grade.  "Most  of  my  experience  was 
with  a  friend  of  mine,  Lonnie  Mason.  We 
used  to  take  our  shoes  off  and  go  sit  by  the 
creek  and  put  our  feet  in  the  water,  and  he 
taught  me  how  to  play  guitar." 

A  lot  of  water  has  gone  under  the  bridge 
from  the  time  Andy  Murray  strummed  his 
first  chord  to  the  recent  release  of  his  first 
album,  "Summertime  Children."  Andy's 
hometown  is  Cloverdale  in  Virginia's 
Botetourt  County  (scene  of  the  "Great 
Botetourt  Bus-Truck  Race").  Nurtured  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  he  spent  his 
growing  up  years  there,  until  going  to 
Bridgewater  College  in  1960.  After  college 
and  three  years  of  study  at  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary,  Andy  served  two 
pastorates,  one  at  the  Little  River  Church 
in  Virginia,  and  another  for  three  years  in 
Portland,  Oregon.  After  that  he  came  to 
Juniata  College,  where  he  continues  to 
serve  as  campus  pastor. 

The  LP,  recorded  this  past  May  in  the 
Nashville  suburb  of  Hendersonville,  con- 
tains songs  that  highlight  many  Brethren 
values,  and  in  two  cases,  songs  that  feature 
the  Brethren  folk  heroes  of  John  Kline  and 
Dan  West.  Of  the  nine  songs  on  the  album, 
the  two  not  originally  composed  by  Andy, 
"Psalm  23,"  outfitted  by  Andy  with  new 


music,  and  "Grace  Revisited,"  a  new  look  at  the  traditional 
"Amazing  Grace,"  combined  with  a  singable  descant  written  by 
Earle  Fike  Jr.,  add  additional  sparkle  to  the  album. 

"Summertime  Children"  made  a  successful  debut  at  the 
Dayton  Annual  Conference,  where  450  disks  were  sold.  "I  was 
really  pleased  with  the  way  the  albums  sold,"  related  Andy. 
"Floored,  as  a  matter  of  fact.  I  didn't  have  any 
idea  they'd  sell  so  well.  I  think  most  people 
were  buying  the  record  just  on  blind  faith 
because  many  people  hadn't  heard  me 
sing."  However,  many  remembered 
well  the  1974  National  Youth  Con- 
ference hit,  "Summertime 
Children."  Tuesday  evening  at 
Annual  Conference  Glorieta 
veterans  crowded  a  mini- 
theatre  at  the  convention 
center  for  a  session  entitled, 
"NYC  — A  Retrospect." 
There,  the  NYC  theme  as 
well  as  other  Murray  hits 
such  as  "Cowboy  Dan,"  "The 
Ballad  of  John  Kline,"  and  "The 
Great  Botetourt  Bus-Truck  Race 
reverberated  from  the  theatre's  walls. 
The  years  between  Andy's  seventh 
grade  creek-side  tutoring  sessions  and 
the  release  of  "Summertime  Children" 
saw  him  involved  in  a  number  of 
various  musical  stints  here  and  there, 
one  of  which  was 
his  college  time 
participation  in 
a  folk  trio 
called  the 
"Round  Hill 
Singers." 
They  be- 


From  campus  and  creekside 
come  songs  that  capture  the  '** 
essence  of  being  Brethren 


^Shi^is 


3%^ 


came  well  known  in  the  area,  playing  at 
banquets,  clubs,  and  college  gatherings, 
"My  senior  year  !  was  married  and  I  put 
groceries  on  the  table  by  singing." 

Andy  began  writing  (or  "making  up,"  as 
he  puts  it)  songs  during  a  three-year  period 
from  1968-71  when  he  served  a  pastorate  at 
the  Peace  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
Portland,  Oregon.  "It  was  primarily  out  of 
necessity,"  he  recalls.  "The  main  thing  was 
that  I  was  so  disorganized.  I'd  go  to 
prepare  a  worship  service  and  remember 
that  I'd  seen  a  song  that  would  fit  well,  but 
wouldn't  be  able  to  find  it  in  my  files.  So  1 
would  kind  of  write  down  what  I 
remembered  and  make  up  what  1  didn't. 
After  a  while  I  began  to  realize  that  if  I 
could  make  up  bits  and  pieces  of  songs, 
maybe  I  could  make  up  a  whole  one  by 
myself." 

But  how  does  one  who  "makes  up" 
songs,  but  doesn't  put  them  down  on 
paper,  go  about  putting  a  song  together? 
Do  the  words  come  first  or  does  the 
melody? 

"Usually  I  think  it  kind  of  evolves 
together.  When  I'm  working  on  a  song  I'll 
often  sit  down  and  just  sing  it.  you  know, 
make  it  up  as  1  go  along.  And  I'll  do  that 
with  a  tape  recorder.  I  wrote,  or  I  did,  or  I 
"made  up"  "Summertime  Children"  in  a 
car  on  the  way  from  Huntingdon  to 
Elizabethtown.  I  had  a  tape  recorder  and  I 
would  just  sing  a  few  lines  and  listen  to  it 
and  see  how  it  sounded.  Usually  I'll  just 


sing  out  loud,  like  I'm  singing  in  the 
shower,  and  I'll  sing  something  over  and 
over  until  it  begins  to  sound  right." 

A  song  about  an  historical  figure  like 
Dan  West  or  John  Kline  would  obviously 
take  a  little  more  research  and  time  than  a 
hit  "shower  tune"  may  require.  But  such 
songs  were  not  necessarily  written  with  the 
intention  of  being  musical  history  lessons 
either. 

"The  particular  accuracy  of  the  songs 
like  'John  Kline'  and  'Cowboy  Dan'  wasn't 
as  important  as  the  feel  of  the  song.  Es- 
pecially on  'Cowboy  Dan.'  I  wanted  that  to 
be  something  that  young  people  would 
like;  something  they  could  relate  to.  'Cow- 
boy Dan'  is  more  of  a  sort  of  feeling  about 
Dan  West,  rather  than  an  attempt  to  por- 
tray literal  facts  about  his  life.  The  whole 
idea  of  an  alternate  kind  of  hero  is 
something  that's  very  important  to  me 
right  now.  I  think  it's  necessary  that 
someone  present  to  children  viable  models 
for  them  to  admire,  other  than  Mannix,  or 
that  kind  of  model." 

While  pastoring  in  Portland,  Andy  had 
considered  putting  an  album  together  that 
would  feature  songs  by  and  about 
Brethren.  "On  one  side  would  be  songs 
about  Brethren  that  I  had  done.  The  other 
side  would  contain  some  of  the  better 
known  songs  by  Brethren  composers,  for 
instance,  'Move  in  Our  Midst.'  I  kicked  the 
idea  around  for  a  while,  but  never  really 
followed  up  on  it.  I  brought  the  idea  up 


again  last  fall  at  a  worship  planning  retreat 
that  Wilbur  Brumbaugh.  Clyde  Weaver, 
and  Earle  Pike  attended.  Someone  said, 
'Well,  maybe  we  should  just  do  an  album 
of  your  stuff.'  I  said,  'Well,  if  you  want  to, 
you  know,  I  won't  fuss!'" 

Andy's  isn't  the  only  Brethren  voice 
heard  on  the  album.  Four  children  from 
the  Huntingdon  area,  Alice  Brown,  Bill 
Zimmerer,  and  Joel  and  Nancy  Yoder 
provide  background  vocals  on  "Cowboy 
Dan"  and  other  songs  on  the  LP.  Three 
students  from  Juniata  College  also  add 
backing  harmonies:  Kim  Hershberger 
Mitchell,  Karl  Honsaker,  and  Miriam 
Smith.  And  last,  but  certainly  not  least, 
Andy's  wife  Terry,  "the  one  who  can  put  it 
all  down  on  paper  and  refine  it"  con- 
tributed significantly  to  the  production  of 
the  album.  Says  Andy,  "She  offered  in- 
valuable suggestions  in  terms  of  what 
sounded  good  and  fresh  and  so  forth.  She's 
really  been  a  little  unsung  throughout  this 
whole  thing  and  it's  unfortunate  because 
Terry's  just  spent  an  incredible  amount  of 
time  working  on  songs  and  doing 
arrangements." 

Although  at  present  Andy  has  no  plans 
for  another  album,  he'll  keep  "turning  out 
songs  as  they  come."  "But,"  he  says,  "if 
anyone  would  be  interested,  and  if  this  one 
should  do  well,  I'd  certainly  be   willing  to 
put  the  work  into  it." 

Should  that  occur,  chances  are  an  eager 
audience  would  not  be  hard  to  find.  D 


Singers  on  the  album  include.  I.  to  r.,  Terry  Murray,  the 
"unsung"  member  of  the  project,  Karl  Honsaker,  and  Juniata 
College  students  Miriam  Smith  and  Kim  Hershberger  Mitchell. 


Also  recording  were  Bill  Zimmerer,  Joel  Yoder,  Nancy  Yoder,  ana 
Alice  Brown  of  the  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  area.  The  cover  photo  is  oj 
Andy  and  the  Murrays'  own  "Summertime  Children,"  Kris  and  Kim. 


18  MESSENGER  September  1975 


Summertime  Children 


Ripped  apart,  torn  apart,  beggin'  for  rest 
Our  old  world  is  filled  with  pain  and  strife. 
Not  enough  of  ev'rybody  doin'  their  best. 
Living,  giving,  sharing,  Lord,  of  your  new 

life. 
City  life,  countryside,  highways  in  the  sky. 
Rivers  running,  oceans  roUing,  soft  Spring 

air. 
People  living,  dying,  crying,  by  and  by. 
Give  our  hearts  a  song  of  love,  our  lips  this 

prayer. 

Chorus: 

Sunshine,  raindrops,  old  man's  smile. 

Summertime  children  learning  to  sing. 


Ev'rybody  understanding  after  a  while, 
Ev'rybody  is  a  part  of  everything. 

Reach  out,  brother,  touch  someone's  hand. 
Tell  the  good  news  of  a  very  good  day. 
Reach  out,  sister,  share  a  smile. 
Tell  someone  you  love  we're  goin'  to  walk 

a  new  way. 
The  Lord  of  life  is  calling  us  to  take  a  new 

stand. 
Becoming  ev'rything  He  meant  for  us  to 

be. 
Follow  Him  along  the  way  across  the  land, 
Ev'ryone  who  sees  your  life  is  bound  to 

see 


Cowboy  Dan 

You've  seen  in  the  picture  shows,  I'm  sure, 
the  cowboys  of  our  land, 

Walkin"  tall  and  carryin'  a  gun  close  by 
their  hand. 

Mean  and  tough  'cause  that's  what  it 
means  in  this  tough  world  to  be  a  man. 

Oh,  I'll  tell  you  about  another  kind  of  cow- 
boy, I  like  to  call  him  Cowboy  Dan. 

Chorus: 

Working,  giving  simple-living  Cowboy 

Dan, 
Never  carried  a  gun,  he  didn't  need  one  to 

be  a  man. 
Bring  ol'  outlaw  hunger  in,  that  was  his 

plan. 
Working,  giving,  simple-living,  working, 

giving  cowboy,  simple-living  cowboy. 
Working,  giving,  simple-living  Cowboy 

Dan. 

Hunger  is  so  big  and  mean,  most  men 

simply  step  aside. 
Figure  they  can't  take  him  on,  so  they 

never  even  tried. 
Complexity  never  bothered  Dan,  he  was  a 

simple  man. 
So  he  took  his  pencil  and  sat  right  down, 

and  figured  out  a  simple  plan. 

He  knew  there  were  so  many  people,  didn't 

have  enough  to  eai. 
Figured  a  cow  or  two  might  help  to  put 

them  on  their  feet. 
He  went  all  over  this  great  big  country  to 

the  farmers  that  he  knew. 
Said,  "Hey  brothers,  I've  got  a  plan.  Can 


you  spare  me  a  cow  or  two?" 

He  took  goats  and  chicks  and  cows  and 

sheep,  and  loaded  them  on  a  boat. 
Put  them  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  set 

them  out  to  float. 
Sent  them  to  the  people  in  Spain,  didn't 

have  enough  to  eat. 
Said,  "Maybe,  my  friends,  you  could  use 

some  goats  or  chicks  or  cows  or  sheep. 
Take  this  cow  and  milk  it,  friend,  you 

know  you  don't  have  to  pay. 
But  on  a  winter  morn  when  your  first  calfs 

born,  would  you  kindly  give  it  away?" 

"Take  this  chick  and  gather  eggs,  you 

know  you  don't  have  to  pay. 
But  take  a  few  eggs  and  hatch  'em,  raise 

some  little  chicks  and  catch  'em 
And  kindly  give  'em  away. 
Old  outlaw  hunger  is  mighty  tough  and  we 

may  not  bring  him  in. 
But  we'll  surely  deal  him  a  mighty  blow, 

he'll  take  it  on  the  chin. 
And  it  may  help  a  lot  of  hungry  people  sort 

of  get  back  on  their  feet. 
If  we  keep  on,  keep  on,  passing  on  these 

goats  and  pigs  and  cows  and  sheep." 

You've  seen  in  picture  shows,  I'm  sure,  the 

cowboys  of  our  land. 
Walkin'  tall  and  carryin'  a  gun  close  by 

their  hand. 
Now  you  know  about  another  kind  of 

cowboy — 1  like  to  call  him  cowboy, 
Rootin'  tootin'  cowboy,  not  a  high  falootin 

cowboy,  just  a  Dunkard  ploughboy  Dan. 


The  Ballad 

of  John  Kline 

He  rode  straight  in  the  saddle,  'bout  five- 
nine  tall. 
Not  a  great  big  man  but  a  friend  to  all, 
With  his  broadbrim  hat  and  his  Bible  in  his 

hand. 
He  rode  north  and  south  in  this  wartorn 

land.  Little  John. 
I'm  told  he  rode  a  fine  black  mare. 
He  took  his  horse  most  everywhere. 
Near  thirty  thousand  miles,  that's  what  I've 

heard. 
Visiting  the  sick  and  preaching  the  Word. 
Little  John. 

Refrain:  Little  John.  Little  John,  John 
Kline. 

Now,  people  were  fighting  all  over  this 

land. 
But  that  didn't  bother  our  little  man. 
He  wasn't  afraid  of  the  gun  or  sword. 
He  just  rode  his  horse  for  his  friends  and 

his  Lord.  Little  John. 
John  loved  all  men  no  matter  their  side. 
And  it  hurt  his  heart  when  any  soldier 

died. 
But  there  were  some  people  who  couldn't 

understand  why. 
So  they  started  sayin'  John  Kline  was  a 

spy.  Little  John. 

Some  folk  couldn't  understand  John  Kline, 
And  they  wanted  him  to  die  before  his 

time. 
So  they  waited  one  day  with  their  gun  and 

their  knife. 
And  when  John  rode  by  they  took  his  life. 

Little  John. 
John  fell  from  the  saddle  like  a  mighty 

oak. 
And  he  hit  the  ground  midst  fire  and 

smoke. 
And  for  miles  around  it  was  understood, 
That  the  man  who  died  was  mighty  good. 

Little  John. 

Now  lots  of  people  learned  love  because  of 
John, 

So  it's  not  for  nothing  that  a  good  man  is 
gone, 

And  maybe  this  song  will  help  you  under- 
stand. 

That  little  John  Kline  was  a  great  big  man. 
Big  John. 


Lyrics  from  album,  "Summertime  Children,"  ©  1975  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board 


September  1975  messenger  19 


by  Ronald  E.  Keener 


An  instrument  of  change 


I  celebrate  the  life  of  a  man.  For  Brethren 
with  ties  to  the  church  in  eastern  Penn- 
sylvania, the  person  of  Frank  S.  Carper 
holds  earnest  claim. 

Frank  Carper  was  the  pastor  I  knew  in 
my  youth  in  the  Palmyra  congregation.  He 
traveled  across  two  states  to  officiate  at  our 
wedding  even  as  his  own  brother's  ill  health 
required  his  nearness.  His  gift  of  a  number 
of  books  from  his  library  today  have  a 
place  in  our  home. 

F.  S.  Carper's  death  at  age  81  im- 
poverishes us  all.  For  while  his  life  has 
enriched  the  church  that  he  loved,  there 
remains  the  feeling  that  the  way  ahead  is 
all  the  more  perilous  without  his  presence. 

This  is  not  an  age  hospitable  to  heroes. 
In  our  national  life  we  murder  or  malign 
those  who  would  give  us  a  vision  of  our 
better  selves.  And  without  our  heroes  we 
lose  faith  in  our  own  ability  to  survive  a 
turbulent  age. 

Frank  Carper  was  my  hero. 

And  his  was  an  heroic  life,  one  larger 
than  his  public  legend  can  contain. 

Freewill  minister  in  the  same  congrega- 
tion for  50  years,  executive  head  of  a  bank. 

Carper  . . .   a  life  of  immense  proportions 


district  and  regional  leader,  college  and 
camp  trustee,  pastor  to  many  in  his  com- 
munity beyond  his  congregation,  evangelist 
and  comforter,  husband  and  father — all  as 
he  moved  the  Palmyra  congregation  from 
its  origin  as  a  small  white  frame  meeting- 
house to  the  largest  of  the  denomination's 
parishes. 

He  was  a  man  of  heroic  countenance  and 
personality,  a  sharp  wit,  a  genius  at  adminis- 
tration and  finding  a  place  for  persons  in  the 
life  of  the  congregation,  a  clearand  incisive 
intellect,  a  scholar  and  progressive. 

His  large  frame  gave  resonance  to  his 
basso  profundo  voice,  which  needed  no  ar- 
tifical  amplification.  As  a  youth  1  squirmed 
under  his  emphasis  in  expository  sermons 
of  "preaching  Jesus,"  while  too  often  fail- 
ing to  hear  the  toiality  of  his  message. 

Behind  the  Palmyra  pulpit  visible  to  the 
speaker  is  a  plaque  he  had  placed  there 
years  ago,  reading:  "Sir,  we  would  see 
Jesus."  The  centrality  of  the  cross  and  the 
gospel  became  the  touchstone  for  all  of  his 
life  from  the  start  of  his  ministry. 

Frank  Carper  was  a  contemporary 
thinker,  yet  rooted  in  the  tradition  of  his 
faith  and  religious  affirmation.  He  had  an 
ecumenical  and  world  view,  yet  found 
his  strongest  stance  in  the  local  parish 
rather  than  on  the  national  platform.  If 
Frank  Carper  had  not  been  known  across 
the  Brotherhood  in  the  way  of  a  Baugher, 
Bowman,  Zeigler,  or  Beahm,  the  loss  is  our 
own.  For  his  contributions  to  the 
Brotherhood  are  of  equal  dimensions. 


Ye, 


.  et  his  concern  was  in  building  the  local 
congregation.  As  one  person  has  observed: 
"Annual  Conference  was  for  him  his 
guideline  to  authority.  He  felt  little  need  to 
influence  the  Brotherhood.  If  he  could  sup- 
port the  church  at  large  with  the  church  at 
home,  that  to  him  was  fulfilling  enough." 

To  a  young  communicant,  if  the  church 
seemed  to  move  too  slowly  at  times,  when 
it  did  move  the  action  brought  the  accept- 


ance of  a  majority  of  the  congregation.  It 
was  the  church  that  decided. 

He  once  told  me:  "I  don't  care  how  good 
a  change  was,  how  good  a  plan  was,  there 
was  nothing  that  worked  on  indefinitely. 
You  had  to  change 

"You  can't  run  ahead  and  lose  your 
team,  but  you  can't  wait  till  everybody  is 
on  the  bandwagon  either.  You  have  to 
know  when  to  move  and  you  have  to  keep 
on  the  move.  The  church  doesn't  grow  if 
there's  no  change." 

And,  consequently,  the  church  at 
Palmyra  was  frequently  in  advance  of 
others  in  innovations  of  church  administra- 
tion and  in  forms  of  worship. 

To  some  the  clerical  collar  he  always 
wore  in  the  church  or  in  the  bank  would 
have  labeled  him  a  conservative.  But  he 
was  neither  a  conservative,  nor  a  sectarian, 
nor  a  fundamentalist,  nor  an  evangelical.  If 
he  was  not  liberal,  he  was  progressive:  if  he 
did  not  move  swiftly,  he  moved  decidedly 


JTrank  Carper  was  truly  God's  servant 
more  than  any  man  1  have  known.  He  was 
an  instrument  of  change  in  the  church  . . . 
yet  one  of  stability  . . .  while  grounded  in  a 
doctrinal  base  that  gave  him  his  touchstone 
to  the  better  parts  of  tradition. 

For  me  Frank  Carper  represents  the  in- 
trinsic value  of  "being  Brethren."  His  life 
gives  us  a  sense  of  religious  identity.  He  is 
a  tie  to  the  past,  and  even  now,  an  example 
for  the  future. 

His  was  a  life  of  immense  proportions.  It 
reminds  us  of  the  better  life  of  which  we 
are  capable  of  living. 

And  the  strength  that  was  his  is  ours  as 
well.  For  in  our  remembrance,  Frank  S. 
Carper  would  have  us  do  no  more  than 
that  we  too  "would  see  Jesus."    D 


20  MESSENGER  September  1975 


OUR  MINISTRY 


PRIORITIES 

FOR  THE 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 


September  1975  messenger  21 


THE  WORD 

EQUIPS  US 

FOR 

EVERY  GOOD  WORK 

II  Timothy  3;16-17 

The  seed  is  the  word.  Given 
good  ground,  it  bears  fruit. 
The  word  is  also  a  rule  of  faith 
and  practice;  a  light  to  our 
way.  Receptiveness  and 
responsiveness  to  the  word 
are  important. 

We  are  committed  to 
materials  and  experiences 
that  affirm  our  heritage  as  a 
New  Testament  church  and 
provide  opportunities  for 
persons  to  appropriate 
Brethren  ideals  and  values 
in  their  life. 

Through  curriculum  on 
nonviolence  for  the  United 
Church  of  Ecuador  D  quarter- 
ly Guide  for  Biblical  Studies D 
reconciliation  teams  in 
Ireland/Mid  East  D  heritage 
curriculum  D  Bible  Study 
workshops  D  Brethren  Press 
publications  D  Historic 
Peace  Church  Seminars,  we 
affirm  . . . 


OUR 

NEW  TESTAMENT 

AND  BRETHREN 


BE  PREPARED  TO  ANSWER 
TO  ANYONE  WHO  ASKS 
ABOUT  THE  FAITH 
THAT  IS  IN  YOU 

I  Peter  3.15 

Good  news  should  not  be 
secret.  New  life  cannot  be 
hidden.  Joy  cannot  be  con- 
tained. The  Good  News  is  to 
be  discovered  like  a  pearl  of 
great  price;  experienced  like  a 
new  birth;  shared  like  an 
overflowing  cup.  It  is  to  be 
offered  like  an  invitation  to  a 
great  feast. 

We  are  committed  to 
evangelism  that  enables  per- 
sons to  find  and  share  their 
faith  with  others  and  invites 
persons  to  commitment  to 
Christ. 

Through  evangelism 
emphases  D  support  for 
church  extension  in  Ecuador 
D  Voice  of  Calvary  programs 
D  district  evangelism 
counselors  □  grants  for 
evangelism  teams  in  Lardin 
Gabas  D  support  for  new  con- 
gregations, we  affirm  . . . 


A  SEARCHING, 
SHARING, 
AND  INVITING 

EVANGELISM 


22  MHSsi.\GKR  September  1975 


TS  FOR  EQUIPPING 
E  SAINTS;  THE  WORK 
MINISTRY;  BUILDING 
THE  BODY  OF  CHRIST 

sians4:ll  12 

ie  church  is  individual 
;ons  living  and  serving  as 
corporate  body  of  Christ, 
arsons  have  the  oppor- 
ty  to  learn,  to  mature,  to 
md,  to  enrich  life  at  its 
pest  level;  as  the  gathered 
imunity  discovers 
iningful  ways  of  worship 
work  together;  so  is  the 
ity  of  the  body  of  Christ 
t  up. 

e  are  committed  to 
;rams  and  resources  that 
Durage  the  local  congrega- 
in  its  educational  and 
ure  tasks,  in  its 
lership  development 
,s,  and  in  its  goal  setting 
evaluation. 
Trough  intercultural 
cational  seminars  D 
lership  development 
Its  D  church  board 
eats  D  worship  resources 
Dntinuing  education  for 
ors,  we  affirm  . . . 


esources  for 
:rsonal  and 
)ngregational 


UBTUBE 


LET  YOUR  LIGHT  SHINE 
AND  BE  SEEN 
SO  THAT  GLORY 
MAY  BE  GIVEN  TO  GOD 

Matthew  5,16 

Who  we  are  cannot  be 
separated  from  what  we  do.  It 
is  important  to  let  our  light 
shine.  It  is  important  to  the 
world  as  a  witness  to  our  Lord. 
It  is  important  to  us  in  self- 
understanding  and  motiva- 
tion. To  let  our  light  shine  is  to 
share  thanksgiving  for  oppor- 
tunity and  joy  in  significant 
response. 

We  are  committed  to  a 
communications  network  that 
interprets,  informs,  and 
solicits  support  for  the 
ministries  shared  by  the 
church. 

Through  regular  publication 
of  MESSENGER  D  Partners  in 
Mission  resources  D  Sunday 
bulletinsD  sharing  by  mission 
and  service  workers  D  AGENDA 
to  pastors  and  congrega- 
tional workers,  we  affirm. . . 


AN  INFORMING 
AND  INTERPRETING 
NETWORK  OF 

COMMUNICATIONS 


September  1975  messenger  23 


ARISE, 
SERVE, 
AND  BEAR 
WITNESS 


Acts  26  16 

More  than  just  symbols,  the 
basin  and  the  towel  are  at 
once  a  summons  and  a 
response^  The  intimate  and 
profound  relationships  ex- 
emplified in  the  upper  room 
calls  us  to  a  posture  of 
service— to  attitudes  that 
understand  the  give  and 
take  of  helping  and  caring 
relationships. 

We  are  committed  to 
volunteer  programs  that  serve 
human  needs  including  the 
need  for  our  own  membership 
to  find  meaning  and  fulfill- 
ment by  service  to  others  and 
intercultural  expenences  that 
help  us  understand  who  we 
are  in  relationship  to  others  m 
our  world  community. 

Through  130  volunteers  in 
48  projects  in  the  U.S.  and  1 1 
other  countries  D  2  volunteers 
from  the  Church  of  North 
Indian  34  "Post  30"  volun- 
teers D  a  BVS  network  to  fa- 
cilitate training  D  30 
congregations  involved  in 
PVS,  we  affirm  . . . 


OUR  NEED 
TO  SERVE 
OTHERS  AS 

VOLUNTEERS 


ON  THE  SIDE  OF  THE 
OPPRESSORS  THERE  WAS  POWI 
AND  THERE  WAS  NO  ONE 
TO  COMFORT  THE  OPPRESSED 

Ecclesiastes  4:1 

"The  least  of  these"  is 
anyone  who  does  not  share 
equal  opportunity,  equal 
privilege,  equal  benefits.  It  is 
anyone  who  is  deprived  by 
history,  culture,  geography,  or 
birth.  But  disadvantaged 
groups  in  this  country  need 
more  than  someone  to  do  it 
"for  the  least  of  these."  They 
need  someone  to  be  for  them 
by  doing  something  with 
them,  alongside  them. 

We  are  committed  to 
ministries  in  partnership  with 
minority  groups  in  the  United 
States. 

Through  SHARE  I,  which 
has  supported  21  groups  in 
community  organization  and 
development,  including  9 
Afro-American,  5  Anglo- 
American,  3  Native- American, 
and  4  Hispanic-American 
organizations  D  SHARE  II 
educational  programs  in  dis- 
tricts and  local  churches,  we 
affirm  ... 


OUR 
PARTNERSHIP 
WITH  THE 

DISADVAN1AGED 


24  MESSENGER  September  1975 


)U  OUGHT 

ENSURE  PEACE, 

)WASH 

UPHOLD  JUSTICE 

ME  ANOTHER'S 

AND 

:et 

RIGHTEOUSNESS 

n  13:14 

Isaiah  9:7 

aoing  into  all  the  world  is 

The  Servant  was  to  be  a 

1  possible.  Sometimes 

wonderful  counselor,  a  prince 

cannot  go  the  way  we  used 

of  peace.  He  defined  his 

We  cannot  force  our  mis- 

ministry  in  terms  of  "good 

n  on  those  who  do  not  care 

news  to  the  poor;  release  to 

it.  In  the  spirit  of  Christ,  we 

the  captives;  sight  to  the 

;d  the  consent  of  those  we 

blind;  and  liberty  for  those  op- 

nt to  serve.  Nor  can  we 

pressed."  So  that  justice  may 

ume  the  doing  of  mission 

roll  down  like  waters  and 

3  "one-way"  street.  The 

righteousness  like  a  flowing 

rit  of  the  New  Testament 

stream;  so  that  there  is  a 

uld  suggest  we  need  to  be 

beginning,  that  there  may  be 

5n  to  being  the  objects  of 

no  end  to  the  reign  of  peace; 

ssion. 

We  are  committed  to 

Ve  are  committed  to  a  flexi- 

programs  which  express  our 

and  developing  mission 

commitment  to  justice,  peace 

gram  within  the  world 

and  reconciliation. 

nmunity  which  is  open  to 

Through  staff  visits  to  the 

ving  and  being  served. 

Far  East  D  the  Polish  Ex- 

"hrough programs  such  as 

change  program  D  visits  to 

RRVD  Lafiya  Medical 

the  mainland  of  China  D 

gramD  International 

Cuban  conversations  D  W.C.C. 

dical  Assistance  D  inter- 

study  on  nonviolent 

ional  education  in                         .,         _,    . 

models  for  social  change,  we 

lecology  and  obstetrics  D             iM^Jl^ 

affirm  ... 

urch  of  North  India                       IfiHiF'^   , 

JH^^- 

hops' Seminar  D  Nigerian             ^^r_  .  .     ' 

^Ml 

urchmen's  visit,  we                         M^  ' 

f 

^m 

i^f 

ERVINGAND    mti 

OUR  COMMITMENT 

EING  SERVED 

TO  JUSTICE, 

HROUGH 

PEACE  AND 

nissioNS 

RECOHCILIATION 

September  1975  messenger  25 


PUT  ON, 

LET  THEM  HAVE                          , 

AS  GOD'S 

DOMINION 
OVER  ALL 

CHOSEN  ONES, 

COMPASSION 

THE  EARTH 

Colossians  3;12 

Genesis  1:26 

The  destitute,  the  injured, 

God  has  power  over  and 

the  lost,  the  hungry,  the 

through  all  creation.  But 

frightened,  the  lonely— they 

God's  plan  included  giving 

are  children  of  God.  If  we  say 

dominion  (power)  over  the 

we  love  God  and  ignore  their 

earth  to  persons.  That  is 

need,  their  pain,  their  suffer- 

power to  conserve  or  exploit. 

ing,  then  there  is  no  truth  in 

It  is  required  of  stewards  that 

us. 

they  be  trustworthy.  We  show 

We  are  committed  to  dis- 

we are  worthy  of  that  trust  in- 

aster, relief  and  rehabilitation 

somuch  as  we  are  able  to 

responses  both  at  home  and 

follow,  as  an  example,  God's 

abroad  which  can  respond 

love  and  care  for  creation. 

with  a  flexibility  that  utilizes 

We  are  committed  to 

both  a  Brethren  and. in- 

programs to  explore  total  life- 

terdenominational approach, 

style  (goals  and  values) 

depending  upon  situational 

recognizing  we  do  not  live  by 

needs. 

bread  alone  and  are  called  to 

Through  22  disaster  ap- 

be good  stewards  in  our  use 

propriations,  including 

and  sharing  of  the  resources 

resources  to  Ohio,  Indiana, 

of  the  earth  God  has  given  to 

South  Carolina,  Mississippi, 

us. 

Oklahoma,  Nicaragua,  Hon- 

Through recommendations 

duras,  Haiti,  Bangladesh,  the 

on  land  use  and  alternate  life- 

Sudan, and  Syria  D  disaster 

styles  CH  world  hunger 

networks  in  all  but  one  district 

emphases D  low-income 

D  the  Sahel  health,  nutrition, 

housing  assistance  D  outdoor 

and  food  program  D  re.fugee 

education/camping,  we 

resettlement,  we  affirm  . . . 

affirm  ...                            .,^ 

^^VflBT"^^S^^^ 

^^Hft.              '^^^^  *•- 

^m 

OUR  CARING 

THE  CALL  ^^^^"". 

FOR  THOSE 

TO  BE                        i 

WHO  SUFFER 

STEWARDS  OF 

DISASTER 

CREATION 

GER  September  1975 

A 

W  ARE  THEY 
HEAR 

mouT 

>REACHER 

ans  10:14 

istors  are  not  indispen- 
e  persons;  but  preaching, 
hing,  counseling, 
Dherding,  enabling,  and 
linistrating  are  indispen- 
e  functions  within  the 
/  of  Christ.  Training  per- 
;  for  these  ministries  is 
Bssary.  But  theological 
cation  is  also  for  all  per- 
5  who  want  their  vocation 
e  rooted  in  an  articulate 
stian  faith. 
e  are  committed  to 
)logical  education  through 
lany  Theological 
linary,  to  promote,  spread 

deepen  the  influence  of 
Christian  faith  by  the 
cation  and  training  of  men 

women  for  various  forms 
ihristian  ministry  in  har- 
iy  with  the  principles  and 
:tices  of  the  Church  of  the 
thren. 

hrough  the  regular  offering 
he  Bethany  Extension 
ool  D  sound  but  creative 
cational  style D  supportive 
Jent/faculty  relationships, 
affirm  ... 


HEOLOGICAL 

DUCATION 

HROUGH 

ETHANY  SEMINARY 


AS  EACH  HAS 
RECEIVED  A  GIFT 
EMPLOY  IT 
FOR  ONE  ANOTHER 

I  Peter  4:10 

The  Brotherhood  program 
makes  it  possible  for  the  in- 
dividual and  the  local  church 
to  reach  around  the  world  in 
mission  and  service.  It  allows 
us  to  do  together  significant 
things  we  could  not  do  as  per- 
sons or  congregations.  It 
allows  us  to  do  some  of  the 
"greater  works"  Christ  foresaw 
for  his  followers.  If  our 
resources,  our  treasure,  is  in 
mission  then  that's  where  our 
heart  will  be  also. 

We  are  committed  to  the 
development  of  financial 
resources  for  the  Brotherhood 
program. 

Through  Partners  in  Mission 
procedures  and  materials  D 
special  gifts  emphases  with 
individuals  D  emergen- 
cy/disaster requests  D 
Sf)ecial  offerings  n  mission 
support  accounts  D  commit- 
ment plan  resources,  we 
affirm  .. . 


OUR 

RESPONSIBILITY 

THROUGH 


September  1975  messenger  27 


SEE  THAT  YOU  FULRLL 

THE  MINISTRY 

THAT  YOU  RECEIVED 

IN  THE  LORD 

Colossians  4.17 

Priorities  are  the 

Brotherhood's  way  of  saying 

how  we  shall  work  together  to 

fulfill  our  ministry.  They 

emphasize  the  important; 

they  focus  on  the  foremost; 

they  center  our  service. 

Priorities  make  our  going 

more  gathered.  They  join  us 

m  clarity  of  purpose,  then 

fling  us  near  and  far  with  a 

sense  of  common,  but  varied, 

service. 

Priorities  provide  the 

framework  for  the  fabric  of 

our  faithfulness.  They  are  the 

Brotherhood's  way  of  saying 

these  things  are  worthy. 

suitable,  and  necessary  ... 

^ 

1% 

f-A 

^^ 

rj 

TO  SEE 

THAT  WE 

FULF  LL  OUR 

MINISTRY 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 
GENERAL  BOARD 
1451  DUNDEE  AVE. 
ELGIN,  ILL.  60120 

28  MESSENGER  September  1975 


wwoirdl  IFFOimi  m^sislhDDTisi'&ODi] 


Peace  .  .  .  now  more  than  ever 


by  Steve  Longenecker 

The  amount  of  money  Brethren  will  spend 
in  the  next  federal  government  fiscal  year 
to  support  the  military  is  expected  to 
become  law  this  month  when  the  budget 
for  fiscal  year  1976  is  approved  by  Con- 
gress. This  budget  ironically  will 
demonstrate  that  although  the  Indochinese 
bloodbath  has  ended.  Brethren  must  inten- 
sify rather  than  relax  their  peace  witness. 

The  FY  1976  budget  will  reveal  that  the 
mood  of  Congress  currently  runs  against 
cutting  Pentagon  funds.  Two  recent  unique 
opportunities  to  cut  military  spending,  i.e., 
a  new  budget  making  process  and  the 
reassessment  of  US  foreign  policy  that  oc- 
curred with  the  earthquake-like  changes  in 
the  Indochina  political  landscape,  were 
missed  by  Congress.  Washington's  land  of 
milk  and  honey  continues  to  be  the  in- 
famous five-sided  building  on  the  banks  of 
the  Potomac. 

This  year's  new  budget  process  suggests 
that  this  is  a  prime  time  to  cut  Pentagon 
spending.  The  creator  of  the  new  process 
was  the  Congressional  Budget  and  Im- 
poundment Control  Act  of  1974,  which 
went  into  effect  this  year  and  created 
House  and  Senate  Budget  Committees  to 
oversee  the  formation  of  the  federal 
budget. 

Under  the  old  system  Congress  con- 
structed the  budget  piecemeal  by  voting  so 
much  for  health,  education,  the  military, 
etc.,  without  considering  national 
priorities.  Now,  instead  of  appropriating 
funds  in  a  haphazard  fashion,  members  of 
Congress  decide  how  much  the  total 
budget  will  be  and  then  cut  varying  sized 
slices  of  the  pie  for  the  different  programs. 

The  new  budget  process  forces  Congress 
to  decide  if  our  best  interests  require,  for 
example,  a  large  increase  in  mihtary  spend- 
ing with  related  cuts  in  health  care 
programs,  which  was  requested  in  Presi- 
dent Ford's  proposed  budget  for  FY  1976. 

A  comment  on  the  results  of  this  trading 
of  human  services  for  military  spending 
was  delivered  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  by 
Senator  Edward  Kennedy.  "As  we  add 
dollar  for  dollar  on  this  (military)  procure- 
ment measure,  we  must  recognize  what  it  is 
costing  in  terms  of  foregone  health  serv- 
ices. . . ;  what  it  means  in  cuts  in  the  various 
programs  on  alcoholism  and  drug  con- 


trol; . . .  and  what  it  means  for  the  quality 
of  life  for  millions  of  Americans." 

It  was  hoped  by  some  Capitol  Hill 
observers  that  the  new  Congressional 
Budget  Committees  would  create  a  forum 
for  a  national  priority  debate  that  would 
lower  military  spending.  However,  by 
suggesting  approximately  $100  billion  for 
the  Pentagon,  the  Committees  showed 
little  tendency  to  change  current  priorities, 
and  Congress  as  a  whole  is  similarly  hesi- 
tant. 

The  second  major  factor  that  could  have 
produced  a  reordering  of  priorities  was  the 
events  in  Indochina.  As  the  burning  embers 
of  American  embassies  cooled,  Washington 
began  to  spark  with  talk  of  a  "reassessment 
of  foreign  policy."  Soon  the  White  House 
contributed  to  the  post-Vietnam  reassess- 
ment with  the  Mayaguez  affair,  an  incident 
tailor-made  for  the  "big  stick"  enthusiasts 
in  the  Administration. 

Because  the  White  House  was 
traditionally  a  fortress  of  jingoism  during 
the  Vietnam  era,  the  Mayaguez  came  as  no 
surprise.  But  in  the  weeks  following 
Mayaguez  the  Congress,  which  had 
become  more  dovish  toward  the  end  of  the 
Vietnam  war,  lost  any  desire  it  once  had  to 
cut  military  spending.  Many  members  of 
Congress  heeded  Administration  warnings 
that  a  vote  for  cuts  in  Pentagon  funds  was 
a  vote  for  "isolationism,"  Such  warnings 
defined  "isolationism"  as  a  "lack  of  will  to 
live  up  to  US  commitments,"  a  potential 
calamity  that  had  nearly  every  member 
sounding  alarm. 

BICENTENNIAL  PRIORITIES  ... 

In  Bicentennial  1976  the  average 
American  family  will  pay  $2,485  for 
military  and  related  programs,  or  54 
cents  of  every  federal  dollar,  the 
Commission  for  World  Justice  and 
Peace  of  the  Brooklyn  Catholic 
Diocese  observed  upon  analyzing  the 
Administration's  1976  askings. 

Deploring  the  fact  that  all  other 
spending  is  relegated  to  a  back  seat, 
the  commission  pointed  up  that  the 
US  military  spends  more  in  16 
hours  than  the  World  Health  Organ- 
ization and  the  Food  and  Agri- 
cultural Organization  spend  in  an  en- 
tire year. 


The  closest  thing  to  a  serious  examina- 
tion of  national  priorities  occurred  in  early 
June  in  the  Senate  during  two  days  of 
debate  prior  to  the  voting  on  the  military 
procurement  bill.  In  their  self-proclaimed 
"Great  Debate"  on  foreign  and  military 
policy,  senators  orated  to  an  empty 
chamber  on  the  foresight  and  follies  of  US 
policies. 

Although  a  number  of  prepared 
statements,  especially  those  of  Senators 
Mark  Hatfield  and  Dick  Clark,  argued 
forcefully  that  morality  and  national  in- 
terest demand  a  less  militant  foreign  policy, 
actual  debate  between  Senators  rarely 
challenged  the  traditional  worldview  of  US 
diplomacy,  but  focused  instead  on 
technical  military  questions  such  as  cost- 
effectiveness.  The  "Great  Debate"  consisted 
mostly  of  the  recitation  of  speeches 
prepared  by  Senate  staff  aides. 

After  the  debate  the  Senate  took  up  the 
military  procurement  bill  and  soundly 
defeated  nearly  all  amendments  that  would 
have  tightened  the  Pentagon's  purse 
strings.  Results  on  the  bill  were  similar  in 
the  House. 

The  outcome  of  the  new  budget  process 
and  the  end  of  the  Vietnam  war  will  likely 
be  the  emergence  this  month  of  a  federal 
budget  firmly  committed  to  giving  the 
military  first  crack  at  our  nation's 
resources  and  a  continuation  of  militarism 
as  the  top  priority  in  US  foreign  policy. 

Despite  setbacks,  the  task  of  making  the 
government  more  committed  to  peace  is 
not  hopeless;  policy  can  be  influenced  by 
concerned  Christians.  Because  Con- 
gressional support  for  military  spending 
slackened  in  the  weeks  following  Vietnam, 
Brethren  now  have  a  strong  responsibility 
to  enlarge  their  peace  witness. 

During  the  closing  days  of  the  Vietnam 
war,  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Washington  Office  as  well  as  the 
Washington  Offices  of  the  Mennonites  and 
Quakers  noted  the  strong  impact  on  Con- 
gress of  the  flood  of  letters  from  con- 
stituents expressing  opposition  to  further 
US  involvement.  Now  that  the  Indochina 
conflict  is  over,  we  must  continue  to  work 
for  peace. 

Have  you  contacted  your  Representative 
and  Senators?  Do  they  know  how  you  feel? 
The  Brethren  witness  is  needed  . , ,  now 
more  than  ever!  D 


September  1975  messenger  29 


hmr®  D 


On  baptism,  language,  'campference' 


William  R.  Faw 

Against  baptism 
of  adolescents 

Most  of  us  learned  in  membership  class 
(and  some  of  us  in  college  or  seminary) 
that  behind  the  variety  of  baptismal 
styles — three  times  forward,  twice 
backwards,  pouring,  sprinkling,  or  Quaker 
"dry  cleaning" — there  are  basically  two 
types  of  baptism:  infant  and  adult. 

Moreover,  we  learned  that  the  "state 
church"  denominations  (like  Catholic  and 
Lutheran)  perform  infant  baptism,  while 
"believers"  church"  denominations  (like  the 
Baptists  and  us)  perform  adult  baptism. 

If  we  had  perceptive  teachers  we  might 
have  learned  that  infant  baptism 
emphasizes  the  fact  that  God  seeks  out, 
"ordains,"  "elects,"  "calls"  a  person  to  dis- 
cipleship  (the  aspect  of  the  infant  being 
snatched  from  original  sin  by  baptism  was 
a  later  emphasis  tacked  on  by  Augustine), 
while  adult  baptism  emphasizes  the  lifelong 
radical  decision  that  must  be  made  by  each 
individual  (a  decision  that  cannot  be  made 
before  the  person  is  ready  to  make  other 
life-direction  commitments).  Both 
emphases  are  crucial:  God  elects  us — we 
must  make  a  life-time  commitment  to  the 
Messiah's  movement. 

All  of  this  is  fine  and  good,  but  what  is 
rarely  mentioned  is  that  many  of  us 
"believers'  churches"  have  developed  a 
third  type  of  baptism  that  has  the  disad- 
vantages of  both  the  other  two  without 
their  advantages.  We  might  call  it  adoles- 
cent baptism." 

The  usual  defense  given  for  adolescent 
baptism  is  that  persons  who  are  baptized 
during  the  9-15  age  span  are  young  enough 
that  we  can  grab  them  for  the  church  while 
their  parents  still  make  them  come  with  the 

To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those  in 
the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or  disagree 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation  of  this 
value,  and  to  an  open  and  probing  forum, 
that  "Here  I  Stand"  responses  are  invited. 

30  MESSENGER  September  1975 


family,  and  yet  old  enough  to  know  "good" 
from  "evil"  and  understand  something 
about  the  faith.  The  trouble  is  that  the  vir- 
tues of  both  infant  and  adult  baptism  are 
lost,  thereby,  for  grabbing  persons  before 
they  choose  to  come  on  their  own  misses 
the  very  point  of  "adult  decision-making," 
while  pretending  that  they  are  making  their 
own  decision  eliminates  giving  God's  grace 
the  credit  for  their  salvation. 

Indeed,  it  is  only  after  parents  cease  re- 
quiring their  children's  attendance,  and 
after  the  children  have  done  some  basic 
doubting  and  tested  their  faith  to  make 
sure  it  is  their  own — ideally,  after  they 
have  taken  a  course  under  a  Brethren 
college  religion  professor — it  is  only  then 
that  they  should  be  encouraged  to  make 
their  personal  decision. 

We  have  been  able  to  lower  the  bap- 
tismal age  (from  about  18  to  about  12) 
without  problem  because  we  have  also 
lowered  the  type  of  decision  that  we  need 
to  make.  When  we  Brethren  committed 
ourselves  to  marry  within  the  church  fami- 
ly, to  live  in  a  Brethren  colony,  to  select 
only  the  types  of  jobs  consistent  with 
Christian  values,  to  die  for  a  brother  or 
sister,  to  use  no  self-defense,  to  hold  no 
slaves,  to  wear  strange  clothing  for  the  rest 
of  our  life,  to  reject  military  service,  to  sub- 
ject the  basic  decisions  of  our  lives  to  the 
Brotherhood — when  we  made  that  type  of 
commitment  by  being  baptized,  we  could 
not  have  been  baptized  in  adolescence. 

Because  we  have  thrown  out  much  of 
what  that  decision  means,  adolescent  bap- 
tism makes  sense  to  us.  But  does  adoles- 
cent baptism  make  impossible  a  recap- 
turing of  the  type  of  commitment  in  adult 
baptism?  Does  it  stamp  membership  once 
and  for  all  as  "kid  stuff?  Does  it  define 
what  the  baptismal  decision  means? 

Seldom  have  conservatives  and  liberals 
collaborated  so  well  in  fostering  a  new 
direction  in  the  church  as  they  have  in 
our  move  to  adolescent  baptism.  Many 
conservatives  have  adopted  the  revival 
definition  of  "decision"  as  declaring  that 
you  have  experienced  God  in  your  life. 
Now,  experience  is  fine  (that  is  the 
Pietist  side  of  our  heritage),  but  decision 
means  to  order  our  life-decisions  around 
Christ  and  his  community  (that  is  the 


Anabaptist  side  of  our  heritage). 

Some  conservatives  also  have  gone  in  for 
"child  evangelism"  which  comes  awfully 
close  to  infant  baptism.  Also,  some  conser- 
vatives are  caught  up  in  a  "bringing  in  the 
sheaves  in  droves"  compulsion,  building  up 
the  roll  through  Sunday  school  gimmicks 
and  free  dinners.  Their  slogan  seems  to  be; 
"The  younger  you  count  them,  the  more 
there  are  to  count!"  and  "Give  me  a  child 
when  he  or  she  is  six  and  I  will  get  the 
parents!"  This,  of  course,  is  "conservative" 
fundamentalism  or  revivalism;  this  is 
nothing  like  conservative  Brethrenism! 

Liberals,  on  the  other  hand,  have 
deemphasized  commitment  and  decision  to 
the  point  where  the  terms  do  not  represent 
a  radical  break  in  a  person's  life.  Since 
there  was  likely  no  radical  decision-point  in 
a  liberal's  life  (or  if  there  was,  the  in- 
dividual has  "outgrown"  it)  it  is  em- 
barrassing to  emphasize  decision.  To 
emphasize  gradual  growth  in  faith  is  more 
to  a  liberal's  liking.  Adolescent  baptism  is 
perfect  for  that. 

The  content  of  the  decision  is  the  crucial 
thing,  whether  it  be  (a)  to  pledge  my  life  to 
the  community  of  faith,  (b)  to  affirm  that  I 
have  experienced  God.  (c)  to  agree  to  be 
put  on  the  rolls,  (d)  to  signal  a  point  in  my 
natural  growth  in  life  and  faith. -or  (e)  to 
have  affirmed  for  me  that  it  is  God's  deci- 
sion to  seize  my  life. 

The  timing  of  baptism  should  depend 
totally  upon  the  nature  of  the  content  of 
decision.  It  should  be  clearly  recognized 
that  our  adoption  of  adolescent  baptism  is 
a  sign  that  we  have  already  moved  substan- 
tially in  our  concept  of  membership,  and 
thus  in  our  concept  of  church.  But,  at  the 
same  time,  our  adoption  of  adolescent  bap- 
tism may  close  the  door  to  our  regaining 
the  essential  part  of  our  earlier  concept  of 
church.  Strange  clothes,  etc.,  were  not  the 
crucial  issues  that  we  left  behind.  They 
were  only  the  "bathwater"  we  threw  out. 
The  key  issue  (the  "baby")  was  the  commit- 
ment by  members  of  their  future  decisions 
to  the  discerning  community  of  believersin 
Christ. 

That  "decision"  cannot  be  made  by 
adolescents!  That  decision  can  only  be 
made  by  spiritually  mature  adults.  That  is 
the  meaning  of  "adult"  baptism.    L] 


Irace  and  Merlin  G.  Shull 

God  as  Tathef — 
biblical,  personal 

Ve  want  to  express  our  disagreement  with 
nd  concern  over  the  developing  movement 
D  ban  Father  as  a  term  for  God  and,  in 
ur  view,  to  de-personalize  God. 
A  policy  paper  adopted  by  the  Parish 
Ministries  Commission  at  the  June  meeting 
uggests  that  we  need  to  grow  in  our  un- 
erstanding  about  how  we  speak  about 
Jod.  "Using  exclusively  male  terms  when 
/e  speak  of  God  seriously  distorts  and 
mits  our  perception  of  God,"  the  state- 
lent  says.  At  other  points  it  adds,  "We 
eed  to  move  away  from  the  exclusive  use 
f  the  masculine  pronoun  to  refer  to  God," 
nd,  "The  Bible  provides  a  broader  range 
if  images  of  God  than  we  normally 
mploy." 

That  sounds  reasonable  and  mild,  as  one 
lerson  commented.  But  what  does  it  mean 
n  practice?  A  couple  of  examples  from  the 
jeneral  Board  and  Annual  Conference 
nay  illustrate.  In  adopting  a  paper  outlin- 
ng  goals  for  1976  to  1980,  the  World 
Ministries  Commission  felt  it  necessary  to 
mend  a  quotation  from  a  previous  docu- 
nent  in  order  to  remove  all  uses  of  his  and 
\e  in  referring  to  God.  At  two  of  the  major 
kiorship  services  the  doxology  was  changed 
rom  "Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Jhost"  to  "Creator,  Word,  and  Holy 
Jhost."  A  number  of  women  indicated  to 
s  their  distress  when  God  is  addressed  as 
■other. 
We  find  all  of  this  disturbing  for  a 
umber  of  reasons,  two  of  which  seem 
lost  important.  First,  our  understanding 
f  God  comes,  and  necessarily  so,  largely 
■om  the  Bible  and,  more  especially,  from 
esus  himself.  When  Philip  asked  Jesus  to 
ow  him  the  Father,  Jesus  answered,  "He 
ho  has  seen  me  has  seen  the  Father." 
hen  we  want  to  know  what  God  is  like, 
'e  look  at  Jesus.  We  strongly  feel  that  if 
'e  move  in  the  direction  indicated  above, 
'e  are  going  to  rather  effectively  divorce 
urselves  from  the  biblical  terminology  and 
'itness.  Jesus  taught  us  to  pray  like  this. 
Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven  ..."  Many 
assages,  such  as  John  14,  giving  Jesus' 
onversation  with  Philip,  and  John  5, 
'here  Jesus  discusses  his  relationship  to  his 
ather,  can  only  be  understood  in 


the  context  of  Father  and  Son. 

A  young  man  sitting  next  to  us  Tuesday 
evening  at  Conference  pointed  out  the 
other  concern.  "How,"  he  wanted  to  know, 
"can  a  child  understand  and  relate  to 
Creator,   Word,  and  Holy  Ghost?"  Our 
relationship  to  God  is  a  personal  one,  not  a 
relationship  to  an  impersonal  force. 

We  agree  with  many  of  the  basic  goals  of 
the  liberation  group.  We  believe  in  equali- 
ty, equal  opportunity,  and  the  wholeness  of 
persons.  And  we  believe  that  God  should 
not  be  limited  to  those  traits  that  our 
culture  has  traditionally  attributed  to  men. 
But  we  believe  the  "women's  liberation 
movement"  has  gotten  off  the  track  with 
this  particular  emphasis.  It  is  not  unusual 
for  liberation  groups  to  go  off  the  deep  end 
in  an  effort  to  make  their  point  in  early 
stages.  But  the  fellowship  of  the  church, 
nurtured  and  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
ought  to  help  avoid  those  extremes,  rather 
than  promoting  them.  D 

Chauncey  H.  Shamberger 

A  camp  setting 
for  conference 

1  had  reached  peace  of  mind  about  any 
changes  for  Annual  Conference — then 
came  Dale  Brown  looking  at  it  from  "the 
other  side"  (June  Messenger). 

Having  had  some  part  in  introducing 
camps  into  the  church  I  was  struck  with 
the  suggestion  that  Conference  might  be 
tried  in  a  camp  setting  some  year.  If  that 
were  ever  tried  we  would  do  well  to  get 
some  advice  from  the  Old  Order  Brethren 
and  Jehovah's  Witnesses. 

Practically  all  I  know  about  their  con- 
ferences comes  from  Messenger  or  other 
publications.  There  is  one  exception — a 
neighbor  of  mine  joined  Witnesses  from 
the  Northwest  who  went  by  bus  to  one  of 
their  conventions  in  Yankee  Stadium 
where  some  fifty  thousand  conferees 
gathered  from  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth. 

I  get  the  general  impression  that  the  Old 
Order  Brethren  spend  considerable  time 
convincing  themselves  they  are  closer  to 
Alexander  Mack's  teachings  than  are  the 
separated  Brethren.  But  it  also  comes  out 
that  they  experience  very  satisfying 
fellowship  among  themselves.  Furthermore 
they  could  offer  some  helpful  suggestions 


PERk  up 

EAch  dAy 
by  REAdiNq 


MOCKINGBIRDS 

and 
ANGEL  SONGS 

&  OTHER  PRAYERS 


Jo  Can  & 
Imogem  Sorky 


A  lovely  collection  of 
conversational   prayers  that 
two  popular  authors  have 
with  God.  When  the  frustra- 
tions and  problems  of  the 
hum  drum  world  be- 
come   too    heavy,   they   turn 
to  God  in  quiet  discussion. 
You  too  will  discover  the 
serenity  of  talking  with  God 
as  you  read  this  book 
and  digest  the  tenderness 
and  wisdom   it  offers!   It's  a 
book   for  women,  by 
women    that    you'll    find 
yourself  reading  again  and 
again   for   constant    renewal. 
By  the  authors  of  Bless 
This  Mess.  $3.50 


at  your  local  bookstore 

Qbingdon 


September  1975  messenger  31 


Confessions  of  a 
ReligionLESS  Christian 

What   does   it  mean    to   be   re- 
ligionless    and   Christian? 
GENE  OWENS  sought  God  and 
found   him   both   in    re- 
ligious forms  and  through  be- 
lief and  trust.  This  is  the 
story  of  his  stormy  struggle 
with  the  meaning  of  faith,  and 
his    victorious    conclusions. 
Owens'   spiritual    wanderings 
parallel   those   of   thousands   of 
other  thoughtful  people  who 
have  sought  Christ  and  become 
ensnared  by  religious  tra- 
dition. $4.95 

at  your  local  bookstore 


Qbingdon 


Sun|ip|er^iii|e  Cly|di^i| 


Order  your  record  from 
The  Brethren  Press 

1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  III.  60120 
Send copies 


of  Summertime  Children 


To 


Address. 
City 


_State_ 


-Zip_ 


$5.00  postpaid.  Please  include 
payment  withi  order  $5.00  or  under. 


32  MESSENGER  September  1975 


on  the  care  and  feeding  of  a  sizable  group 
of  people. 

Those  who  are  expert  in  housing  and 
feeding  large  groups  of  people  take  their 
hats  off  to  the  way  the  Witnesses  do  it.  It 
has  greater  significance  because  about  two- 
thirds  of  them  come  from  foreign  lands 
where  they  speak  different  languages  and 
eat  and  sleep  differently.  My  neighbor 
never  ceased  telling  how  smoothly 
everything  functioned.  They  gave  credit  for 
most  of  it  to  the  Lord  who  always  seemed 
to  include  good  weather. 

The  last  Annual  Conference  I  attended 
that  smacked  at  all  of  camping  was  at  Lin- 
coln, Nebraska — possibly  1926.  There  was 
an  area  set  aside  for  Brethren  to  pitch  their 
tents  and  get  out  the  frying  pan.  Most  of  us 
came  by  train  but  there  were  a  few  affluent 
Brethren  who  flew.  They  soon  became 
identified  as  they  told  how  fast  they  came. 
The  vast  majority  was  from  the  farm,  or  a 
generation  removed.  We  felt  at  home  in  the 
fairgrounds.  We  were  edging  away  from 
the  simple  life  but  we  still  talked  about  it 
and  most  people  dressed  plain. 

it  would  have  been  easier  to  experiment 
with  a  camp  conference  then  than  now. 
Brethren  not  only  go  to  Annual  Con- 
ference; they  go  to  various  kinds  of  con- 
ferences and  conventions.  Many  of  them 
stay  at  Holiday  Inns,  Ramada  Inns  and 
comparable  motels.  It  comes  naturally  to 
stay  at  such  places  en  route  to  Annual 
Conference. 

Once  standing  committee  and  the  staff 
have  headquartered  at  a  Sheraton  or  a 
Hilton  the  old  Inn  at  Winona  Lake  which 


hosted  their  predecessors  would  seem 
about  third  class.  We  need  not  list  such 
things  as  air  strip,  dining  service, 
auditoriums,  which  would  be  necessary  for 
a  camp  conference. 

What  would  happen  to  the  agenda  and 
all  the  fringe  meetings  that  have  ac- 
cumulated with  the  years?  The  Old  Order 
Brethren  can  be  nostalgic.  The  Witnesses 
won't  bother  about  open  housing,  Cesar 
Chavez,  abortions,  or  women  in  the 
priesthood.  They  are  concerned  about  the 
fate  of  Witnesses  in  Uganda,  Colombia,  In- 
dochina, and  in  many  other  parts  of  the 
earth.  They  won't  care — as  do  some 
Brethren — because  they  are  isolated  and 
lonely.  They  won't  spend  as  much  time  dis- 
cussing halls  that  are  closing  as  new  ones 
abuilding.  They  probably  don't  have  a  set 
outline  for  an  evangelistic  campaign  but 
they  must  spend  a  lot  of  time  on  how  to 
witness. 

My  neighbor  was  a  bachelor.  He  lived 
past  ninety  and  stumbled  to  his  death  as  he 
returned  home  at  night  from  his  regular 
meeting  at  Kingdom  Hall.  The  high  point 
of  his  life  was  the  Yankee  Stadium  conven- 
tion! 

Each  denomination  must  have  its  own 
thing.  How  easily  we  made  it  for  women  to 
become  ministers;  how  much  of  a  problem 
it  is  with  the  Episcopalians!  We  are 
Brethren.  The  name  implies  some  things 
not  germane  to  others.  The  fellowship 
emphasized  by  Dale  Brown  and  so  highly 
prized  by  all  of  us  is  a  part  of  our  thing. 
We  might  even  have  Annual  Conference  at 
a  camp  sometime.    □ 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 


FOR  RENT— Hurricane  Creek  parsonage 
available,  reasonable  rent,  to  Brethren  family 
interested  in  working  in  congregation.  Con- 
tact. Clareen  Dooly,  R.  2,  Mulberry  Grove.  III. 
62262.  (618)  425-3484. 

INVITATION  — If  you  are  planning  a  trip  to 
Florida,  why  not  worship  with  us?  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  7040-38th  Ave.  No., 
St,  Petersburg,  Fla.  33710.  Phone  341-3561. 
Sunday  School  9:15  A.M.  Morning  Worship 
10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor. 

FOR  EXCHANGE-A  Southern  home  near 
Gulf  rent  free  to  a  couple  or  family  with  not 
more  than  two  children  for  several  months 
this  fall  and  winter,  in  exchange  for  par- 
ticipation in  a  small  Brethren  congregation. 
The  latter  would  include  transporting  per- 
sons and  perhaps  teaching.  Family  to  pay 
own  utilities.  Write  MESSENGER  Box  T,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  III.  60120. 

TRAVEL— with  the  Richard  Wengers  on  a 
Bible  Lands  Journey  to  "the  cradle  and  peo- 


ple of  our  faith."  10-day  tour  to  Jordan,  Israel 
and  Egypt  departs  March  1,  1976  from  New 
York  $899.  Discounts  negotiable  for  con- 
gregations paying  pastors  and  wives  tour. 
Write:  Richard  Wenger,  805  Stanford  Ave., 
Johnstown.  Pa.  15905  or  call  collect  814- 
255-3657. 

TRAVEL  — Still  a  bargain!  Educational!  9-day 
Jet  Cruise  leaves  Dulles  Airport  Nov.  3, 
1975.  M.  Guy  West,  Glenn  S.  Garner,  S.  Eart 
Mitchell,  Tour  Hosts,  Bridgewater,  Va. 
22812.  Basic  cost  $869  plus  option  tours. 
It's  safe  to  travel  with:  Wholesale  Tours  Inter- 
national, N.Y.  Raymon  and  Anna  Belle  Eller, 
Representatives,  358  Selden  Ave.,  Akron, 
Ohio  44301.  (216)  724-9595. 

TRAVEL— Exciting  tours  of  a  lifetime.  Travel 
with  a  purpose,  to  Bible  lands,  Europe, 
Hawaii,  Mexico,  missionary  journeys  of  St. 
Paul,  etc.  Raymon  and  Anna  Belle  Eller, 
Representatives,  358  Selden  Ave.,  Akron, 
Ohio  44301.  (216)  724-9595.  Travel  with 
Wholesale  Tours  International,  N.Y.  Stability. 
Reliability.  Performance.  Tour  Host  oppor- 
tunity for  pastors,  teachers. 


^[rDllODI]®] 


Bethany  Seminary 
Class  of  1975 

Rccipienlb  of  the  Master  of 
Di\inil\  degree  were: 

Jai}}c\  D.  Alhrighi  •  Member 
Beacon  Heights  church.  Fort 
Wa\ne,  Ind.  Age  26.  Son  of 
and  Mrs.  W.  David 
Albright.  Fort  Wayne.  Wife 
Carolvn.  Manchester  College. 
Pastor  English  River  church. 
Northern  Plains  District. 

RoheK  P.  Blake  •  Member 
Mack  Memorial  church. 
Dayton.  Ohio.  Age  28.  Son  of 
Mrs  R  P  Blake,  Dayton.  Wife 
ricl.  Bowlmg  Green  Univer- 
Pastor,  Pleasant  Hill 
church.  .Southern  Ohio  District. 
David  L.  Bimman  •  Member 
ill  Creek  church.  Port 
Republic.  Va.  Age  25.  Son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  S.  Bowman, 
Mt.  Crawford,  Va.  Wife  Joyce. 
Bridgewatcr  College.  Yoked 
sh:  Grcenmount-Mt.  Zion 
churches.  Shenandoah  District. 
Lee  B.  Grilfiih  •  Member 
Salem  Lutheran  church. 
Ephrala.  Pa.  Age  26.  Son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilmer  Griffith, 
Ephrata.  Eli/abethtown  Col- 
lege. He  is  undertaking  a 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service 
assignment  in  Germany. 

Paul  E,  Grvul  •  Member 
l.itit/  church,  Litit?,  Pa.  Age 
30.  Son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Everett  Grout.  Lancaster,  Pa. 
Wife  Doroih>  and  daughter 
.Icnnifcr.  Kut7town  State 
College.  Pastor,  Sugar  Ridge 
church,  Michigan  District. 

im/a  C.  Johnson  • 
Presbyterian.  Age  26.  Daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Forrest  John- 
I.afayette,  Ind.  Manchester 
College.  Associate  pastor,  Dun- 
dalk  church.  Mid-Atlantic  Dis- 
trict. 

Joel  D.  Kline  •  Member 
Chambersburg  church.  Cham- 
bersburg.  Pa.  Age  24.  Son  of 
and  Mrs.  Harvey  S.  Kline, 
Chambersburg.  Wife  Janice. 
Eli/abelhtown  College.  Pastor, 
Big  Swatara  church,  Atlantic 
Northeast  District. 

Roheit  H'.  Krouse  •  Member 
Martinsburg.  Pa.,  church.  Age 
27.  Son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Robert  D.  Krouse,  Johnsto\^'n. 
Pa.  Wife  Carol  and  son 
Matthew.  Temple  University. 
Pastor.  Trinity  church, 

Baltimore,  Mid-Atlantic  Dis- 
trict. 

Calvin  I..  Lawver  •  Member 
Frederick.  Md..  church.  Age 
.15.  Son  of  Mrs.  E.  A.  Lawyer, 
Thurmont,  Md.  Wife  Theresa 
and  children  Jonathan,  Venita, 
Nathan.  University  of 

Maryland.  Pastor,  Mt,  Olivet. 
Timherville.  Shenandoah  Dis- 
trict. 

James  R.  Lynch  •  Member 
Prairie  Baptist  church.  Kansas. 
Age  28.  Son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Daston  Lynch,  Ransom,  Kans. 
Ottav^a  University.  Pursuing 
master's     in     library     science. 


Rosar\  College,  Ri\er  Forest, 
111. 

Richard  F.  Shreckhise  • 
Member  Pleasant  Valley 
church.  Wesers  Cave.  Va.  Age 
M.  Son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  C. 
Shreckhise.  Wife  Patsy  and  son 
.Adam.  McPherson  College. 
Pastor,  Carlisle  church. 
Southern  Pennsylvania  District. 

Samuel  ./.  Sligar  •  Member 
Lutheran  church.  Timberville, 
Va.  Age  26.  Son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Donald  D.  Sligar. 
Limbervillc.  Wile  Cathy. 
Bridgewatcr  College.  Pastor. 
Springfield  church.  Illinois- 
Wisconsin  tiistrict. 

Richard  A.  Ukena  •  United 
Methodist.  Age  28.  Son  of  Dr. 
M.  A.  Ukena,  Ames,  Iowa. 
Wife  Twila  Wallace.  St.  Olaf 
College.  Northfield.  Minn. 
Pastor.  Prince  of  Peace  church. 
Portland.  Ore. 

Recipients  of  the  Master  of 
Arts  in  Theology  degree  were; 

Karen  K.  Allen  •  Member 
Ml.  Pleasant  church.  Bourbon. 
Ind.  Age  27.  Daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dale  Bules.  Bourbon. 
Husband  Robert.  Manchester 
College.  Plans  indefinite. 

Theodore  M.  Bushung  • 
Member  Mount\ille  church, 
Mountxille,  Pa.  Age  25.  Son  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Mark 
Bushong.  Columbia.  Pa. 
.luniata  College.  To  pursue  doc- 
toral studv  Northwestern  Un- 
i\ersil\.  Evanston,  III. 

Paniel  R.  Parulis  *  Member 
First  Methodist  church,  New- 
man. Ga.  Age  27.  Son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Daniel  A.  Parulis. 
Parma.  Ohio.  Wife  Jane.  East 
iennessee  University.  To  con- 
tinue post  graduate  work. 
Bcthanv  Seminary. 

Paul  H.  Phipps  •  Unitarian. 
Age  25.  Son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
.lames  W.  Phipps.  Falls 
Church.  Va.  Wife  Teresa. 
Bridgewatcr  College.  Plans  in- 
definite. 

John  R.  Risden  •  Member 
North  Manchester  church. 
North  Manchester,  Ind.  Age  ."^2. 
Son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Raymond 
Risden.  I.ewistown.  Pa.  Wife 
Ann  and  son  John.  Manchester 
College.  Plans  indefinite. 

Completing  a  non-degree 
program  was  James  L.  Abe  Jr. 
•  Member  Painesville.  Ohio, 
church.  .Age  28.  Son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  I.eroy  J.  Abe,  Chardon, 
Ohio.  Wile  Maria.  Manchester 
College.  Co-pastor  with  wife  at 
Oklahoma  City  church. 
Southern  Plains  District. 


Licensing/ 
Ordination 


Mark  Asp,  licensed  May  18, 
1975.  McFarland.  Pacific 
Southwest 

Maria  Bieber  Abe.  ordained 
JuK  6,  1975,  Black  Rock, 
Southern  Pennsylvania 

.lames  D.  Albright,  ordained 


June  22,  1975,  Beacon  Heights, 
Northern  Indiana 

James  Douglas  Archer,  reor- 
dained.  May  1975,  Bethany, 
Northern  Indiana 

Kath\  Browne,  licensed  May 
25,  1975,  Bethel,  Illinois/ 
Wisconsin 

Rene  Calderon,  licensed  May 
1975,  Michigan  City,  Northern 
Indiana 

Rod  Custer,  licensed  May  25. 
1975,  Quinter,  Western  Plains 

Gene  M.  Hagenberger  Jr.. 
licensed  June  8.  1975, 
Burnham.  Middle  Pennsylvania 

.lerr\  L.  Hartwell.  licensed 
April  6.  1975.  Sebring,  Florida 
and  Puerto  Rico 

Lloyd  B.  Hildebrand.  li- 
censed May  25.  1975,  Linville 
Creek,  Shenandoah 

Thomas  Le  Clerc,  licensed 
June  15,  1975,  Prince  of  Peace, 
Western  Plains 

Ernest  L.  Miller,  licensed 
May  1975.  Pleasant  Valley. 
Northern  Indiana 

Tom  Monaghan,  licensed  La 
\'ernc.  Pacific  Southwest 

Donna  Ritchey,  licensed 
April  27,  1975,  Mexico, 
South  Central  Indiana 

Timothy  Snell,  licensed  May 
25,  1975,'  La  Verne,  Pacific 
Southwest 

Bradlev  Strycker,  licensed 
.lune  15^  1975^  Goshen  City. 
Northern  Indiana 

Stephen  White,  ordained 
May  25.  1975.  La  Verne, 
Pacific  Southwest 


Pastoral 
Placements 

.lohn  A.  Barbour,  from  other 
denomination,  to  Detroit,  First, 
Michigan 

.lames  C.  Boitnott.  resigned 
Middleburv,  Northern  Indiana 

Rene  Calderon,  to  full  time. 
Lower  Miami,  Southern  Ohio 

Sandford  J.  Christophel, 
from  Earlham  School  of 
Religion.  Richmond.  Ind..  to 
Bradford.  Southern  Ohio 

William  Davis,  to  Hosteller, 
Western  Pennsylvania 

Fred  Dean,  from  interim, 
Chicago  Douglas  Park,  Il- 
linois Wisconsin   to  same,  full 

Charles  Dockstader,  from 
Paradise.  Pacific  Southwest,  to 
retirement 

Robert  Ebey.  to  English 
Prairie.  Northern  Indiana 

Daniel  Flory.  resigned  from 
Bear  Creek,  Southern  Ohio,  to 
chaplain.  Good  Samaritan 
Hospital,  Dayton,  Ohio 

Claude  Hall,  from  Mar- 
tinsburg, Mid-Atlantic.  to 
Curryvillc,  Middle  Pennsyl- 
vania 

Galen  E.  Hoover,  from 
Cherry  Lane.  Middle  Penn- 
s\l\ania,  to  Mount  Joy, 
Western  Pennsylvania 

Peter    Leddy.   from    Bethany 


Seminary.  Illinois  Wisconsin, 
to  Bata\ia,  Illinois,  Wisconsin 

Alice  Martin,  from  Inter  Met 
Seminary  student,  (Washington 
City  Church)  to  Reisterslown, 
Mid-Atlantic 

David  E.  Ockerman,  from 
Maple  Grove,  Northern  Ohio, 
to  Parsons,  Western  Plains 

Wayne  Pence,  summer 
pastor,  Garbers.  Shenandoah 

Roy  Richey,  from  Long 
Beach,  Pacific  Southwest,  to 
retirement 

Merlin  G.  Shull.  from  Get- 
INsburg.  Marsh  Creek. 

Southern  Pennsylvania,  second- 
ed to  United  Evangelical 
Church  of  Ecuador 

Bruce  Strine.  to  Sam's  Creek. 
Mid-Atlantic 


Wedding 
Anniversaries 

Mr  and  Mrs.  Paul 
Balsbaugh.  Myerstown.  Pa..  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard 
Beckner.  La  Verne,  Calif,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Bowman, 
Roanoke,  Va..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren  D. 
Bowman.  Grottoes.  Va..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Amos  Cable. 
Cerro  Gordo.  III..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Donald 
Crouch.  Lakeview.  Mich..  52 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ernest  Earlv. 
Broadway,  Va..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stanley 
finifrock,  Di.xon.  111..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  Fleming. 
Pontiac.  Mich..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harley  Geyer. 
Nappanee.  Ind..  56 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orva  Harper. 
Marion.  Ohio.  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster  Keiper. 
Johnstown.  Pa..  55 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ernest  Leffel. 
Flint.  Mich..  59 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keith  Niharts. 
Elkhart.  Ind..  55 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glen  Weimer. 
Sebring.  Fla..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  Whitacre, 
Roanoke,  Va..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark 
Williams.  Marilla,  Mich..  57 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel 
Ziegler.  l.itit?.  Pa..  50 


Deaths 

Madge  Adkins.  72. 

Harr>ston,  Va..  April  16.  1975 

Lawrence  Alexander.  60. 
Springfield.  Mo..  May  6.  1975 

Katie  1.  Arndt.  81,  Litit?, 
Pa.,  April  18,  1975 

Randall  Artley.  56,  Nap- 
panee. Ind.,  April  27,  1974 

Gerald  Beckner.  26. 

Roanoke.  Va..  April  19.  1975 

Charles  Henrv  Bishop.  72. 
Cabool.  Mo..  April  21.  1975 

Elmer  E.  Blough,  81,  South 
Waterloo,  Iowa,  April  19,  1975 

Shcrri  Bruner,  21,  Hagers- 
town,  Ind..  April  26.  1975 


Elsie  Bullock.  82.  Marietta, 
Ga..  April  13.  1975 

Anita  Butson.  56.  Jennings. 
La..  April  6.  1975 

Helen  Good  Chrvsler.  68. 
Chesaning.  Mich..  Feb.  10. 
1975 

D.  O.  Cottrell.  97.  Bellefon- 
taine.  Ohio.  May  13.  1975 

Alberta  De  Veny.  53,  Fort 
Wavne,  Ind.,  March  22.  1975 

I.elah  G.  Dinnes.  78.  Grundv 
Center.  Iowa.  May  2,  1975 

Paul  Ellenberger,  69,  Denver, 
Colo..  May  13.  1975 

Mav  Evcridge.  78.  Winston- 
Salem'.  N.C..  April  24.  1975 

Duaine  Flora.  44.  Quinter. 
Kans..  March  31.  1975 

Alma  Funderburg.  78.  Rich- 
mond. Ind..  April  29.  1975 

TiUic  Funk.  Quakertown, 
Pa..  Sept.  17.  1974 

Eria  Greenly.  76.  Litit/.  Pa., 
April  27.  1975 

Merle  Griner,  67.  Ashland. 
Ohio.  May  3.  1975 

Ida  Grubb.  104.  Sebring. 
Fla..  Mav  17,  1975 

Nellie  Harper.  77.  Topeka. 
Kans..  May  18.  1975 

Charles  Harris.  West  Liberty. 
Ohio.  Mav  5.  1975 

Edith  A,  Harter.  85.  Sebring, 
Fla.,  March  16.  1975 

Alexander  P.  Hetrick.  76. 
Hanover.  Pa..  April  16,  1975 

Fred  Hollev  Sr..  57.  Clover- 
dale.  Va..  Mav  12.  1975 

Darwin  L.  Johnson.  49. 
Copcmish,  Mich..  April  20. 
1975 

Margaret  Johnson.  62,  Roar- 
ing Spring,  Pa..  April  12.  1975 

Esther  Jones.  73.  Phila- 
delphia. Pa..  April  23.  1975 

R,.\  Kehr.  86.  Wakarusa. 
Ind.  Feb.  22.  1975 

James  E.  Koch.  Cooper.s- 
burg.  Pa..  Mav  28.  1974 

Minerva  Kreider.         74, 

Palmvra,  Pa..  April  16.  1975 

Paul  Kreider.  79.  Palmvra. 
Pa..  April  20.  1975 

Norman  Kurt?.  56.  Ephrata. 
Pa..  April  2.  1975 

Annie  Landis.  Coopcrsburg. 
Pa..  Dec.  10.  1974 

David  H.  Markev.  79. 
Neflsvillc.  Pa..  April  18.  1975 

Carrie  Marklev.  PIvmouth. 
Ind..  Mav  15.  1975 

Newton  Peters.  91.  Boones 
Mill.  Va..  April  24.  1975 

Thomas  F.  Rader,  78,  Trout- 
ville,  Va..  Feb.  17.  1975 

Elmer  W.  Smith.  67.  Empire. 
CaliL.  May  6.  1975 

Durward  Teeters.  82.  Secor. 
III..  May  17.  1975 

Icssie  Vardaman.  74. 
Hagerstown.  Ind..  April  21. 
1975 

Joseph  E.  Whitacre.  77. 
Neffsville.  Pa..  May  27.  1975 

Mae  Wissler.  84.  Richmond. 
Ind..  Mav  20.  1975 

Ada  WolL  90.  Bunker  Hill. 
Ind..  Mav  22.  1975 

Walter  Wolf.  89.  Bunker 
Hill.  Ind..  May  10.  1975 

Alice  Yoder,  62,  Lewistown, 
P;i..  Mav  18.  1975 


September  1975  messenger  33 


[ps©pDsli[p@][rD©[h 


Palmyra:  A  24-hour  rock-a-thon 
nets  $1700  for  world  hunger 

A  benefit  for  world  hunger  at  the  Palmyra, 
Pa.,  Church  of  the  Brethren  took  the  form 
of  a  rock-a-thon.  From  four  p.m.  Friday  to 
four  p.m.  Saturday,  14  youth  and  5 
counselors  participated,  urged  on  by  family 
and  friends. 

Three  of  the  youth  had  attended  a  world 
hunger  seminar  earlier  this  year.  As  an  out- 
growth, the  youth  group  projected  the 
rock-a-thon  as  one  response  to  the  needs  of 
hungry  people. 

For  youth  constantly  on  the  move,  the 
experience  of  staying  in  one  place  for  a 
long  period  required  discipline.  A  five- 
minute  break  on  the  hour  or  a  ten-minute 
break  every  two  hours  gave  a  chance  to 
stretch  muscles,  go  outside  for  fresh  air,  or 
care  for  life  necessities.  Also  helping  in  the 
passing  of  time  were  such  activities  as 
knitting,  making  rag  dolls,  watching  tv, 
playing  Monopoly,  Yahtzee,  Scrabble  and, 
late  in  the  event,  attempting  rocking-chair 
volleyball. 

The  encouragement  of  145  visitors  was 
also  a  great  help.  At  no  time  were  the 
rockers  alone.  Parents,  grandparents,  and 
friends  set  alarms  to  enable  them  to  come 
visit  during  the  early  morning  hours. 

One  thing  missing  at  the  Palmyra  rock- 
a-thon  was  food  and  snacks  brought  in  by 
guests.  The  group  had  decided  that  to 
snack  between  meals  would  be  inconsistent 
with  their  purpose  for  rocking — world 
hunger.  The  menus  were  planned  around 
rice  or  rice  products  as  this  is  a  basic  item 
in  many  of  the  countries  where  hunger  is 
an  acute  problem. 

Task  that  it  was  to  keep  awake  and  rock- 
ing, the  nineteen  persons  who  had 
covenanted  together  made  it,  with  some  ex- 
claiming at  the  close,  "I  kind  of  hate  to  see 
it  end."  The  rocking  was  not  the  end,  for 
each  person  needed  to  collect  the  pledges 
made  by  school  friends,  church  members, 
and  relatives. 

When  all  this  was  done  $1,700  had  been 
gathered  for  world  hunger.  The  money  was 
distributed  to  the  Brotherhood  Disaster 
Fund,  the  "Ladybug"  project  for  the  Sahel, 
CROP,  and  the  Lebanon  County  Council 
of  Churches  Food  Bank. 

Beyond  the  funds  collected,  the  project 
had  side  benefits — fellowship,  communica- 
tion across  age  groups,  and  a  sense  of  com- 
mitment   fulfilled.  —  Eleanor    F.    Painter 


Warrensburg:  A  'better  way' 
through  a  Consumers  Club 

A  cry  heard  at  the  Warrensburg,  Mo., 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is,  "There  must  be 
a  better  way!"  This  is  applied  especially  to 
the  economic  realm,  where  as  some  of  us 
see  it,  greed  rules  the  world,  competition  is 
the  system  to  which  greed  is  harnessed,  and 
members  are  caught  in  a  way  of  life  that  is 
incompatible  to  the  way  of  Jesus. 

Upon  studying  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  preached  by  Jesus  Christ,  a  group 
of  members  sought  a  better  way — an  alter- 
native to  competition  and  an  economics 
implemented  through  cooperation  and 
sharing. 

Toward  this  end  the  Community  Con- 
sumers Club  was  created,  involving  about 
twenty  families  meeting  together  in  the 
Warrensburg  church.  The  group,  however, 
extends  beyond  the  church  membership. 

As  outlined  in  the  constitution,  the  club's 
purposes  are 

...  to  achieve  savings  on  purchases  of 
supplies. 

...  to  give  meaning  and  substance  to  the 
ideal  of  participation  by  people  in  solving 
problems  and  making  decisions. 

...  to  explore  possibilities  of  cooperation 
in  the  community. 

...   to   facilitate  a  life-style  that  is  less 


dependent  upon  and  less  controlled  by  the 
business  climate. 

...  to  help  develop  more  discipline  in 
patterns  of  consumption. 

...  to  develop  a  sense  of  community 
among  the  members. 

The  group  elected  as  its  officers  James 
Baile,  Sonja  Davenport,  and  Evelyn 
Schrag  and  divided  into  four  committees — 
ordering,  distribution,  education,  and 
finance.  The  responsibilities  rotate  in  order 
that  club  members  are  able  to  relate  to  all 
phases  of  the  enterprise. 

For  the  first  order,  the  group  had  the 
counsel  of  the  purchasing  agent  for  the 
local  school's  lunch  program.  Families 
pooled  their  wants,  agreeing  to  share  full 
cases  of  canned  goods,  frozen  foods,  and 
other  supplies. 

The  orders  are  delivered  on  Tuesdays  to 
the  church  from  three  wholesale  houses, 
with  one  couple  meeting  the  trucks  and 
checking  out  the  orders.  The  distribution 
committee  meets  at  five  p.m.  to  fill  orders, 
ready  for  club  members  to  pick  up  at 
seven.  The  finance  committee  prices  in- 
dividual items;  the  education  committee 
alerts  people  as  to  good  buys  and  the 
preparation  of  orders  to  best  advantage. 
After  club  members  get  their  produce  and 
pay  their  bills,  they  fill  out  orders  for  the 
coming  week,  under  supervision  of  the 
ordering  committee. 

So  far  the  operation,  begun  this  spring, 
is  a  week-to-week  business.  What  is 
ordered  will  be  taken  home.  While  ad- 
justments are  necessary,  the  spirit  of 
cooperation  prevails. 

How  long  will  it  last?  We  who  are  part 
of  the  club  have  no  idea.  But  while  it  is  go- 
ing on  we  have  a  living  demonstration  that 
persons  can  work  together  in  the  spirit  of 
friendship  and  cooperation.  The 
friendliness  of  Jesus  can  be  translated  into 
a  way  of  living  economically.  To  pursue  "a 
better  way"  is  to  believe  in  an  alternative 
and  in  the  freedom  of  choice.  —  Herbert 
Thomas 


34  MESSENGER  September  1975 


Hagerstown:  A  helping  hand, 
not  a  handout,  for  Haiti 

Give  hungry  children  cups  of  milk  and  they 
will  be  nourished  for  a  day.  But  give  their 
families  a  heifer  and  show  them  how  to 
care  for  it  and  they  will  drink  milk  the  rest 
of  their  lives. 

This  reasoning  has  prompted  many 
Church  of  the  Brethren  congregations  to 
donate  heifers  for  relief.  Among  the  more 
recent  churches  so  responding  is  the 
Hagerstown,  Md.,  congregation  by  dis- 
patching ten  heifers  to  Haiti. 

Upon  hearing  the  challenge  of  CROP 
executive  Roger  Burtner  and  Heifer  Pro- 
ject field  representative  Marion  Lehman, 
the  Hagerstown  church  first  thought  in 
terms  of  sending  one  or  two  animals.  As 
the  idea  took  hold  and  grew,  the  Men's  Bi- 
ble Class  donated  money  for  four  heifers: 
the  Women's  Fellowship  another;  the 
children  contributed  nickels  and  dimes. 
When  it  was  all  over  some  $4,000  had  been 
collected  which  made  possible  the  purchase 
of  ten  bred  heifers.  Robert  Sheaffer,  a 
member  of  the  parish  who  works  with  the 
Maryland  Breeding  Co-op,  helped  make 
the  selection. 

The  five  Brown  Swiss  and  five  Jersey 
heifers  were  scheduled  to  be  shipped 
August  1  to  the  Oriental  Missionary 
Society's  program  in  Haiti.  A  represen- 
tative from  the  congregation  was  to  accom- 
pany the  shipment,  convey  greetings  from 
the  Hagerstown  Brethren  and  report  back. 

There  are  many  ways  to  respond  to 
world  hunger  needs.  Heifers  for  Haiti  is 
seen  by  the  Hagerstown  Brethren  as  a  help- 
ing hand,  not  a  handout. — Dean  M. 
Miller 


Lafayette:  Mittens  and  helmets 
from  easy-to-follow  patterns 

During  a  particularly  cold  Indiana  winter 
five  years  ago,  Esther  Rupel  of  the 
Lafayette  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  In- 
diana got  a  call  from  the  city's  Lincoln 
Community  Center.  There  was  a  shortage 
of  mittens  for  many  of  the  needy  area 
children.  Could  she  help? 

Esther,  an  associate  professor  of  clothing 
and  textiles  at  Purdue  University, 
remembered  that  her  mother  had  spoken  of 
mittens  that  her  own  mother  had  made. 

With  the  aid  of  her  mother's  memory 
and  the  skilled  fingers  of  a  graduate  stu- 
dent at  Purdue,  Esther  reconstructed  the 
mitten  pattern. 

It  was  ultimately  developed  into  six 
sizes,  ranging  from  tiny,  for  a  small  child's 
hand,  to  extra  large,  for  an  adult.  The 
mitten  pattern  was  quickly  followed  by  a 
"helmet"  pattern — a  warm  winter  cap  that 
ties  under  the  chin. 

Written  in  simple,  easy-to-read  language, 
the  directions  with  each  pattern  can  be 
followed  by  even  a  person  with  little  sewing 
experience.  Since  neither  the  mitten  nor 
hood  pattern  requires  much  fabric,  Esther 
suggests  using  "all  kinds  of  scraps,  in- 
cluding recycled  fabric  from  discarded 
clothing — from  wool  to  corduroy."  Linings 
can  be  made  from  almost  any  light-weight, 
warm  fabric,  she  notes. 

"I  thought  at  first  about  sending  the 
pattern  to  a  pattern  company,  but  decided 
against  it,  and  chose  instead  to  give  it  to 
the  Purdue  University  Cooperative  Exten- 
sion Service  for  widespread  use  among 
those  who  were  in  need,"  Esther  says. 

Where  else  did  the  pattern  get  circulated? 
"I   gave  one  of  the  mitten  patterns  to  a 


'seat-mate'  on  a  plane  from  Portland  to 
Chicago,  and  later  got  a  letter  all  the  way 
from  Alaska  from  her.  She  wanted  me  to 
send  several  mitten  patterns  to  her  friends, 
and  said  that  they  were  'just  what  the 
weather  called  for.'"  The  pattern  was  also 
sent  to  a  friend  in  Poland. 

The  patterns  have  been  used  by  the 
Creative  Circle  of  the  Lafayette  Church  of 
the  Brethren  Women's  Fellowship  as  well 
as  a  local  4-H  group,  and  the  mitten 
pattern  was  also  used  as  a  project  for  a 
group  of  Campfire  Girls  in  South  Bend. 
They  made  a  "mitten  Christmas  tree"  for 
needy  children. 

Both  the  mitten  and  helmet  patterns 
have  been  sent  to  all  50  states  through  the 
Cooperative  Extension  Service,  and  Esther 
is  currently  working  on  a  new  addition  to 
the  line — a  sweater  pattern. 

Now  in  its  fourth  printing,  the  mitten 
pattern  has  been  distributed  to  more  than 
15,000  recipients. 

Single  copies  of  the  patterns  are  free  to 
Indiana  residents,  and  out-of-state 
residents  can  obtain  both  copies  for  75 
cents.  "Mittens!  Mittens!  Mittens!"  is  cod- 
ed HE  536  and  "How  to  Make  Helmet 
Hoods"  is  HE  458.  Requests  should  be  ac- 
companied by  pattern  title  and  number, 
and  be  addressed  to  the  Mailing  Room, 
AGAD  Building,  Purdue  University,  West 
Lafayette,  Ind.  47907. —Doris  Pride 


[rss(Q)[U][r©s^ 


APPRECIATING 
APPAU\CHIA 


From  the  Mountains 

"The  Appalachian  South  is  a  vast  area 
stretching  from  the  tablelands  of  West 
Virginia  and  southeast  Ohio  to  the  rolling 
foothills  of  north  Georgia.  Within  the 
mountainous  Appalachian  South  boundary 
of  some  55,000  square  miles,  over  8.6 
million  people  make  their  homes.  Most 
have  family  ties  to  the  land  going  back 
several  generations  . . .  The  growing  power 
of  the  federal  government  combined  with 
the  ruthless  practices  of  the  coal,  textile, 
and  timber  industries  has,  m  recent  years, 
raised  the  specter  of  a  huge  industrial  park 
or  'hillbilly'  reservation  extending 
throughout  Appalachia,  peopled  only  by  a 
few  maintenance  workers  and  ruled  by 
federal  or  corporate  managers  who  refuse 
to  let  native  mountaineers  remain  on  the 
land 

"To  mountaineers,  survival  has  meant 
acquiring  patience  and  a  sense  of  perspec- 
tive about  the  pressures  of  modern  life. . . . 
Most  writers  on  the  region  have  chosen  to 
emphasize  the  hopelessness  of  the  area 
rather  than  the  many  examples  of  people 
striving  to  improve  their  lives." 

These  words  are  among  those  used  by 
former  BVSer  Mike  Clark,  Highlander 
Center,  New  Market,  Tenn.,  in  the 
foreword  of  a  book  called  Voices  From  the 
Mountains.  Life  and  struggle  in  the  Ap- 


.|^3(»J^-^^^:MAl.^itJ,'.M^.,'^.J■^i.^t-~ 


t^ferf 


palachian  South  in  the  words,  the  faces, 
the  songs,  the  memories  of  the  people  who 
live  it  have  been  collected  and  recorded  by 
Guy  and  Candle  Carawan. 

Brethren  can  buy  this  230-page  book 
from  the  Brethren  Press  for  only  S4.45 
because  it  has  been  chosen  as  a  SHARE  2 
resource.  To  non-Brethren  it  is  $8.95. 

One  Sunset  a  Week 

Dan  Sizemore  is  a  55-year-old  who  has 
spent  36  of  those  years  underground  in  the 
coal  mines.  Because  of  his  assigned  work 
shift,  he  experiences  only  one  sunset  a 
week — hence  the  name  of  the  book. 
Margaret  Sizemore  attends  a  community 
college  in  the  hope  that  she  can  become  a 
nurse  and  be  able  to  support  the  family  if 
Dan  is  fired  or  disabled. 

The  Sizemores  have  eight  children;  five 
in  school;  two  sons  in  Canada  who  left  to 


0N& 

SUNSET 
AWEEK 

^  IbeStoryofaCoal  Miner 


GEORGE  VECSEY 


avoid  the  draft  of  the  Vietnam  War;  and  a 
mildly-retarded  son  who  lives  at  home 
because  there  are  not  any  training  facilities 
for  him  in  Bradshaw  County,  Va. 

The  book  depicts  in  narrative  form  how 
they  survive,  how  they  struggle,  how  they 
live  and  love,  and  how  they  hate  with  a 
mountaineer's  vengeance.  Strip  mining  and 
its  effects  of  the  land  and  the  people  is 
described  with  terrible  clarity  in  one 
chapter. 

One  Sunset  a  Week  is  available  to 
Brethren  for  $3.95  because  it  has  been 
chosen  as  a  SHARE  2  Resource.  Others 
may  purchase  the  book  from  the  Brethren 
Press  for  $7.95. 


Mountain  Life  &  Work 

The  Council  of  the  Southern  Mountains, 
Inc.  is  supported  by  SHARE  funds.  Its 
monthly  publication.  Mountain  Life  & 
Work,  is  available  for  $5  per  year.  This 
magazine  of  the  Appalachian  South 
provides  a  continuing  resource  about  the 
life  and  people  there.  Write  The  Council  of 
the  Southern  Mountains,  Inc..  Drawer  N., 
Clintwood,  Va.  24228. 

SHARE  2  Resources 

SHARE  1  programs  are  ways  of  sharing 
financial  and  human  resources  with  disad- 
vantaged Afro-Americans,  Anglo- 
Americans,  Asian-Americans,  Hispanic- 
Americans,  and  Native-Americans. 

SHARE  2  is  a  program  of  education  of 
the  Brethren  themselves.  Its  purpose  is  to 
help  Brethren  learn  to  know  and  benefit 
from  differing  ways  of  life  and,  in  so  doing, 
recognize  and  change  some  built-in  at- 
titudes that  demean  those  persons  who 
differ  from  us. 

SHARE  2  resources  are  selected  and 
recommended  as  a  means  of  working  at  the 
purpose  of  the  above  goal.  These  resources 
are  available  to  Brethren  for  a  special  price 
of  up  to  one-half  retail  cost.  Encouraging 
the  purchase  and  use  of  the  SHARE  2 
resources  provides  persons  the  possibility 
of  changing  their  attitudes  and  responses  to 
others. 

As  noted,  the  special  price  is  not 
available  to  non-Brethren  since  SHARE  is 
funded  through  contributions  by 
Brethren.  —  Shirley  J.  Heckman 


36  MESSENGER  September  1975 


In  a  nation  filled  with  questions        ^   CUl  A  DC 
the  church  has  some  answers.  One  is  brlAKt 


Some  persons  bear  the  weight  of 
problems  most  of  us  have  never 
known:  Poverty  that  grinds  away  at 
hope;  the  sting  of  racial  slurs;  the 
denial  of  real  freedom;  inadequate 
schools;  searing  injustice. 

But  life  can  be  different.  The  cir- 
cle of  despair  can  be  broken.  Homes 
can  be  built.  Medical  care  provided. 


Businesses  established.  Jobs  made. 
Prejudices  faced.  Relationships  cre- 
ated. Hope  and  faith  renewed. 

But  dollars  are  needed.  And 
dollars  are  given  when  people  care. 

Express  your  caring  through  a  gift 
to  SHARE,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Board,  1451  Dundee 
Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 


•    Here  is  my  gift  for 
I   SHARE  ministries:     $. 

I    Name 

I   St./RFD  

I 

I 

I 

I 

L 


City. 


Zip- 


Congregation. 
District 


SHARE  helps  persons.  You  can  help  SHARE. 


September  1975  messenger  37 


To  internalize  the  canyon  is  to  take  it  into  y( 


Xost  card  photos  had  told  only  half  the  truth.  Grand  Canyon  was 
far  more  immense  than  any  of  us  had  imagined  or  remembered. 
Catching  brief  glimpses  of  it  through  the  pinon  trees  as  we  rolled 
along  the  scenic  drive  toward  the  visitors"  center  in  the  McPherson 
College  bus,  our  excitement  grew.  White  clouds  scuttled  across 
a  blue  morning  sky,  and  the  sun  lifted  subtle  colors  from  the 
canyon  rock.  We  were  ready  to  hike  the  canyon  and  get  to  know 
it. 

Two  groups  had  combined  to  make  a  total  of  twenty-seven 
who  would  traverse  the  canyon's  terrain  during  the  next  four  days. 
Bob  Jones,  associate  district  executive  for  Virlina  District,  and  his 
son,  Jim,  a  McPherson  student,  had  collaborated  on  the  idea  and 
planning  for  a  back-pack  hike  in  the  canyon  for  Brethren  from 
Virlina  and  students  from  McPherson  College. 

Eleven  Virlina  Brethren  and  I  had  spent  two  days  of  heavy 
driving  with  brief  overnight  rests  in  churches  (on  pew  cushions)  to 
get  from  Roanoke  to  McPherson.  There  we  teamed  up  with  the 
McPhersonites  to  ride  with  them  in  their  renovated  1955 
Greyhound  bus  to  the  canyon. 

In  addition  to  the  twelve  students  going  on  the  hike,  science 
professor  Dr.  Wesley  DeCoursey  had  also  come  along.  His  wealth 
of  geological  knowledge  and  wry  sense  of  humor  were  invaluable 
assets  to  the  excursion.  Also  providing  leadership  for  the  hike  were 
McPherson  residence  hall  directors  John  and  Lisa  Snell. 


Ou 


'ur  packs  were  ready,  having  been  loaded  with  cooking  equip- 
ment, dehydrated  food,  and  other  last  minute  essentials  at  the 
home  of  Bob  Keim  in  Flagstaff  the  night  before.  After  a  chance 
to  visit  the  Canyon  museum,  take  a  short  hike  out  to  the  rim, 
and  eat  our  last  restaurant-prepared  meal  for  four  days,  we  were 
driven  to  our  point  of  descent. 

Snow  squeaked  beneath  our  lugged  sole  hiking  boots  as  we 
test-walked  our  weighty  packs.  After  posing  for  a  group  photo  we 
bade  farewell  to  the  bus  driver  and  his  wife  and  began  our  journey. 
Down.  We  began  what  for  many  in  the  group  was  to  be  a  four-day 
worship  experience.  It's  one  thing  to  stand  at  the  canyon's  rim  and 
drink  in  the  vast  magnitude  of  the  gorge,  and  quite  another  to  ac- 
tually internalize  the  canyon.  To  internalize  the  canyon  is  to  take  it 
into  your  soul,  become  a  part  of  its  rhythm.  It's  a  kind  of  worship 
in  which  your  whole  body  takes  part.  Muscles  not  yet  used  to  the 
extra  load  of  a  forty-pound  pack  begin  to  strain  and  ache;  snow 


melted  by  an  afternoon  sun  mixes  with  trail  dirt  to  create,  in 
places,  four-inch-deep  mud  holes  to  walk  through;  lungs  fill  with 
cool,  clean  air  that  carries  occasional  wafts  of  the  fragrant,  dry 
scent  of  sage;  the  flute-song  of  sparrows  punctuates  the  silence,  the 
silence  so  characteristic  of  the  canyon.  It  was  fitting,  in  a  way,  thatj 
the  opening  day  of  our  venture  was  Easter  Sunday. 

Bathing  tired  feet  in  icy  Bright  Angel  Creek  near  the 
campground  of  the  same  name  at  the  canyon's  floor  was  a 
welcome  relief  at  the  end  of  a  day  of  hiking.  It  was  surprising  how 
seemingly  small  pleasures  could  render  such  great  satisfaction. 
Even  the  evening  meal  of  dehydrated  food  and  powdered  drink 
refreshed  us  as  no  banquet  could. 

In  the  morning  of  the  next  day,  after  a  blissful  rest  beneath  a 
canopy  of  diamond  stars  on  black  velvet,  we  held  an  Easter  serv- 
ice near  the  banks  of  the  Colorado  river.  Psalm  8  was  read.  "O 
Lord,  our  Lord,  how  majestic  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth!..." 
And  that  majesty  became  very  real  to  us  as  we  experienced  God's 
intimate  love  for  his  people  through  the  beauty  of  the  earth — ouri 
home — around  us.  We  took  the  time  to  notice  the  hushed  wind  in 
the  trees,  the  distant  roar  of  the  river,  the  periodic  screech  of  a 
soaring  hawk,  and  above  it  all.  the  omnipresent  silence — the  ob- 
vious absence  of  city  traffic  noise,  telephones  ringing,  air  con- 
ditioners whirring,  neon  lights  buzzing,  radios  playing — silence, 
stillness,  a  kind  of  natural  calm.  Our  time  in  the  canyon  was  to  be^ 
a  time  of  sensitivity  to  and  awareness  of  the  gift  of  life  and  the 
earth,  too  often  and  too  easily  taken  for  granted. 

And  it  was  indeed  a  time  of  sensitivity.  Our  awareness  never 
lagged,  as  we  were  constantly  reminded  of  creation's  endless 
change  by,  among  other  things,  the  elements.  Of  the  reported  ten 
inches  of  annual  rainfall  in  the  inner  gorge,  we  received  a  signifi- 
cant amount  during  our  trek.  But  the  chilly  precipitation  did  more' 
to  enhance  our  experience  than  it  did  to  dissolve  our  eagerness.     ' 
We  witnessed  the  canyon  in  a  unique  mood.  Canyon  walls  and 
bluffs  stood  shrouded  in  a  haunting,  misty  gray;  the  dry  ground 
and  vegetation  eagerly  absorbed  the  wetness,  leaving  the  earth 
smelling  clean  and  new.  The  rain  was  an  addition  to  our  trip  from! 
which  we,  though  a  little  wet,  received  benefit.  ] 

The  canyon's  countless  rock  colorations,  the  challenge  of  its     ■ 
trails,  its  splendor  and  magnitude,  continued  to  heighten  our 
awareness  as  our  time  within  its  walls  dwindled.  The  morning  of  . 
our  ascent  was  no  exception.  We  arose  from  the  warm  snugness  of 
our  down  sleeping  bags  to  greet  a  cold,  dew-fresh  dawn.  Reaching; 


Making  friends  with  a     ' 

•CANYQ]^ 


38  MESSENGER  September  1975 


1,  become  a  part  of  its  rhythm 


the  rim  would  involve  a  good  four-  to  five-hour-climb  and  most  in 
our  group  wanted  an  early  start,  wishing  to  avoid  the  hot  noon- 
time sun.  Hurriedly  clothes  were  put  on,  sleeping  bags  stuffed  into 
their  nylon  pouches,  plastic  tarps  folded — all  odds  and  ends  were 
placed  in  or  on  the  pack  in  no  particular  order,  as  all  that  was 
needed  now  was  to  haul  them  out. 

Singly  and  in  pairs,  hikers  left  the  camp  to  begin  their  climb  to 
the  top.  Taken  at  a  gradual  pace,  with  periodic  rests,  the  hike  went 
surprisingly  easy.  Many  commented  that  it  was.  in  fact,  more  en- 
joyable than  the  trip  down  had  been. 

At  one  point  I  paused  briefly  for  some  water  and  dried  fruit. 
Slipping  off  my  pack  I  hiked  out  to  a  point  overlooking  much  of 
the  trail  1  had  covered,  and  sat  down  on  some  rocks  that  formed  a 
natural  chair.  Down  the  trail  a  ways  a  few  hikers  from  the  group 
steadily  trudged  up  the  steep  grade.  Beyond  them  was  the  grove  of 
trees  marking  our  last  night's  campground;  an  oasis  amidst  the 
barren,  rocky  terrain.  And  beyond  that  the  north  rim  of  the  can- 
yon shown  in  rust-colored  grandeur  in  the  morning  sun. 

Back  on  the  trail  snow  began  to  appear  as  the  top  drew  near, 
and  the  frequency  of  the  famed  mule  trains  increased.  Cowering 
near  the  narrow  trail's  cliff  wall  as  they  passed,  we  gained  a 
markedly  heightened  respect  for  the  animals. 

The  last  switchback  finally  came,  and  with  it,  many  sighs  of 
relief  The  challenge  had  been  met  and  we  were  glad.  Not  glad  in 
the  sense  that  it  was  over,  but  rather  that  we  had  passed  the  test  of 
the  canyon,  had  met  it  on  its  own  terms,  and  both  the  canyon  and 
we  had  come  out  victors.  We  had  gotten  to  know  the  canyon,  and 
leaving  it  would  be  like  leaving  an  old  friend.  We  felt  much  more  a 
part  of  it  than  we  did  the  "civilized"  world  that  awaited  us. 


A. 


s  the  McPherson  bus  carried  us  across  the  Rocky  Mountains 
toward  Kansas,  1  reflected  on  the  canyon  experience.  The 
overwhelming  magnitude  of  the  canyon  had  made  us  feel  almost 
insignificant  by  comparison.  The  words  of  Psalm  8  came  to  mind: 

When  1  look  at  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers, 
the  moon  and  the  stars  which  thou  hast  established; 

what  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him, 

and  the  son  of  man  that  thou  dost  care  for  him? 

Yet  thou  hast  made  him  little  less  than  God, 

and  dost  crown  him  with  glory  and  honor. 
Thou  hast  given  him  dominion  over  the  works  of  thy  hands; 

thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet, 
all  sheep  and  oxen, 

and  also  the  beasts  of  the  field, 
the  birds  of  the  air,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea, 

whatever  passes  along  the  paths  of  the  sea. 

O  Lord,  our  Lord, 

How  majestic  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth! 

Our  time  in  the  canyon  had  indeed  been  a  worship  experience, 
inorthodox  as  it  may  seem.  We  had  spent  four  days  in  close  com- 
nunion  with  God  through  nature  and  through  each  other.  We  had 
nternalized  the  canyon;  had  listened  to  and  become  a  part  of  its 
hythm.  Its  impact  on  our  lives  would  not  be  soon  forgotten.  □ 


by  Randy  Miller 


(EdlDlb(Q)[rDg]D 


Approaching  conflict  constructively 


If  youngsters  or  adults  are  to  take  their  cues  from 
mass  media,  the  normal  way  to  resolve  conflict  is 
through  violence.  Last  video  season  when  network 
reforms  supposedly  were  in  effect,  what  NBC, 
ABC,  and  CBS  offered  in  Saturday  morning 
children's  programming  was  an  act  of  violence 
every  three  and  one-half  minutes.  According  to 
the  monitoring  source.  Media  Action  Research 
Center  (MARC),  virtually  no  material  was 
presented  in  this  time  period  on  controlling 
aggression. 

As  reported  earlier  this  year  in  Messenger, 
MARC  has  hard  data  to  indicate  that  television 
can  stimulate  prosocial  behavior,  that  is,  acts  of 
cooperation.  Upon  seeing  MARC's  own  test  spot, 
"The  Swing,"  which  demonstrates  a  cooperative 
solution  to  conflict  between  two  youngsters, 
children  placed  in  a  live  stress  situation  responded 
constructively,  quite  in  contrast  to  children  who 
had  just  seen  aggression  depicted  on  the  screen. 

The  media  still  need  to  be  challenged  over 
their  treatment  of  conflict,  far  beyond  the  gentle 
restraint  being  applied  during  family  viewing 
hours.  Far  more  could  be  accomplished  if  positive 
program  material  of  the  caliber  of  "The  Swing" 
and  the  Teleketics  "Reconciliation"  spots  were 
given  prime  time  exposure. 


B, 


'ut  the  need  for  practical,  alternative  models  on 
treating  conflict  does  not  rest  with  the  media 
alone.  The  church  school,  the  congregation,  the 
family  are  ready-made  channels  for  modeling 
creative  approaches  to  conflict.  A  peace  church 
particularly  should  see  conflict  resolution  as  basic 
in  its  teaching. 

An  intriguing  approach  is  to  be  found  in  the 
children's  workshops  that  the  Quakers  have  tested 
in  schools  in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and 
Washington  for  three  years.  Sessions  begin  with 
fun,  low-risk  exercises  and  experiences  which  help 


the  students  feel  good  about  themselves.  In  time 
the  children  move  into  problem  areas,  opening 
communication  on  such  themes  as  exclusion, 
rivalry,  bullies,  street  problems,  roles  people  play, 
parent-child  and  teacher-child  relationships. 
Puppetry,  skits,  roleplaying,  videotaping  are 
among  the  activities  adapted  specifically  to  the 
needs  of  each  class  as  discerned  through  conver- 
sations with  the  class  itself. 

The  children's  workshop  approach  grew  out  of 
nine  years  of  training  adults  to  apply  the  prin- 
ciples of  nonviolence  to  tension  situations. 
Becoming  increasingly  aware  that  the  seeds  of 
conflict  are  instilled  at  a  very  early  age,  the  staff 
then  proposed  the  program  for  children  to 
demonstrate  the  advantages  of  working  together 
instead  of  against  one  another. 


Wh, 


hat  the  Quakers  have  brought  to  the  schools 
needs  to  happen  in  the  churches.  That  is,  to  model 
community  and  cooperation  building;  to  help  per- 
sons gain  insight  into  the  nature  of  human  feelings 
and  to  share  their  own  feelings;  and  to  explore 
ways  to  respond  to  problems  and  begin  to  prevent 
or  solve  conflicts. 

In  a  perceptive  article  on  Christian  nurture  in 
this  issue,  Donald  E.  Miller  observes  that  "a  con- 
gregation teaches  more  by  its  whole  life  than  by 
any  program  it  has."  What  a  congregation  teaches 
about  handling  conflict  is  demonstrated  by  how 
its  members  reach  out  to  one  another  and  to 
others,  how  they  accept  and  celebrate  the  worth  of 
every  person,  how  they  make  visible  the  love  of 
Christ  within  and  among  them  particularly  in  the 
face  of  fundamental  differences. 

Where  better  than  under  the  guidance  of  the 
gospel,  in  the  faith  community,  can  we  center  in 
on  conflict  as  something  not  to  be  glossed  over  or 
abolished  but  to  be  directed  into  constructive 
channels.  —  h.e.r. 


40  MESSENGER  September  1975 


Post-conference  special  offers 


Two  special  price  offers  on 
Brethren  Press  books  in  sets  of 
three  and  four.  First,  four  paper- 
backs on  Brethren  heritage  and  the 
simple  life: 

SIMPLE        LIVING  — Edward        K. 

Ziegler.  A  collection  of  essays  which 
describe  the  qualities  and  values  of 
simple  living.  This  book  will  help 
you  to  live  a  happier,  fuller,  richer 
and  freer  life  in  the  cluttered,  noisy 
and  polluted  years  ahead. 

INGLENOOK  COOKBOOK— A  col- 
lection of  the  recipes  of  a  segment 
of  rural  America,  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  tradition  which 
placed  high  value  on  culinary  ex- 
ellence. 

NGLENOOK  DOCTOR  BOOK— A 

ollection  of  remedies  from  the  not- 
5o-distant  American  past.  While 
hey  are  not  recommended  for  use 
oday,  they  provide  insight  into  the 
brmation  of  the  uniquely  American 
haracter. 

\NNA  ELIZABETH  — Lucille  Long's 
tory  of  a  12-year-old  girl  growing 
jp  in  eastern  Pennsylvania  in  1  747- 
748.  Regular  price  $6.20;  Sa/e  price 
5.00  plus  $.50 p&h. 


Also,  a  group  of  three  books  on 
Nigeria: 

LARDIN  GABAS  — Chalmer  Faw, 
editor.  An  anniversary  volume  on  50 
years  of  Brethren  missionary  work 
in  Nigeria. 

NO       LONGER       STRANGERS— 

Mary  Ann  Moyer  Kulp.  A  biography 


of  H.  Stover  Kulp,  co-founder  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  mission  in 
Nigeria. 

EBONY    MADONNA— Martha     B. 

Bowman.  A  novel  based  on  real  life 
in  the  bush  country  of  tropical 
Africa.  Regular  price  $13.00;  Sale  price 
$6.50  plus  $.50  p&h. 


Please  send 

sets  Brethren  heritage  books 

sets  Nigeria  books 

Name 


Address . 


State 


Zip- 


]     fc   Brethren  Press,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


ACTION 

.  THROUGH 
BVS 


••* 


t  ii||J|p»- 


Write  or 
Brethren  Volunt 
1451  Du 

Elgin 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  OCTOBER   1975 


Dawn  People  Once  upon  a  time,  God  had  a 
dream.  It  was  a  vision  of  a  world  at  one — a 
great  and  festive  campfire.  People  made  a  cir- 
cle of  dancing  joy,  warmed  by  the  light  of  God, 
joined  to  each  other,  at  peace  with  the  earth. 

Night 

But  the  Eden  dream  turned  into  a  night- 
mare. Enticed  by  the  Powers  of  Darkness, 
humans  turned  on  their  heels — away  from  the 
Light,  estranged  from  the  neighbor,  frightened 
by  nature. 

A  persistent  God  took  a  spark  from  the  Fire 
and  put  it  deep  in  the  human  spirit.  So  came 
the  inner  light.  Would  this  'image  God'  turn  the 
race  around?  Beguiled  by  the  Powers  of  Night, 
humanity  curved  further  inward,  smothering 
the  spark  of  divinity. 

A  steadfast  Firemaker  breathes  the  breath 
of  God  upon  the  spark.  It  bursts  into  a  'pillar  of 
fire.'  A  people  chosen  from  the  circle  are 
beckoned  to  follow  its  gleam.  So  God  enacts 
the  dream  in  the  fiery  journey  of  Israel  out  of 
Egyptian  slavery  into  a  liberated  land;  and  sets 
up  signposts  to  Light,  commandments  of  turn- 
ing; and  raises  up  visionaries,  and  seers  of  the 
luminous    Dream,    prophets    who   picture  the 


hope  of  wolf  and  lamb  lying  down  together, 
child  with  hand  over  the  viper's  den,  swore 
beaten  into  plowshares,  each  at  peace  und( 
vine  and  fig  tree.  They  call  this  light  of  liber; 
tion  and  reconciliation  'Shalom.' 

The  showcase  people  of  God  prove  to  be,  i 
we  all  are,  no  lovers  of  the  Light.  And  th 
prophet  points  to  a  future  of  night. 

Sparks  and'pillars  will  not  do  it.  We  must  t 
found  firsthand.  So  it  was  that  the  Light  cam 
to  shine  in  the  face  of  one  of  our  flesh.  Th 
Dream  of  Shalom  is  born  at  Bethlehem, 
walks  at  Nazareth.  It  teaches  in  Galilee.  Jest 
is  our  liberator.  He  is  our  peace.  He  is  the  Ligl 
of  the  world. 

The  incandescence  challenges  the  gloon 
But  the  night  powers  fight  back.  They  enlist 
pained  humanity  that  feels  love's  light  as  coai 
of  fire  on  its  tender  skin.  We  strike  at  i1 
source.  On  Golgotha  once  again  darknes 
engulfs  the  land. 

Dawn 

'Early  in  the  morning  . . .  they  came  to  th 
tomb.'  Darkness  cannot  restrain  the  Dawn.  Th 
Son  rises.  The  powers  of  night  have  met  the 


'^^-^'*^ 


atch.  Morning  has  broken!  We  live  at  the 
wning  of  the  age  of  Easter. 

At  sunrise,  the  light  of  a  new  hope  shines. 
It  there  are  still  shadows  on  the  land.  Dawn 
not  High  Noon  when  'God  is  all  in  all.'  It  is 
It  yet  time.  Darkness  still  lures  into  back- 
rning,  death  rides  on,  and  evil  roams  the 
rth.  Their  doom  is  sealed  by  the  Dawn-burst, 
id  even  now  the  sun  shines,  and  reflections 

hope  shine  back  in  a  Christie  world.  But  for 
IS  Now,  we  live  in  the  half-light  of  an 
ready-Not- Yet. 

ieing  the  fight 

Here  and  there,  night  wanderers  feel  upon 
eir  backs  a  new  warmth  and  catch  a  glimpse 
a  new  sky  glow.  They  make  a  turn  and  sight 
B  Sun!  Of  such  are  the  children  of  Light. 

Dawn  sighters  celebrate  the  joy  of  new 
ht.  Yet  they  are  no  dawn  squatters, 
Bsmerized  by  the  radiance.  Fixation  upon  the 
stasy  of  light  invites  blindness.  The  horizon 
rst  is  a  compass  point.  Dawn  orients,  and 
akes  for  the  move  (east)  of  those  who  walk 

the  light.   Dawn  beckons  to  pilgrimage  in 

!  world. 


Seeing  in  the  light 

So  light  is  made  for  seeing  by,  not  staring 
at.  It  illumines  the  way  of  the  world.  In  these 
paths,  the  children  of  Light  see  the  wretched  of 
the  earth.  While  the  blind  pass  by,  the  Sun- 
traveller  sees,  and  serves.  The  Dawn  pilgrim  is 
a  Dawn  Samaritan  on  the  Jericho  roads  that 
reach  toward  the  horizon. 

The  Dawn  trail  is  no  lonely  voyage. 

Light  brings  travellers  together.  It  makes 
Dawn  people.  Seeing  in  the  light  is  seeing  the 
sister  and  brother  in  Christ,  as  well  as  the 
neighbor  in  need. 

The  Dawn  People  of  God  are  no  full-formed 
circle,  no  Paradise  regained.  We  live  by  Dawn's 
hopes,  not  High  Noon's  fulfilment.  Because  the 
Dream  is  not  done,  this  company  travels 
abreast,  on  the  road,  seeing  and  serving. 

And  seeking.  Dawn  pilgrims  are  dawn 
pointers.  They  seek  others  looking  for  the  light, 
and  say,  'Here  comes  the  Sun!' 

— Gabriel  Fackre 


October  1975  messenger  1 


©©DTll^Sinilt^ 


Dawn  People,  a  statement  on  a  journey  back  through  darkness 
into  light,  by  Gabriel  Fackre.  Illustrated  by  Ken  Stanley. 

A  New  Testament  Approach  to  Evangelism  for 

Brethren.  Evangelism  criteria  by  Rick  Gardner. 

Each  Day  a  Celebration.   Fred  W.  Swartz  tells  of  the  spiritual 
pilgrimage  of  Arden  and  Bernetta  Kile. 

Good  News  About  Salvation  Now.    Stories  of  evangelism  ac- 
ti\ity  in  the  Brotherhood. 

A  Sense  of  Mission  and  Ministry.  Hubert  Newcomer  tells  of 

current  church  extension. 

Sermon  From  a  Cistern.  Emily  Mumma  talks  about  faith,  using 
cistern  and  well  analogies. 

Andrew  W.  Cordier:  Hope  and  Reality  Hand  in  Hand. 

A  tribute  to  the  late  United  Nations  Under  Secretary. 

A  Religious  Vision  of  Reality,   a  sooth  anniversary  salute  to 
the  Renaissance  artist,  Michelangelo. 

In  Touch  profiles  Bertha  Haag,  Mike  Brewer,  and  Earl  Bowman  (20)  .  . .  Out- 
look reports  on  Annual  Conference  nominations,  I.  W.  Moomaw,  higher  edu- 
cation conference.  Anna  Mow,  Jamie  Wyeth,  Old  Main.  Peter  Cowan,  ten  car 
commandments,  women  of  faith,  foreign  aid,  David  Hilton,  Freedom  Village 
new  presidents  (start  on  22)  . .  .  Underlines  (25)  .  .  .  Update  (26) . .  .  Letters  (30) 
. .  .  Here  1  Stand  (32)  .  .  .  Film  Review  (36)  .  .  .  Editorial  (40) 

Bylines:  Gabriel  Fackre  is  a  writer  and  a  member  of  the  United  Church  of 
Christ.  Rick  Gardner  is  Parish  Ministries  editor  for  biblical  resources.  Fred  W. 
Swartz  is  pastor  of  First  Church,  Harrisburg,  Pa.  Lois  Teach  Paul  is  agend.'^'s 
managing  editor.  Hal  Sonafrank  is  the  pastor  of  the  Fresno  (Calif)  church. 
Sara  Kerr  is  a  member  of  the  Pine  Glen  church,  McVeytown.  Pa.  Hubert  New- 
comer is  Parish  Ministries  consultant  for  congregational  renewal.  Emily  Mum- 
ma, Largo,  Fla.,  chairs  the  commission  on  nurture,  Rorida-Puerto  Rico  dis- 
trict. Matthew  M.  Meyer  is  Parish  Ministries  consultant  for  evangelism. 
Robert  Sifrit  is  pastor  of  the  Waka  (Texas)  church.  Joel  Eikenberry,  Lafayette. 
Ind.,  Paul  Keller,  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  and  Nelda  Rhoades,  Oak  Brook. 
111.  are  October  "Here  I  Stand"  contributors.  Film  reviewers  are  Frederic  A. 
Brussat  of  Cultural  Information  Service,  New  York,  and  Bob  Greene  of  the 
Chicago  Sun-  Times. 


EDITOR 

Howard  E    Royer 

MANAGING  EDITOR 

Kermon  Thomason 

ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 

Kenneth  I    Morse 

DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 

Clyde  E   Weaver 

PUBLISHER 

Galen  B    Oqden 


VOL    124,  NO    10 


OCTOBER  1975 


CREDITS:  Cover.  2.  3  art  by  Ken  Stanley.  6,  9 
Mike  Statler.  10  Bob  Thompson.  13  David 
Peltier.  15.  18.  19,  22  Carol  Riggs.  17  Three 
Lions.  20  left,  28.  Edward  J.  Buzinski.  23  Don 
Honick.  28  upper  left,  lower  left,  center,  28 
UNATIONS.  36  American  Broadcasting  Com- 
panies, Inc.  38-39  Religions  News  Service. 

2  MESSENGER  October  1975 


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member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
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menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
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■ 


!)■ 


« 


'hen  Brethren  take  up  any  topic,  oi 
of  the  questions  that  naturally  arises  is 
What  does  the  New  Testament  have  to  s 
to  us?  As  a  church  committed  to  the  Ne 
Testament  as  its  only  creed,  we  are  con 
tinually  referring  back  to  the  biblical 
message  for  guidelines  to  direct  us  in  def 
ing  our  calling  and  mission. 

In  the  midst  of  the  current  flurry  of  in 
terest  in  evangelism,  therefore,  it  is  highljii 
appropriate  for  us  to  raise  the  question: 
What  does  the  New  Testament  have  to  s 
that  should  inform  our  understanding  of  * 
evangelism?  What  guidelines  does  the  Ne 
Testament  supply  to  assist  us  in  being 
faithful  to  our  evangelistic  calling? 

As  a  way  of  responding  to  such 
questions,  I  want  to  set  forth  and  develo 
five  statements  about  evangelism.  Each  c 
these  statements  attempts  to  define 
evangelism  in  relation  to  New  Testament!! 
perspectives — and  in  this  way  establish 
criteria  for  determining  a  valid  evangelist ' 
style  for  our  church. 

I.  Evangelism  is  sharing  good  news 
about  salvation  now — not  simply  ad- 
monishing persons  to  get  ready  for  the 
future.  We  observe  a  significant  dLfferencli 
between  the  preaching  of  John  the  Baptis  i 
and  the  preaching  of  Jesus  at  just  this 
point.  The  message  of  John  was  very  muc  i 
akin  to  that  found  on  those  signs  along  m 
road  that  warn  us:  "Prepare  to  meet  thy 
God."  According  to  the  account  of  John'i 
preaching  in  Matthew  3:7-12,  the  emphasi 


A  New  Testament 


lit 


ly  Rick  Gardner 


approach  to 

EVANGELISM 
for  Brethren 


lis  on  what  is  yet  to  happen:  "There  is  a 
y  of  judgment  coming  soon.  I  baptize 
u  with  water  to  get  you  ready  for 
at  day.  Later  on  God  will  come  with 
irit  and  fire  to  do  the  real  thing" 
araphrased). 

In  Jesus'  proclamation,  however,  the 
iphasis  changes  to  what  is  already 
ppening  in  the  here  and  now.  God's 
ign  of  salvation  is  already  beginning  to 
wn.  "If  I  by  the  finger  of  God  cast  out 
mons,"  Jesus  says,  "then  the  kingdom  of 
3d  has  come  upon  you"  (Luke  1 1:20).  In 
imilar  vein  Jesus  argues  in  Mark  2:17-18 
at  his  disciples  are  no  longer  bound  by 
iciplines  of  preparation  such  as  fasting, 

a  new  time  of  joy  is  now  present,  like 
at  occasioned  by  a  wedding  celebration. 

still  another  occasion,  Jesus  sends  the 
iciples  out  in  teams  of  two  to  proclaim 
d  embody  the  coming  of  God's  reign  (see 
ike  10:1-24),  and  they  return  jubilantly, 
claiming:  "Hey!  It's  really  happening." 
So  it  is  that  Paul  can  write  to  the  Cor- 
thians;  "If  any  one  is  in  Christ,  he  is  a 
w  creation;  the  old  has  passed  away, 
'hold  the  new  has  come"  (2  Cor.  5:17). 
cK>  longer  is  it  a  matter  of  waiting  till  the 

Id  to  be  reconciled  with  God  and  caught 
in  a  new  order  of  transformation, 
ehold  now  is  the  acceptable  time;  behold 
w  is  the  day  of  salvation"  (6-2),  because 
,iod  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world 
i|  himself  (5:18).  It  is  this  new  situation  in 
here  and  now  of  human  life  that 


provides  the  basis  for  our  evangelistic  ac- 
tivity, our  ministry  as  ambassadors  of 
reconciliation  (5:19-20). 

Evangelism  is  sharing  the  good  news  that 
God  is  reaching  out  to  meet  us  in  the  pres- 
ent, that  he  wants  to  make  us  new,  whole 
persons  in  the  midst  of  this  age,  not  merely 
the  next. 

2.  Evangelism  is  telling  the  story  of 
God's  deeds — and  inviting  others  to 
become  part  of  that  story.  In  various  areas 
of  theology  today,  one  finds  a  strong 
emphasis  on  narrative  or  story-telling  as  a 
basic  medium  of  communication.  The  tell- 
ing of  a  story  is  seen  as  one  of  the  most  ap- 
propriate and  most  powerful  ways  to  set 
forth  our  faith. 

What  is  true  of  religious  communication 
in  general  holds  true  in  a  special  way  for 
evangelism.  Evangelistic  witness  properly 
conceived  has  its  focus  in  the  telling  of  a 
tale — the  tale  of  God's  actions  to  set  his 
people  free.  Already  in  the  Old  Testament, 
the  good  news  of  God's  saving  grace  was 
set  forth  in  the  form  of  a  recital  of  God's 
deeds  in  history.  Such  is  the  case  with  the 
ancient  "creed"  with  which  the  Israelites 
bore  witness  to  their  faith,  preserved  in 
Deuteronomy  26:5-9,  where  we  find  the 
words:  "...  and  the  Lord  heard  our  voice, 
and  saw  our  affliction,  our  toil,  and  our 
oppression;  and  the  Lord  brought  us  out  of 
Egypt  with  a  mighty  hand  and  an  out- 
stretched arm " 

In  the  "sermon"  that  Luke  attributes  to 


Peter  in  Acts  10:34-43,  Peter  likewise  tells  a 
story  as  a  way  of  sharing  the  faith  with 
Cornelius:  "You  know  the  word  ...  of  how 
God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  with  power;  how  he  went 
about  doing  good  and  healing  all  that  were 
oppressed  by  the  devil,  for  God  was  with 
him. ..."  Here  and  elsewhere  in  the  New 
Testament  evangelism  is  a  matter  of  telling 
a  tale — and  then  inviting  listeners  to  get 
into  the  plot  themselves.  Evangelism  is  tell- 
ing the  story  of  God's  saving  acts — and  en- 
couraging others  to  let  it  become  the  story 
of  their  lives  as  well. 

Putting  it  this  way  guards  us  against  two 
misconceptions  of  our  evangelistic  witness. 
On  the  one  hand,  it  guards  us  against  a 
kind  of  faith-sharing  interested  primarily  in 
intellectualizing  the  gospel.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  guards  us  against  a  kind  of  faith 
sharing  in  which  we  wallow  in  our  inward 
spiritual  feelings.  The  good  news  that  we 
have  to  share  with  others  is  first  and 
foremost  the  proclamation  of  what  God  is 
doing  in  human  history — a  drama  of 
redemptive  action  in  which  God  then  in- 
vites us  to  become  participants. 

3.  Evangelism  is  inviting  persons  to 
become  part  of  a  new  community — to  ex- 
perience salvation  in  the  form  of  a  new 
order  of  relationships  with  other  persons. 
Underlying  this  statement  is  a  New  Testa- 
ment understanding  of  becoming  a  Chris- 
tian that  runs  counter  to  the  individualistic 
understanding  of  so  many  of  us.  So  Paul 


October  1975  messenger  3 


writes  in  I  Corinthians  12:13:  "For  by  one 
Spirit  we  were  all  baptized  into  one  body — 
Jew  or  Greeks,  slaves  or  free — and  all  were 
made  to  drink  of  one  Spirit."  Note  the  cor- 
porate understanding  of  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  here.  The  Spirit  who  gives  us  a  new 
birth  gives  us  a  life  together  with  other 
believers  at  the  same  time.  The  Spirit  who 
regenerates  us  simultaneously  incorporates 


us  into  a  new  fellowship  of  life.  There  is  no 
such  thing  as  a  purely  individual  ex- 
perience of  salvation. 

Other  texts  reflect  this  same  "churchly" 
understanding  of  becoming  a  new  person 
in  Christ.  When  the  writer  of  1  Peter 
speaks  of  those  who  "have  been  born 
anew"  by  the  word  of  God  (1:23),  he  goes 
on  then  to  describe  the  identity  of  these 


What  is 
EVANGELISM? 

EVANGELISM  ...  is  sharing  good  news  about 
salvation  now — not  simply  admonishing  per- 
sons to  get  ready  for  the  future. 

EVANGELISM  ...  is  telling  the  story  of  God's 
deeds — and  inviting  others  to  become  part  of 
that  story. 

EVANGELISM  ...  is  inviting  persons  to 
become  part  of  a  new  community — to  ex- 
perience salvation  in  the  form  of  a  new  order  of 
relationships  with  other  persons. 

EVANGELISM  ...  is  proclaiming  the  advent  of 
God's  kingdom  in  all  spheres  of  life,  personal, 
and  social. 

EVANGELISM  ...  is  sharing  with  others  in  the 
freedom  of  the  Spirit — not  squeezing  them  into 
a  uniform  mold  of  belief  and  practice. 


believers  in  very  corporate  terms:  "You  are 
a  chosen  race,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy 
nation,  God's  own  people"  (2:9).  A  similar 
note  is  sounded  in  Ephesians  2:11-22, 
which  speaks  of  the  breaking  down  of  the 
dividing  wall  of  hostility  through  Christ's 
reconciling  death.  As  the  writer  develops 
his  argument,  he  makes  clear  that  the  event 
that  breaks  down  the  barriers  separating  us 
from  God  also  breaks  down  the  barriers 
that  separate  human  beings  from  one 
another.  And  the  end  result  is  a  new 
"household  of  God"  in  which  we  are  "no 
longer  strangers"  to  one  another  (2:19). 

There  is  truth  then  in  the  old  catholic 
slogan  that  states  that  there  is  no  salvation 
outside  the  church.  Not  in  the  sense  that  a 
particular  ecclesiastical  institution  has  a 
monopoly  on  God's  grace.  But  rather,  in 
the  sense  that  the  salvation  God  wishes  to 
give  us  includes  a  new  community  of  caring 
and  sharing  with  our  fellow  human  beings. 
If  we  stand  outside  the  new  community, 
aloof  from  the  body  of  Christ,  we  really  are 
missing  out  on  the  grace  of  God. 

Evangelism  then  is  inviting  persons  to 
break  free  from  the  loneliness  of  going  it 
alone.  Evangelism  is  inviting  persons  to 
repudiate  the  folly  of  rugged  individualism. 
Evangelism  is  inviting  persons  to  become 
part  of  a  new  community. 

4.  Evangelism  is  proclaiming  the  advent 
of  God's  kingdom  in  all  spheres  of  life,  per- 
sonal, and  social.  Again  and  again,  the 
question  is  raised:  Is  the  gospel  to  which 
we  witness  a  gospel  of  personal  salvation — 
or  a  gospel  of  a  saved  society?  Biblically 
speaking,  that  kind  of  question  is  really  out 
of  order,  for  it  sets  up  a  false  dichotomy. 
The  salvation  we  are  called  to  proclaim  has 
always  to  do  with  the  life  and  destiny  of 
persons — persons,  however,  whose  lives 
are  enmeshed  in  social  and  political  struc- 
tures of  various  sorts.  To  bear  witness  to 
the  gospel  therefore  is  to  testify  to  God's 
power  to  liberate  persons  in  the  context  of 
their  larger  social  environment. 

Should  we  have  any  doubts  at  this  point, 
Jesus  puts  these  doubts  to  rest  with  the 
declaration  of  his  own  evangelistic  mission,  i 
which  Luke  ascribes  to  him  in  Luke  4:18- 
19:  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me, 
because  he  has  anointed  me  to  preach  good 
news  to  the  poor.  He  has  sent  me  to 
proclaim  release  to  the  captives  and 
recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at 


4  MESSENGER  October  1975 


liberty  those  who  are  oppressed,  to 
proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord." 
When  this  audacious  pronouncement  is 
viewed  in  the  light  of  its  Old  Testament  set- 
ting in  Isaiah  61:1  ff.,  when  the  latter  text 
is  viewed  in  the  context  of  the  social 
legislation  of  the  jubilee  year  in  Leviticus 
25.  and  when  all  of  this  is  related  to  Jesus' 
„  overall  proclamation  of  the  inbreaking 
reign  of  God,  the  scope  of  Jesus'  mission 
becomes  unmistakably  clear.  It  is  to  be  in- 
tensely personal  and  intensely  social  at  one 
and  the  same  time. 

As  those  who  live  by  the  power  of  the 
risen  Lord,  we  have  been  entrusted  with  an 
evangelistic  mission  of  similar  scope.  Such 
is  the  message  of  the  writer  of  Ephesians, 
though  that  message  is  often  obscured  for 
us  because  of  the  language  barrier  between 
his  world  and  ours.  Referring  at  several 
points  to  the  powers  and  principalities  that 
hold  humanity  in  bondage,  the  writer  calls 
attention  to  the  fact  that  there  are  forces 
beyond  the  control  of  any  one  of  us  as  in- 
dividuals. With  our  more  scientific 
vocabulary  today,  we  would  call  these 
social  forces  by  such  names  as  tyrannical 
government,  oppressive  economic  systems, 
and  societal  propaganda.  However  we  may 
name  them,  there  are  demonic  social  and 
political  structures  that  destroy  human  life. 
But,  says  Ephesians,  God  has  now  raised 
Christ  to  a  position  of  authority  over  all 
these  forces  (1:20-22).  What  is  more,  God 
is  currently  in  the  process  of  raising  us  up 
with  Christ,  so  that  we  might  no  longer  live 
in  subjection  to  these  forces  (2:1  ff.).  What 
is  more,  God  calls  the  church  to  witness  to 
the  principalities  and  the  powers  that  their 
days  are  numbered,  and  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
going  to  have  the  final  word  (3:7-10,  cf. 
6:10  ff.). 

As  Tom  Wilson  puts  it  in  his  essay  in 
Call  the  Witnesses  (The  Brethren  Press, 
1974,  p.  67),  evangelism  is  both  "the  freeing 
of  persons  from  individual  guilt,  fears,  and 
anxieties"  and  "freeing  persons  from  all 
systems  that  oppress."  Evangelism  is 
proclaiming  the  power  of  God  to  make  all 
things  new — in  the  human  heart  and  in 
human  society. 

5.  Evangelism  is  sharing  with  others  in 
the  freedom  of  the  Spirit — not  squeezing 
them  into  a  uniform  mold  of  belief  and 
practice.  As  one  surveys  the  Gospel  ac- 
counts of  Jesus'  conversations  with  various 


THE 

WORD 


Papers 

They  come — they  go 

A  never-ending  flow 

Memos 

Letters 

Drafts 

Announcements 

Posters 

Typed 

Mimeoed 

Offset 

Xeroxed 

Scribbled 

This  is  Communication 

This  is  Documentation 

Papers  are  the  Lubrication 

Of  the  Bureaucracy 

Sometimes  I  feel  a  prisoner  in  a 

paper  jail. 
I  try  to  get  on  top  but  am  always 

covered  up. 
I  try  to  tunnel  under  but  there  is  no 

opening. 
Read— Produce 
Receive — Reply 
Produce — Read 

Sore  eyes — sore  arm — sore  head. 
And  then  occasionally — very  rarely 

but  once  in  a  while — among  the 

pile     of     words — there     is     the 

WORD. 
It  jumps  out 
It  speaks 

It  moves  the  heart 
It  communicates 
It  saves. 

by  Robert  Davis 

"The  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like 
treasure  lying  buried  in  a  field," 
Matt.  13:44  (NEB) 

From  Alive  Now!,  copyright  by  The  Upper 
Room.  Used  by  permission. 


individuals,  it  is  striking  just  how  little  un- 
iformity there  is.  In  the  conversation  with 
the  Samaritan  woman  reported  in  John  4, 
there  is  an  almost  gamelike  quality  to  the 


banter  that  flows  between  Jesus  and  the 
woman.  In  the  dialogue  of  Jesus  with  a 
rich  young  man  described  in  Mark  10:17- 
22,  Jesus  calls  for  a  specific  transformation 
of  life-style  as  the  appropriate  response.  In 
the  encounter  with  Zacchaeus  recorded  in 
Luke  19:1-10,  Jesus  witnesses  to  salvation 
through  his  nonverbal  acceptance  of 
Zacchaeus  as  a  person,  and  this  itself 
brings  about  Zacchaeus'  "conversion."  The 
one  thing  Jesus  never  does  is  ask  others  to 
buy  into  a  system  of  "four  spiritual  laws." 

Later  on,  in  the  life  of  the  early  church, 
the  apostle  Paul  had  to  deal  with  the  issue 
of  openness  versus  rigidity  in  evangelistic 
style  in  his  dealings  with  the  Galatian 
churches.  Paul's  opponents,  whom  we 
usually  refer  to  as  Judaizers,  were  insisting 
that  you  couldn't  make  new  believers  un- 
less you  ran  them  through  the  whole  gamut 
of  the  Jewish  law  as  part  of  the  process. 
You  couldn't  evangelize  unless  you  Juda- 
ized  at  the  same  time.  To  which  Paul 
screamed,  as  loud  as  he  could,  "No,  this 
isn't  the  way  of  the  gospel.  Law  and  system 
had  their  place  before  Christ,  but  now 
there's  a  new  ball  game.  God  is  calling  per- 
sons to  relate  to  him  in  freedom  and  in- 
timacy, not  through  legal  shackles."  And 
Paul  warned  those  tempted  to  succumb  to 
the  strategy  of  the  Judaizers:  "For  freedom 
Christ  has  set  us  free.  Stand  fast  and  do 
not  submit  to  a  yoke  of  slavery"  (Gal.  5: 1). 

Data  such  as  this,  supported  by  our 
Brethren  heritage  of  no  creed  and  no  force 
in  religious  matters,  bears  directly  on  the 
question  of  how  we  ought  to  evangelize. 
We  are  not  called  to  pre-program  the  faith 
experience  of  other  persons  along  the  lines 
of  our  own.  We  are  not  called  to  package 
up  the  gospel  in  a  neat  system  and  ask 
others  to  buy  into  that  system.  Rather,  we 
who  live  in  the  freedom  of  the  Spirit  are 
called  to  witness  to  God's  redemptive 
power  in  a  way  that  allows  others  to  ex- 
perience that  freedom  for  themselves.  In  a 
genuine  and  open  dialogue,  with  caring 
communication  flowing  in  both  directions, 
we  are  to  tune  in  to  others  with  the  kind  of 
sensitivity  that  allows  the  Spirit  of  God  to 
work  in  their  lives  in  its  own  way. 

All  this  is  part  of  the  evangelistic  mission 
to  which  the  New  Testament  calls  us.  As 
we  respond  to  the  call  to  be  witnesses,  may 
we  do  so  in  a  way  that  is  faithful  to  what 
the  New  Testament  has  to  say.   □ 


October  1975  messenger  5 


0  ( a  (I  ii, 


«^»  f 


0mu  '^^^ 

<-r    SSSori,,    "  ' 


by  Fred  W.  Swartz 

"We're  trying  to  show  our  children  that  be- 
ing a  Christian  is  a  very  positive  thing," 
Bernetta  Kile  reflected.  "We've  discovered 
it  doesn't  take  any  more  effort  to  use  the 
positive  approach  than  the  negative,  but 
the  results  are  tremendously  different!" 

Arden  and  Bernetta  Kile  are  a  young 
couple  in  the  York,  First  congregation  with 
an  inspiring  story  of  a  spiritual  pilgrimage 
that  stretches  from  the  strict  rural  religion 
of  north  central  Pennsylvania  to  the  free 
and  undisciplined  culture  of  southern 
California,  then  full  circle  to  a  newfound 
and  meaningful  Christ-centered  life-style 
that  is  evident  24  hours  a  day  in  their 
relationships  in  home,  church,  and  com- 
munity. Significant  companions  in  much  of 
the  recent  leg  of  the  Kiles'  spiritual  journey 
have  been  three  delightful  and  alert 
children — Janine,  eleven;  Christopher, 
nine;  and  Mikel  ("Kelly"),  six. 

The  principles  and  Lordship  of  Jesus 
Christ  are  the  central  focus  for  the  Kile 
family,  but  they  are  learned  and  exercised 
in  a  low  key.  natural  way.  For  the  Kiles, 
authentic  Christianity  grows  out  of  a  per- 
sonal affirmation  of  God  and  his  authority. 
Religion  cannot  be  automatically 
transferred  from  one  generation  to 
another,  nor  from  a  church  to  its  members. 
It  has  to  find  roots  within  the  experience  of 
each  person,  including  daily  communion 
with  God  and  his  Word,  and  an  unreserved 
trust  in  his  control. 

The  "positive  approach"  that  Arden  and 
Bernetta  Kile  take  today  in  their  spiritual 
life  is  the  pleasantly  surprising  product  of  a 
story  that  reads  somewhat  like  a  Somerset 
Maugham  novel  or  the  script  from  an 
afternoon  soap  opera  series.  Both  come 
from  childhood  environments  controlled 
by  very  puritanical  conservatism  — 
Bernetta,  the  daughter  of  a  lay  minister  of 
a  very  fundamentalistic  HUB  congregation; 

6  MESSENGER  October  1975 


Each  day 
A  CELEB 


Arden,  a  member  of  an  independent 
church  family  whose  congregation  met  for 
services  at  noon  on  Sunday  (to  accom- 
modate an  itinerant  preacher)  right  at  the 
time  a  growing  boy  would  rather  be  out- 
side playing. 

Both  of  the  Kiles,  although  they  can  now 
appreciate  some  basic  values  learned  within 
their  rigid  childhood  environment,  look 
back  upon  those  early  days  as  frustrating 
and  repressive.  Christianity  was  presented 
in  the  negative  commandment:  "Christians 
don't  . .  .  wear  lipstick  or  jewelry,  play 
cards,  go  to  movies,  dance,  or  have  fun  on 
Sunday."  They  were  "made"  to  go  to  Sun- 
day school,  but  little  impression  was  made 
upon  their  minds,  as  the  teachers  lectured 
on  the  Scripture,  allowing  for  no  discus- 
sion and  making  no  effort  to  relate  the 
Bible  to  life. 

Bernetta  attributes  her  childhood 
religious  nurture  to  two  sources  other 
than  the  local  congregation:  her  father,  of 
whom  the  family  saw  very  little  but  whose 
presence  always  exuded  a  high  moral  quali- 
ty; and  her  service  as  a  teenage  waitress  for 
three  summers  at  a  Bible  conference.  The 
hours  were  long  and  the  pay  was  minimal, 
but  the  conference  scheduled  top-notch 
musicians  and  speakers,  who  handled 
the  Word  of  God  with  impressionable 
authority. 

Then  came  the  break  from  home  — 
Arden  to  Penn  State  University  to  study 
engineering,  and  Bernetta  into  nursing 
school.  Both  recall  how  they  took  advan- 
tage of  this  first  freedom  from  the  parental 
thumb.  "For  me  it  was  a  period  of  real 
rebellion  against  conservatism,"  Bernetta 
remembers.  "I  did  all  the  things  I  wasn't 
supposed  to." 

Arden  recalls  that  the  first  symbol  of 
rebellion  he  adopted  was  to  boycott  church 
attendance  all  together  in  college.  He,  too. 


Religion  cannot  be  automatically 

transferred  from 


iUON 


one  generation  to 

another,  nor  from  a  church  to  its 

members.  It  has  to  find  roots  \A/ithin  the 
experience  of  each  person,  including  daily 
communion  vAth  God  and  his  Word,  and 
an  unreserved  trust  in  his  control. 


"had  to  try  all  the  things  I  couldn't  do  at 
home."  One  anecdote  from  this  period 
evolves  from  his  attempts  at  smoking. 
While  home  visiting  from  college  he  decid- 
ed the  only  way  to  get  tobacco  without 
someone  in  the  small  town  recognizing  him 
and  making  it  a  public  issue,  which  would 
surely  cast  a  shadow  on  his  parents"  reputa- 
tion, was  to  steal  it.  Thus,  he  succeeded  in 
defying  a  couple  of  commandments! 

Because  their  childhood  communities  of 
Berwick  and  Millville  were  only  a  short 
distance  apart,  Arden  and  Bernetta  oc- 
casionally had  crossed  paths  but  did  not 
really  "discover"  one  another  until  after 
Arden  had  entered  Penn  State.  A  reunion 
of  Bernetta's  Bible  conference  waitresses, 
held  on  the  Penn  State  campus, 
precipitated  the  romance  that  eventually 
led  to  marriage.  Arden  recalls  his  surprise 
when  he  discovered  that  Bernetta  shared 
his  inclination  toward  total  rebellion 
against  their  conservative  rearing. 

Immediately  upon  graduation,  military 
service  transplanted  Arden  from  the  con- 
servative climate  of  Pennsylvania  to  liberal 
winds  on  the  West  Coast.  As  soon  as 
Bernetta  finished  nurse's  training,  the  two 
were  married  and  established  their  first 
home  about  as  far  from  the  apron  strings 
as  possible — California.  Now  the  rebellion 
blossomed,  the  two  staying  as  far  from  the 
church  as  they  could  and  sowing  some 
belated  wild  oats  together. 

When  Arden's  service  tour  was  ended  the 
Kiles  elected  to  stay  in  California.  Arden 
secured  a  job  with  an  engineering  consul- 
tant firm  in  Los  Angeles  and  Bernetta 
supplemented  their  income  as  a  nurse  at 
Kaiser  Foundation  Hospital. 

Then  the  black  clouds  of  trouble  began 
to  roll  in.  Arden's  job  took  him  out  of 
town  on  frequent  long-term  assignments. 
Alone  too  much  of  the  time,  Bernetta  nur- 


tured a  classic  case  of  homesickness.  She 
recalls  how  she  was  "legally  addicted  to  up- 
pers and  downers,"  as  she  took  pills  to 
sleep  and  pills  to  calm  her  nerves.  The 
balloon  of  joyous  independence  had  burst. 

Things  got  so  critical  that  Arden  and 
Bernetta  agreed  to  a  trial  separation,  which 
lasted  three  months.  Through  the  help  of  a 
counselor  and  a  vacation  trip  back  East,  a 
reconciliation  was  won,  with  Arden 
promising  to  curtail  his  out-of-town  work. 

But  unrest  continued.  Bernetta's 
homesickness  reoccurred  through  a  very 
difficult  pregnancy  with  the  first  child,  and 
Arden  was  becoming  increasingly  dis- 
satisfied with  his  work  because  his  com- 
pany's big  project  was  establishing  sites  for 
the  Minuteman  Missile  System,  which 
seemed  so  senseless  to  him.  Back  in  Penn- 
sylvania, Arden's  father  was  ill  and  Bernet- 
ta's parents  were  expressing  their  longing 
for  more  frequent  reunions. 

So,  with  Janine  nine  months  old,  the 
Kiles  sold  their  furniture  and  home  in 
California  and  trekked  back  East,  with 
their  entire  belongings,  including  a  dog,  in 
a  station  wagon.  A  home  was  rented  in 
Spring  Grove,  a  suburban  community  of 
York,  and  fortunately,  Arden  was  soon 
hired  by  a  York  consulting  engineering 
firm,  for  which  he  still  works.  "We  took 
the  first  one  that  responded  to  the 
resumes!"  he  recalls  with  wonder. 

Arden  and  Bernetta  had  learned  one 
very  sure  thing  through  their  westward 
fling.  Bernetta  expresses  it  candidly,  "The 
'freedom'  business  wasn't  everything  it  was 
cracked  up  to  be.  It  was  crazy."  Janine's 
birth,  the  senseless  war  effort,  the  civil 
rights  controversey  just  blooming,  the 
California  grape  boycott,  the  reality  of 
homesickness,  the  discovery  that  their 
parents  were  not  judgmental  when  they 
learned  about  Arden  and  Bernetta's  liberal 

October  1975  messenger  7 


"Once  we  were  just 

Sunday  Christians,  but  now 

we're  trying  to  be  everyday  Christians" 


activities — all  of  these  combined  to  ger- 
minate a  seed  of  seriousness  and  growing 
maturity. 

"Even  before  we  left  California,"  Arden 
says,  "we  began  thinking  about  relating 
again  to  a  church.  We  knew  we  had  a  need 
that  was  not,  being  met,  and  we  even  then 
began  wondering  if  all  churches  were  like 
the  church  of  our  youth." 

After  several  weeks  in  the  York  home, 
the  Kiles  started  their  search  for  a  church. 
They  visited  so  many  different  ones  they 
lost  count.  Then  they  were  attracted  to 
First  Church  of  the  Brethren  after  seeing  a 
news  account  of  Carl  Mclntire  picketing 
the  church  because  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church  exchange  priests  were  visiting 
(1968).  "We  immediately  thought  that  any 
church  that  Carl  Mclntire  didn't  like  cer- 
tainly couldn't  be  all  that  bad!  But  we  also 
wondered:  'Who  are  the  Brethren?'" 

Subsequently  they  visited  First  Church 
and  were  warmly  greeted.  At  the  time,  the 
church  school  was  offering  classes  for 
adults  dealing  with  the  racial  tensions  and 
the  civil  rights  issue.  The  Kiles  were 
hooked!  "What  kept  us  going  to  the  church 
was  that  it  was  involved  in  things  in  which 
we  were  interested,"  Arden  states. 

Immediately  the  Kiles  got  involved,  and 
were  impressed  by  the  Brethren  emphasis 
upon  reconciliation  and  brotherly  and 
sisterly  love.  "We  met  (through  the  church) 
some  persons  who  were  ministering  to  peo- 
ple because  the  Bible  said  we  ought  to  love 
one  another,  rather  than  out  of 
humanitarian  duty  or  thought  of  return." 

The  Kiles  joined  First  Church  just  as 
Guy  West  was  relinquishing  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  congregation,  but  they  had  no 
trouble  relating  to  the  new  minister,  Curtis 
Dubble.  It  was  under  Pastor  Dubble's  in- 
struction that  they  began  learning  who  the 
Brethren  really  were.  Bernetta  recalls  her 
first  Love  Feast,  "I  cannot  remember  being 
involved  in  anything  more  meaningful. 
Since  then  I  have  not  missed  one!"  "And 
we  became  more  concerned  about  what  it 
means  to  be  a  Christian,"  adds  Arden. 

At  first  their  newly-born  Christianity 
was  primarily  deed-oriented.  Bernetta 
became  involved  in  guiding  the  con- 
gregation's response  to  the  racial  crisis,  in- 

8  MESSENGER  October  1975 


eluding  an  instrumental  role  in  promoting 
the  Fresh  Air  Children  project,  and  serving 
as  a  volunteer  worker  in  a  community- 
based  kindergarten  child  development 
program. 

Arden  tuned  in  on  a  housing  venture  the 
church  has  assumed,  in  which  an  old  house 
was  to  be  remodeled  and  sold  to  a  low- 
income  black  family.  It  was  on  this  project 
that  Arden  met  and  learned  to  know  one  of 
the  York  church  laymen,  Jesse  Jenkins, 
whose  dedication  to  the  church  and  consis- 
tent attitude  of  patient,  nonjudgmental 
love  have  been  a  most  helpful  example  and 
inspiration  for  Arden  in  his  own  spiritual 
growth. 

Then  significant  things  happened  to  both 
Bernetta  and  Arden  to  enlarge  their  Chris- 
tian faith  from  mostly  works  to  a  deep  per- 
sonal awareness  of  their  relationship  to 
God.  For  Bernetta  it  was  the  sudden 
revelation  that  Janine,  their  first  born,  was 
not  a  "normal"  child.  The  problem  sur- 
faced as  Janine  started  school.  Although 
she  was  tested  as  possessing  a  very  high  in- 
telligence quotient,  she  was  so  extremely 
hypertensive  and  unpredictable  her 
teachers  threw  up  their  hands.  Thus  began 
for  the  Kiles  a  battery  of  attempts  to  find  a 
solution — play  therapy,  family  therapy, 
and  a  long  and  expensive  treatment  process 
on  the  theory  of  one  pediatrician  that 
Janine  had  a  mixed  dominance  problem. 


Tinally,  a  neurological  study  of  Janine 
was  ordered,  and  the  results  brought  a 
devastating  blow.  It  was  determined  that 
Janine  has  brain  damage,  perhaps  resulting 
from  her  caesarean  birth,  which  has  left  her 
with  a  permanent  learning  disability.  "1 
was  crushed,"  recalls  Bernetta  upon  the 
specialist's  announcement.  "I  cried  all  the 
way  home.  I  stopped  to  see  a  friend,  who 
tried  to  say  it  was  not  the  end  of  the  world. 
She  sought  to  pick  me  up,  but  it  was  just 
impossible." 

Bernetta  and  Arden  turned  to  their 
pastor,  Curtis  Dubble.  "That  moment 
jumps  out  at  us  now,"  Bernetta  says.  "We 
had  tried  everything  else  and  now 
we  were  turning  to  God.  We  should  have 
begun  there." 


Curtis  suggested  two  things,  that  they 
enroll  Janine  in  a  special  school  and  that 
they  attend  First  Church's  spiritual  healing 
services.  In  the  very  first  of  the  services  she 
attended,  Bernetta  went  forward  to  be 
anointed  for  Janine.  She  describes  the  ex- 
perience: "I  just  really  felt  that  the  Lord 
was  saying  that  no  matter  what  happens 
it's  going  to  be  all  right.  It  was  the  first 
time  I  had  faced  the  reality  of  the  situation, 
yet  I  also  felt  it  was  going  to  be  okay.  ...  I 
think  when  you  accept  the  fact  of  God's 
power,  and  that  he  is  not  high  and  holy 
(removed)  but  a  real  Presence,  that's  the 
Holy  Spirit.  I  felt  freed  up!" 

Bernetta's  freedom  has  found  its  expres- 
sion in  many  ways.  For  example,  "For 
years  I  prayed /or  Janine.  Now  I  have 
started  praying  about  my  reaction  to  her.  I 
can  see  tremendous  changes!"  She  has  also 
learned  how  to  let  prayer  discipline  her 
temper,  and  how  to  let  the  motto  and  con- 
viction, "God  is  the  blessed  controller  of  all 
things,"  give  her  peace  and  self-control  in 
the  wake  of  unexpected  crises.  One  of  the 
biggest  contrasts  with  the  religion  she 
remembers  as  a  child  "is  knowing  that  I 
can  take  everything  to  God  in  prayer,  not 
only  the  big  world-made  problems  but  also 
the  little  things  that  are  important  to  me." 

The  church  has  helped  the  Kiles  to  move 
from  embarrassment  to  openness  about 
Janine's  situation,  enabling  Bernetta  to 
help  several  other  families  with  similarly 
affected  children  understand  and  work  at 
their  problems. 

Arden's  individual  spiritual  growth  has 
come  about  as  a  result  of  his  association 
with  Jesse  Jenkins,  Pastor  Dubble,  and  a 
third  member  of  the  York  congregation, 
now  deceased,  Vernon  Grim.  Through  his 
friendship  with  these  brethren  Arden  has 
changed  from  a  cynical,  critical  attitude  to 
a  person  who  appreciates  the  gifts  and  con- 
tributions of  everyone,  and  who  "has  a 
great  deal  more  patience."  He  is  more  con- 
scious of  the  guidance  of  God's  Word, 
beginning  each  day  in  personal  devotions 
before  the  rest  of  the  Kile  family  rises.  His 
new  attitude  has  made  it  much  easier  to  be 
personally  involved  with  other  people,  "not 
only  doing  things /or  them  but  with  them, 
relating  one  to  one  with  them." 

Arden  is  chairman  of  the  congregation's 
witness  commission,  a  position  which,  at 
First  Church,  requires  both  a  spiritual  and 
a  working  leader.  Cooperating  closely  with 
Ralph  Moyer,  director  of  special 
ministries,  Arden  helps  direct  the  con- 


Clockwise  from  top:  Arden  and  Berneiia  meet  with  their  small  group.  Bernetta  helps 
Janine  with  her  sewing.  Gardening  is  a  family  project.  Ralph  Mover  (left)  and  Arden 
inventory  the  food  pantry.    Bernetta   counsels  a  friend.    Family  devotions  at  bedtime. 


gregation's  food  pantry  ministry,  is  in- 
volved in  a  ministry  to  a  state  hospital,  and 
led  the  congregation  toward  a  decision  to 
sponsor  a  Vietnam  refugee  family. 

Both  Arden  and  Bernetta  contribute 
much  of  their  recent  spiritual  growth  to  a 


positive  small  group  experience  they  have 
at  York  First.  Particularly  helpful  has  been 
a  study  the  group  has  undertaken  of  Edge 
of  Adventure  by  Keith  Miller  and  Bruce 
Larson.  Out  of  the  disciplines  suggested  by 
that  approach,  such  as  making  a  conscien- 


tious effort  to  practice  the  presence  of  God 
in  every  moment,  has  come  Arden's  morn- 
ing devotions,  his  newfound  courage  to 
offer  public  prayers,  and  his  keener 
awareness  of  a  Christ-centered  life-style. 

Bernetta  has  made  a  rededication  of  her 
life  to  Christ  through  this,  and  another, 
group  experience,  which  has  found  fruition 
in  a  personal  sharing  ministry  with 
neighbors  and  friends.  It  is  not  unusual,  at 
any  time  of  the  day,  to  find  her  sitting  with 
a  friend  over  a  cup  of  tea  at  her  dining 
room  table,  sharing  her  understanding  of 
wholeness  in  life.  And  the  small  group  has 
helped  her  evaluate  the  importance  of  her 
roles  as  wife,  mother,  and  woman.  She 
served  as  a  congregational  delegate  to  the 
Dayton  Annual  Conference,  is  a  member 
of  the  cabinet  of  the  Brethren  Peace 
Fellowship  of  Southern  Pennsylvania,  and 
is  church  camp  representative  for  First 
Church. 

Together,  the  Kjles  are  working  at 
some  significant  things  as  part  of  their 
positive  Christian  commitment.  Daily 
family  devotions  are  usually  held  at  the 
children's  bedtime,  with  the  responsibility 
for  planning  rotating  among  all  five  family 
members.  The  Kiles  are  trying  very  hard  to 
simplify  their  life,  setting  priorities  so  there 
is  time  for  family  togetherness  and  nur- 
turing experiences.  Arden  and  Bernetta 
alternate  their  terms  on  the  local  church 
major  committees  so  that  one  parent  is 
always  at  home  with  the  children.  They  are 
also  engaged  in  several  "do-it-yourself' 
projects,  including  a  fair-sized  garden,  up- 
holstering furniture,  embroidering  and  sew- 
ing, carpentry,  and  pottery.  Although  the 
grandparents  are  135  miles  away,  the  Kiles 
make  it  a  willing  responsibility  to  see  both 
sets  once  a  month. 

Just  a  day  with  the  Arden  Kile  family  is 
enough  to  catch  the  effervescent  spirit  of 
five  people  who  have  literally  stepped 
beyond  themselves  into  the  footprints  of 
Christ.  They  are  the  first  to  say  they  are  a 
long  way  yet  from  being  able  to  fill  those 
footprints,  but  every  one  of  them  is 
stretching  and  growing,  no  longer  afraid  of 
the  changes  such  a  commitment  may  re- 
quire. Each  day  is  a  celebration  of  life, 
even  in  the  continuous  coping  with  Janine's 
special  needs. 

"Once  we  were  just  Sunday  Christians," 
Bernetta  comments,  "but  now  we're  trying 
to  be  everyday  Christians.  And  it's 
overwhelming  to  recognize  God  as  in- 
volved in  every  second  of  our  lives!"    D 


October  1975  messenger  9 


Good 
news 
about 
SALVATION  NOW 

Evangelism,  Rick  Gardner  declares,  is  sharing  the 
good  news  about  salvation  now.  As  revealed  by  the 
teachings  of  Jesus,  the  emphasis  is  not  simply  ad- 
monishing persons  to  prepare  for  the  future;  it  is 
proclaiming  that  "God's  reign  of  salvation  is  already 
beginning  to  dawn,"  here  and  now.  Further,  it  is 
getting  the  story  out  that  turns  people  around. 
How  parishes  and  persons  are  caught  up  in  the  tell- 
ing of  this  story,  in  word  and  deed,  is  the  thrust  of 
the  accounts  that  follow.  Though  the  perspectives 
and  contexts  differ,  the  essential  message  underly- 
ing these  rather  random  reflections  is  one: 
That  evangelism  is,  above  all  else, 
God's  truth  in  action. 


Trekking  the  Traveln 

Every  tongue  and  every  nation 

They  will  join  our  celebration. 

Our  God  is  great! 

So  celebrate! 

sang  the  group  of  young  people  in 

tableau  — 

Nothing  in  life  is  quite  the  same. 

Once  faith  begins  the  change  inside.  ... 

The  folk  musical  presentation  called 
"Travelin'  Road"  had  occupied  the  Elkhlt 
City,  Ind.,  church  youth  in  450  hours  oil 
rehearsal,  staging,  and  promotion,  and 
now  they  were  presenting  it  to  a  S.R.O. 
crowd  on  Sunday  morning.  The  respons] 
was  as  warm  as  the  July  day.  j 

The  young  people  had  become  interesil 
in  doing  something  musical  as  their  faitll 
witness  when  they  heard  a  neighboring  ' 
youth  group  do  "Godspell."  They  ap- 
proached Thyra  Metzler,  their  church's 
music  director  and  a  local  high  school 
music  teacher,  with  the  idea.  She  was 
delighted  at  their  enthusiasm  and  enliste 
the  help  of  Sue  Noffsinger  as  the  drama 
director  for  the  proposed  production. 

In  their  search  for  a  vehicle  the  two 
women  were  impressed  with  a  biblical  f( : 
musical  that  conveyed  the  warmth  and  t 
joy  of  a  personal  relationship  with  Jesus  i 
a  companion  on  life's  "travelin'  road."  1; 
music  by  Don  Wyrtzen  and  the  lyrics  b;' 
John  Walvoord  were  good,  worthy  of  tl 
efforts  of  busy  high  school  musicians  an 
yet  simple  enough  to  challenge  boys  anc 
girls  who  didn't  consider  themselves  to  I 
polished  performers. 

TTie  Elkhart  City  youth  were  soon 
caught  up  in  the  production.  Dramatic 
parts  were  assigned  and  the  sincere 
simplicity  of  a  red  haired,  freckled  youm 
man  won  him  the  role  of  Jesus.  It  was  a 
parent  from  the  beginning  that  the  them 
of  the  musical  was  meaningful  to  those 
working  with  it;  the  director  encouraged 
asking  the  youth  to  get  involved  in  the 
message  of  the  text,  rather  than  being  u 


)ad 


Youth  open  the  storehouse 


tight  about  what  was  technically  correct. 
Each  rehearsal  was  closed  with  a  sharing 
meditation  and  a  new  closeness  developed 
among  the  youth  that  ranged  in  age  from 
thirteen  years  to  post  college.  Little 
Children  excitedly  accepted  the  invitation 
to  take  part  in  a  brief  scene.  Props, 
costuming,  and  scenery  appeared.  One 
guitarist  took  music  along  on  vacation  and 
returned  with  his  part  well  in  hand.  The 
lew  sanctuary  piano,  ordered  long  before, 
arrived  just  in  time  for  the  Sunday 
ivorship. 

As  the  musicians  and  actors  took  their 
jlaces.  Sue  Noffsinger  introduced  the 
jroduction.  "We  do  not  profess  to  be  a 
jrofessional  group.  We  ask  that  our  music 
)e  a  worship  experience  for  you  rather 
:han  a  performance.  You,  our  friends,  are 
;he  actors,  we  are  the  prompters,  and  God 
s  our  audience." 

The  large  crowd  inspired  the  youthful 
jerformers  to  their  best,  and  in  turn  those 
^'Etching  and  listening  were  touched  with 
;he  sincerity  of  those  participating.  The  ex- 
jerience  was  one  of  shared  witness  to  the 
[Christian  pilgrimage. 

Already  invitations  are  coming  to  take 
;he  musical  to  other  churches.  One  retired 
nan,  a  long-time  member  of  the  Elkhart 
jongregation,  expressed  his  appreciation 
"or  their  work  by  offering  financial 
assistance  in  any  travel  involved  in  repeat 
performances.  "1  don't  really  like  this  loud 
music  young  folks  play  these  days  and  I 
»'asn't  prepared  to  enjoy  myself.  But  this 
ivas  great.  These  young  people  had 
iomething  to  say  to  us  all  and  I  want  to 
lelp  them." 

Travelin'  Road"  drew  in  youth  from  the 
:ommunity  who  now  consider  themselves  a 
part  of  the  youth  fellowship.  Parents'  in- 
:erest  brought  them  to  the  Sunday  service 
ind  they  found  themselves  greeted  by 
Brethren  friends. 

There's  been  a  new  climate  created — we 
lave  all  grown  by  this  experience  and  we 
enow  God  will  use  it,"  says  Thyra  Metzler. 

And  one  performer  said  it  this  way:  "I 
im  really  glad  to  be  a  part  of  "Travelin' 
Road" — because  all  of  us  gave  of  ourselves 
o  each  other." — L.T.P. 


Becoming  director  of  a  group  of  youth  who 
are  already  well  nurtured  in  their  spiritual 
life  is  a  dream  in  one  sense  and  quite  a 
challenge  in  another. 

Youth  groups  are  active  in  physical  proj- 
ects all  across  the  country.  Churches  are 
bombarded  with  the  washing  of  cars  and 
the  selling  of  napkins,  placemats,  candy, 
books,  book  markers,  spatulas.  We  buy 
our  kids  at  "slave  auctions"  and  are  drawn 
in  on  other  schemes  to  raise  money.  If 
there  is  a  physical  goal,  such  as  a  trip,  help 
for  a  needy  family,  or  a  purchase  for  the 
church,  youth  groups  usually  work  hard  to 
achieve  it. 

We  see  our  kids  meeting  at  the  church 
frequently  to  fellowship  through  various 
kinds  of  recreation,  from  volleyball  to  table 
tennis.  We  look  at  their  play  and  comment, 
"See  how  close  these  kids  are?  They  work 
so  well  and  so  hard  together.  They  have  so 
much  fun  playing  together.  We  really  have 
a  close-knit  youth  group." 

True,  you  do,  at  least  by  appearance. 
But  when  was  the  last  time  you  were  able 
to  sit  in  on  their  spiritual  encounters'?  You 
would  be  surprised,  no  matter  what  you 
found.  Something  very  profound  about 
many  youth  groups  today  is  that  there  are 
not  many  "middle-of-the-roaders."  You 
discover  that  they  are  either  dynamically 
"turned  on,"  spiritually,  or  are  totally 
"turned  off."  Just  because  there's  a  lot  of 
action  doesn't  necessarily  reflect  the 
ministry  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  I've  seen  young 
people's  groups  whose  idea  of  devotions  is 
reading  from  Upper  Room.  Then  there  are 
those  groups  whose  planning  sessions  are 
tremendous  moments  of  worship  together. 

One  mountain  Chris  Holmen  did  not 
have  to  climb  when  he  became  youth  direc- 
tor of  the  Fresno,  Calif.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  was  a  biblical  and  spiritual 
openness  within  the  group.  Prior  to  Chris' 
becoming  director,  the  group  was  well 
founded  in  Bible  study  and  open  to  sharing 
joys  and  concerns  among  themselves.  They 
practice  Brethren  unity;  when  one  hurts,  all 
hurt.  When  another  has  a  happy  ex- 
perience, they  share  in  and  become  a  part 
of  that  joy.  They  are  free  among 
themselves  to  worship  God  in  some  of  the 
most  creative  ways.  They  have  little 
problem  confessing  their  weakness  to  one 
another  knowing  that  compassion  and  love 
await  them  in  return.  But  what  do  you  do 
with  all  that  inspiration? 

It's  one  thing  to  gather  to  study,  share. 


become  inspired,  and  feel  the  same  feeling 
as  others.  But  surely  there  must  be  a 
follow-through.  If  feeling  good  is  the  final 
aim  of  our  gathering  we  grossly  neglect  an 
opportunity  for  future  growth. 

I  recall  attending  a  Bible  study  and  as 
the  youth  were  wrapping  up  a  detailed 
study  of  Revelation,  using  as  their 
references.  Hal  Lindsay  and  Vernard  Eller, 
Chris  commented  that  he  hoped  that  all 
students  would  now  consider  what  they  in- 
tend to  do  with  the  knowledge  they  gained 
as  a  result  of  their  study.  Were  they  going 
to  keep  it  in  their  "storehouse"  or  were 
they  going  to  share  it  as  a  witness?  See 
Luke  12:13-21. 

There  has  been  fruit  produced  as  a  result 
of  the  challenge  that  the  Lord  laid  upon 
Chris'  heart.  The  youths'  witness  extends  to 
their  friends  at  school;  this  is  evident  as  the 
kids  share  their  love,  sitting  in  fellowship 
circles  on  their  school  lawn  with  non- 
Christians.  Often  the  youth  will  invite 
Chris  to  school  to  support  them  in 
their  efforts  of  sharing  the  gospel  and  we 
receive  reports  of  joy  of  young  people 
receiving  Christ. 

If  a  friend  has  a  special  problem  or  just 
needs  to  talk  and  the  youth  feel  they  can- 
not handle  it  alone  they  may  refer  their 
friends  to  Chris.  He  is  asked  to  make 
phone  calls  or  pay  personal  visits  frequent- 
ly. Consequently  the  Tuesday  evening  Bible 
study  has  grown  and  youth  are  attending 
from  other  congregations.  These  youth  are 
not  pressured  to  attend  the  Fresno  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  but  are  encouraged  to 
return  to  their  own  congregations  and 
share  their  inspiration  in  hopes  of  building 
the  spiritual  life  of  that  church. 

The  youth  have  realized  the  power  that 
is  available  from  the  Holy  Spirit  when  the 
laying  on  of  hands  is  practiced. 

There  is  power  in  personal  witnessing 
and  results  can  be  readily  seen.  It  isn't 
necessarily  how  well  the  youth  work  or 
play  together,  how  friendly  they  are  among 
themselves,  or  even  whether  they  cooperate 
with  other  churches  in  the  community  that 
reveals  a  group's  vitality.  A  good  measure 
is  the  extent  to  which  they  take  their 
witness  into  the  community. 

The  impact  may  seem  small  when  we 
consider  the  number  who  have  not  made  a 
personal  commitment  to  Jesus  Christ.  But, 
praise  the  Lord,  he  lives  and  works  today. 
—  Hal  Sonafrank 


October  1975  messenger  11 


BeacxMi  at  a  place  called  Tunker       In  their  spirit  of  lovii 


Sugar  Creek  church  is  125  years  old  this 
fall  and  it  sits  in  what  was  once  a  thriving 
colony  of  Dunkards.  That  colony  is 
remembered  in  the  name  of  the  village  that 
now  surrounds  the  church.  It  is  called 
Tunker,  Indiana. 

Through  the  years  of  economic  change. 
Sugar  Creek  parented  another  congrega- 
tion. Pleasant  View,  and  saw  its 
membership  dwindle  as  families  moved 
away.  When  Richard  Knarr  began  as 
pastor  in  September  1973,  twenty-two  peo- 
ple were  present  at  the  services  to  welcome 
him.  He  and  his  wife  Irene,  who  were 
residents  of  the  community  and 
schoolteachers  in  North  Manchester,  had 
served  the  church  as  pastor  for  seven  vears 
in  the  1950s. 

As  the  Knarrs  approached  their  second 
tenure  as  pastor,  they  offered  the  congrega- 
tion a  plan —to  start  with  the  children. 

The  Knarr's  daughter  had  traveled  with 
the  "Sound  of  Hope"  singers  and  was  eager 
to  help.  She  organized  a  children's  choir 
with  fourteen  community  children,  and 
developed  a  youth  group  for  12-  to  15- 
year-olds.  The  next  summer  the  church 
held  a  vacation  church  school.  A  strong 
evangelistic  message  was  the  theme  for  the 
congregation.  By  the  end  of  the  Knarrs' 
first  year,  fourteen  persons  were  baptized 
including  three  family  groups.  Attendance 
had  increased  to  an  average  of  fifty-one. 
"Things  begin  to  happen  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  comes  into  a  church  that  is  ready," 
reflects  Richard  Knarr. 

Skills  were  needed  to  equip  dedicated 
people  for  their  tasks,  so  four  members 
attended  a  12-week  course  in  evangelism  at 
the  Black  Hawk  Baptist  church  in  Fort 
Wayne.  At  present,  six  callers  are  regularly 
visiting  in  the  homes  of  new  community 
families  and  of  old  friends,  inviting  them  to 
Sugar  Creek.  Persons  who  seem  receptive 
to  the  call  are  given  literature  and  told 


about  the  biblical  promises  to  the  Chris- 
tian. 

Regular  altar  calls  are  issued  and 
traditional  Brethren  rites  performed.  In 
1974,  twenty-seven  members  were  added  to 
the  church,  and  by  mid  year  1975,  fifteen 
more  were  received.  Follow-up  visits  are 
made  in  the  homes  to  nurture  the  new 
members.  "We  use  Baptist  methods  with  a 
Brethren  message,"  Pastor  Knarr  puts  it. 

As  a  further  growth  experience,  everyone 
is  involved  in  the  church  program  in  one 
way  or  another.  "We  have  developed  a  full 
all-church  plan  of  activities  and  fellowship, 
the  most  recent  centering  on  a  Heritage 
Day  celebration  September  14,  marking 
the  congregation's  125th  anniversary. 

"We  also  have  completed  a  remodeling 
job  that  was  begun  some  years  ago, 
mounting  above  our  entrance  a  five-foot  il- 
luminated cross  that  is  lit  twenty-four 
hours  a  day.  It  has  come  to  be  a  real 
beacon  for  the  whole  countryside." 

A  number  of  old  churches  find  that  the 
community  round  about  has  changed  and 
they  struggle  to  keep  in  step.  Sugar  Creek 
is  one  that  reveals  that  when  a  congrega- 
tion demonstrates  that  it  loves  the  Lord, 
things  work  together  and  persons  are  won 
to  Christ.— L.T.P. 


Pine  Glen  is  a  rural  community  nestled  i 
the  hills  of  central  Pennsylvania.  Here 
God's  spirit  of  love  abounds  richly  throuj 
just  plain  down-to-earth,  God  fearin', 
person-respectin',  fun-lovin'  folk. 

Some  time  ago  Ethel  Youtzy,  a 
dedicated  member  of  this  congregation, 
suggested  we  unite  with  Annual  Con- 
ference Brethren  in  their  response  to  wor 
hunger  needs  by  purchasing  a  Brethren 
Service  Cup  and  placing  in  it  money  savi 
through  eating  economical  meals,  skippii 
meals,  fasting,  and  donating  loose  pocke 
change.  (Two  hundred  and  forty  dollars 
was  received  during  the  morning  worship 
July  13.)  Ninety-two  families  ordered  cup 
The  cups  arrived  and  on  June  22  during 
the  morning  worship  the  following  dedic 
tion  service  was  held  with  the  cups  dis- 
played on  the  Communion  table: 

Leader:  We  remember  the  words  of  th' 
Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said,  "It  is  more  bles 
ed  to  give  than  to  receive." 

Response:  May  these  Brethren  Service 
Cups  symbolize  our  desire  to  find  that 
blessedness  through  the  giving  of  ourselvt 

Leader:  Jesus  said,  "Give,  and  it  shall 
given  unto  you;  good  measure,  pressed 
down,  shaken  together,  and  running  ovei: 
will  be  put  into  your  lap.  For  the  measui 
you  give  will  be  the  measure  you  get  back 

Response:  May  these  Brethren  Service 
Cups  remind  us  of  the  many  ways  to  sha 
our  lives  and  resources,  that  blessings  mi 
be  ours. 

Leader:  God  so  loved  the  world  that  hi 
gave  his  only  son  to  live  and  die  for  our  | 
salvation.  He  calls  us  to  give  our  lives  to 
Him. 

Response:  May  these  cups  remind  us 
that  as  we  share  our  substance  with  the 
hungry,  and  naked,  and  sick,  and  lonely, 
we  indeed  are  sharing  in  that  love  of  Goi| 
who  so  loved  the  world. 

Leader:  Jesus  said,  "A  new  command- 
ment I  give  unto  you  that  you  love  one 
another."  He  calls  us  to  show  our  love 
through  the  role  of  servanthood. 

Response:  Let  these  Service  Cups  alwa 
be  used  as  a  reminder  of  that  greatest  ex 
pression  of  love  as  experienced  in  the  lift 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

At  this  point  a  member  of  each  familyl 
ordering  cups  came  to  the  front  of  the 
church  and  with  cups  in  hand  the  group 


12  MESSENGER  October  1975 


^ 


vice 


Going  to  bat  for  the  community 


ras  led  in  a  prayer  of  dedication  by  Pastor 
,ee  Weaver.  Not  so  much  a  dedication  of 
he  cups,  but  rather  a  dedication  of 
jurselves  in  the  use  of  the  cups. 
I  "That  you  love  one  another."  he  said, 
"his  has  been  the  way  of  life  for  the  Pine 
jlen  community  since  way-back-when. 
leveral  men  of  the  congregation  accom- 
nanied  a  boat  load  of  heifers  to  Europe 

fnany  years  ago  when  the  Heifer  Project 
as  new.  Since  then  eight  youth  have 
erved  in  BVS,  three  of  these  from  one 
Lnderson  family!  In  addition  one  young 
'Oman  served  in  a  nursing  exchange 
rogram  with  Yugoslavia,  another  with  a 
tesbyterian  Mission  in  Hong  Kong. 
Annually  this  congregation  receives  an 
ffering  for  Seeds,  One  Great  Hour  of 
haring,  Christmas  Dime  Stockings  and 
Vhite  Gift  for  missions.  Blanket  Sunday, 
nd  Walk-for-CROP.  Following  the  flood 
f  1972  Pine  Glen  folks  helped  in  the  clean- 
p  program,  going  as  far  away  as 
^illiamsport. 

More  recently  about  thirty  people  of  this 
ongregation  served  in  a  meat  canning 
roject  sponsored  by  the  Mennonites.  Us- 
ig  the  donated  facilities  of  a  local  meat 
recessing  plant,  101  beef  cattle  were 
onated.  Slaughtered,  processed,  and 
inned,  ready  for  shipment  to  Honduras 
nd  other  places  of  human  need. 
These  people  have  a  common  bondage 
)  each  other's  needs  also.  Several  serve  as 
olunteer  ambulance  drivers  and  attend- 
nts,  putting  in  many  hours  of  training 
nd  work  in  this  service.  It  is  not  unusual 
)  see  a  group  of  these  people  replacing  a 
orm  damaged  roof  and  chimney  for  an 
ling  neighbor;  clearing  debris  after  a  fire; 
iking  baskets  of  groceries  to  the  un- 
uployed  and  widowed;  serving  meals  to 
le  bereaved  or  just  being  there  when 
eeded. 

This  is  not  being  written  in  the  belief 
lat  Pine  Glen  folk  are  unique  in  their 
jirit  of  loving  service.  We  are  sure  this 
orld  is  well  dotted  with  other  com- 
lunities  of  people  who  serve  God  and 
umankind  just  as  effectively.  But,  we  can 
nly  write  of  that  which  we  know,  so  that 
3u  may  know  us  a  little  better. — Sara 

ERR 


What  happens  in  a  church  that  reviews  its 
community  participation  with  the  cgncerns 
for  children  and  equal  rights  in  mind?  They 
start  a  girls  softball  league! 

Dayton,  Ohio's  Emmanuel  church 
started  such  a  project  in  1967  with  seventy- 
five  girls  from  the  fourth  to  seventh  grades. 
It  now  has  205  girls  in  twelve  teams.  They 
form  the  Emmanuel  Church  Softball 
League,  which  has  heightened  the  com- 
munity's awareness  of  the  church  in  a 
number  of  ways.  The  church  continues  the 
league  because  it  answers  a  human  need  — 
helping  individuals  find  themselves. 

"It's  a  real  pleasure  to  enroll  a  small  girl 
who  is  uncoordinated  and  see  her  work 
with  dedicated  Christian  women  who  can 
help  her  to  a  new  respect  of  herself  as  a 
person  and  member  of  a  team.  She  wears 
her  sweatshirt  and  cap  with  a  special  air. 

"Not  only  are  the  children  showing 
enthusiasm  for  the  program,  but  we  have 
had  a  particular  response  from  the  fathers 
of  daughters  for  whom  sports  oppor- 
tunities have  been  limited.  A  local  Op- 
timists   Club  recently  offered  support  to 
our  girls  league  when  its  members  were 


helped  by  one  of  our  fathers  to  see  their 
responsibility  to  both  girls'  and  boys' 
sports,"  comments  James  Tyler,  pastor. 

Many  mothers  as  well,  and  the  women 
who  serve  as  administrative  and  coaching 
staff,  have  expressed  particular  apprecia- 
tion for  the  program.  As  for  the  congrega- 
tion, the  members  love  it!  The  activity  of 
maintenance  crews,  coaches,  and  umpires 
on  the  ball  field  by  the  church  has  become 
an  exercise  in  mutuality  and  support. 
"Everyone  works  in  a  spirit  of  cooperation. 
At  games  we  allow  no  profanity  and  insist 
on  fair  play  among  spectators  as  well  as 
players."  Efforts  are  made  to  keep  the  com- 
petitive spirit  constructive. 

As  to  integration  of  boys  and  girls  into 
the  same  league  or  teams,  one  Emmanuel 
player  responded,  "Why  should  we  want  to 
get  into  a  boy's  league  when  we  have  such 
a  good  one  of  our  own?" 

Recently  the  girls  were  invited,  along 
with  some  boys'  leagues,  to  attend  a 
baseball  game  in  Cincinnati  as  guests  of  the 
Reds. 

Increased  attention  of  late  has  been 
focused  on  girls'  sports  as  an  activity 
holding  much  promise  for  equality  of  the 
sexes.  But  in  suburban  Huber  Heights, 
where  girls  big  and  little  have  worn  Em- 
manuel League  sweatshirts  for  eight  years, 
and  have  been  pitching  and  catching  and 
batting  and  scoring  as  well,  feminine  in- 
volvement in  sports  is  no  new  thing. 

And  the  150-member  Emmanuel  church 
intends  to  go  on  supporting  individuals  in 
their  search  for  personal  growth,  wherever 
they  are.  —  L.T.P. 


October  1975  messenger  13 


Inklings  on  the  airwaves 


One  corner  of  the  Ridgeway  Community 
Church  is  taking  on  the  look  of  a  broad- 
casting studio.  Transcription  reels  are 
stacking  up,  each  reel  filled  with  the  special 
Brethren  brand  of  radio  fare  presently  be- 
ing beamed  to  the  Harrisburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, community  every  Saturday  night. 

The  church  took  on  this  radio  ministry 
as  a  community  service  and  as  a  way  to  in- 
volve the  members  in  a  creative  witness  ex- 
perience. A  local  Presbyterian  church 
owned  an  FM  radio  station  that  carried 
traditional  radio  programming.  When 
Ridgeway  approached  them  in  April,  1974, 
the  Presbyterians  welcomed  the  Brethren 
participation,  but  proposed  a  more  open 
program.  The  Ridgeway  Witness  Com- 
mission submitted  the  present  format. 

"God  speaks  to  us  in  subtle  ways  and 
guides  us  by  nudges.  We  proposed  to  call 
our  program  'Inklings'  of  faith,"  reports 
Kenneth  Gibble,  pastor.  "The  people  at 
WMSP/FM  were  affirmative  and  we've 
been  following  the  same  design  ever  since. 
We  attempt  to  create  programs  of  religious 
music,  readings  from  secular  literature  and 
the  Bible,  and  commentary  on  different 
themes,  using  a  Brethren  treatment.  In 
August  we  transcribed  three  half-hour 
programs  on  simple  living.  One  of  the  best 
we've  done  was  an  anti-war  program  com- 
bining dramatic  reading  and  folk  music. 

"The  programs  are  personal,  in- 
spirational rather  than  issue-oriented,  and 
emphasize  Christian  beliefs  as  we  see  them. 
They  celebrate  life  and  God's  love.  The 
name  of  the  church  and  its  location  is 
always  clearly  stated  but  there  is  no  hard 
sell  for  church  attendance.  New  people 
have  come  to  the  church  because  of  the 
program." 

Planning  the  programs,  collecting 
resources,  writing,  and  doing  weekly 
tapings  has  involved  the  time  and  interest 
of  a  number  of  Ridgeway  members.  Ann 

14  MESSENGER  October  1975 


Earhart  Gibble  serves  as  program  coor- 
dinator. All  programming  is  volunteer. 
Members  of  the  church  loan  records,  sub- 
mit favorite  readings  and  meditations,  and 
serve  as  performers.  At  occasional 
workshops,  interested  persons  bring 
program  ideas  and  familiarize  themselves 
with  the  mechanics  of  radio  broadcasting. 
Some  of  the  leaders  in  Inkling's  develop- 
ment have  been  Bob  Smith,  Jim  Whilley, 
Evelyn  Frantz,  and  Ann  and  Kenneth 
Gibble. 

Tapes  of  the  programs  are  kept  and 
reused  occasionally.  Sometimes  portions 
are  incorporated  into  a  Sunday  worship 
service.  Several  times  when  the  church 
choir  has  sung,  the  program  has  been  taped 
for  broadcasting. 

"We  insist  on  good  quality.  We  view  our 
programs  as  evangelism,  a  way  we  can 
reach  out  to  persons  in  their  homes,  and 
we  must  give  them  our  best.  To  broadcast 
less  would  turn  them  off,  and  they'd  do  the 
same  to  us,"  says  Pastor  Gibble. 

The  programs  are  creating  a  broader  in- 
terest in  the  Brethren  brand  of  radio 
ministry.  The  district  communication  task 
team  has  been  considering  whether  such  a 
ministry  can  be  extended  to  other  parts  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  Inklings  tapes  are  being 
offered  by  the  Ridgeway  church  on  loan  to 
anyone  who  is  interested  in  investigating 
similar  radio  ministries. 

And  'Inklings'  of  faith  quietly  continues 
to  carry  on  its  unique  Brethren  ministry, 
bringing  thought-provoking  commentary 
and  music  to  Harrisburg,  Pa. — L.T.P. 


A  sens 


A  group  of  members  of  the  Church  of  th 
Brethren,  scattered  over  a  fairly  broad 
geographic  area,  felt  the  need  for  a 
Brethren  church  to  which  to  relate.  They 
are  now  an  established  congregation  of  fc 
ty  members. 

Last  year  one  of  the  districts  set  as  on- 
of  several  five-year  goals  the  establishme 
of  a  new  congregation.  A  feasibility  stud 
has  been  made  and  the  way  is  now  beinj 
prepared  for  getting  that  new  church 
started. 


^Jome  Brethren  living  in  an  area  where 
number  of  new  communities  are  being 
developed  asked  their  district  board  to  e 
plore  beginning  a  new  Church  of  the 
Brethren  congregation.  The  district  has 
called  a  pastor  to  work  with  an  already 
forming  group  of  persons  from  many 
denominational  backgrounds. 

These  are  three  current  illustrations  of 
church  extension  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Each  has  its  own  uniqueness  ai 
model  for  ministry. 

The  first  congregation  is  in  northern 
Colorado.  In  fact,  its  official  name  is  the, 
Northern  Colorado  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Its  nearest  neighboring  Churcl, 
of  the  Brethren  is  sixty  miles  distant. 
Prince  of  Peace  church  in  Denver.  This 
new  church  was  organized  in  1972  with 
twenty  charter  members.  It  has  doubled 
membership  in  three  years.  The  group  h 
gone  through  several  phases  of  develop- 
ment, originally  meeting  jointly  with  a  D 
ciples  of  Christ  congregation.  A  church 
building  is  in  process  of  being  completec 
constructed  largely  with  the  use  of 
volunteer  labor. 

The  members  of  this  congregation  live 
principally  in  or  near  four  Colorado  citi 
Ft.  Collins,  Loveland,  Greeley,  and  Win 
sor.  The  church  building  is  just  outside  < 


by  Hubert  R.  Newcomer 


r  mission  and  ministry 


Windsor,  which  is  centrally  located  among 
the  other  three  cities.  They  see  themselves 
as  being  a  "regional"  church;  that  is,  a  con- 
gregation ministering  to  Brethren  living  in 
the  larger  area,  as  well  as  a  church  to 
minister  in  its  immediate  community. 

Among  its  "present  and  future  program 
goals"  the  Northern  Colorado  church  in- 
cludes a  very  intentional  model  of  ministry 
for  the  congregation.  From  the  very  outset 
the  congregation  determined  not  to  have  a 
"paid  pastor,"  but  one  whose  role  "would 
be  equal  to  the  rest  and  that  all  of  us 
should  feel  the  same  dedication  and 
responsibility  as  the  pastor." 


Iresently  there  are  two  ordained 
ministers  in  the  group.  TTiey  serve  at 
strategic  places  in  the  church's  organization 
to  make  the  most  of  their  training  and  ex- 
I  perience.  "We  feel  that  this  model  for  a 
I  'shared  ministry'  has  many  exciting 
possibihties,  but  it  is  most  exciting  to  us 
I  because  it  works!  . .  .  We  feel  our  trained 
I  pastors  must  maintain  a  rather  low  profile. 
'  If  they  come  on  too  strong,  it  would  be 
very  easy  to  fall  back  to  a  more  comfor- 
table position  of  'let  the  pastor  do  it.'" 

That  is  the  Northern  Colorado  Church 
of  the  Brethren! 

In  1975  the  District  Conference  of 
Northern  Ohio  approved  as  one  of  a 
number  of  five-year  goals  the  starting  of  a 
new  congregation  in  1975.  It  was  a  "deci- 
sion to  investigate  and  decide  on  the  place- 
ment of  a  new,church  with  the  cooperation 
of  an  existing  nearby  partnership  congrega- 
tion. Our  purpose  here  is  to  try  to  find 
areas  of  growth  near  existing  churches  and 
get  help  from  these  churches  or  this  church 
to  begin  the  new  congregation." 

In  pursuing  the  development,  the  Dis- 
trict Church  Extension  Commission  has 
reviewed  the  goal  and  studied  means  of 


enlisting  partnership  support  from  existing 
congregations.  Letters  have  been  mailed  to 
churches  and  area  meetings  have  been  held 
to  enlist  and  evaluate  interest  in  the 
developing  project.  Advice  was  sought 
from  the  director  of  the  Northeastern  Ohio 
Regional  Church  Planning  Office. 

With  input  from  these  various  sources, 
the  commission  selected  the  Akron-Canton 
area  for  further  evaluation.  A  person 
professionally  experienced  in  community 
survey  was  employed  to  do  a  feasibility 
study.  The  study  recommended  the  selec- 
tion of  Jackson  Township  in  Stark  County 
as  having  potential  for  church  develop- 
ment. This  recommendation,  with  the  un- 
animous support  of  the  commission,  was 
passed  to  the  District  Board  and  adopted. 


A^nd  that  is  how  the  Northern  Ohio  Dis- 
trict is  dealing  with  its  goal  to  start  a  new 
church.  Projected  planning  calls  for  a 
pastor  to  be  on  the  job  in  that  situation  by 
September  1,  1976. 

The  District  of  Florida-Puerto  Rico  has 
only  fourteen  congregations.  The  fifteenth 
is  being  born.  On  January  1,  1976  a  pastor 
will  assume  responsibility  for  leadership 
with  this  new  group. 

In  1974  a  Brethren  family  living  in 
Naples  wrote  to  a  member  of  the  district 
board  to  raise  the  question  about  starting  a 
new  church  in  that  general  area.  Contacts 
were  made,  area  meetings  of  interested 
Brethren  were  held,  and  the  district  Com- 
mission on  Ministry  gave  direction  to  the 
growing  interest.  Last  October  at  a  retreat 
of  the  District  Board  momentum  picked  up 
with  the  decision  to  have  a  feasibility  study 
made  of  communities  in  southwest  Florida. 
Plans  moved  deliberately  but  with  dis- 
patch. Such  a  study  was  made  in  January 
1975  and  in  March  the  District  Board  ap- 
proved a  recommendation  that  a  new 


church  be  started  in  Cape  Coral,  a  new 
community  development  near  Fort  Myers. 
At  the  same  meeting  the  District  Board  es- 
tablished a  Venture  Fund  "to  provide 
resources  for  new  programs,  special  needs 
and  projects." 

Excitement  is  running  high  in  the 
Florida-Puerto  Rico  District  as  the  Cape 
Coral  Church  of  the  Brethren  takes  on 
identity.  The  style  of  ministry  envisioned  is 
one  of  openness  to  new  approaches  to 
learning,  new  expressions  of  worship,  a 
new  awareness  of  relationships,  all  set  in 
the  context  of  a  New  Testament  faith.  The 
life  of  this  new  congregation  will  come 
from  the  life  of  the  community  where  it 
ministers.  Already,  three  months  before  a 
pastor  is  to  arrive,  there  is  a  group  of  in- 
terested persons  from  many  faith 
backgrounds  meeting  and  looking  forward 
to  being  a  part  of  the  new  congregation  to 
be  born.  In  one  sense  the  new  church  will 
start  January  1,  1976.  In  another  real  sense 
it  has  already  started.  "Where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  in  my  name. ..." 


It  may  be  that  new  church  development  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  turning 
around  after  a  decade  of  near  dormancy.  If 
it  is,  let  us  be  sure  that  the  new  interest  is 
generated  out  of  a  sense  of  mission  and 
ministry,  and  not  just  to  add  another  con- 
gregation to  the  list  in  the  denominational 
directory. 

Let  us  be  sure,  too,  as  new  churches  are 
conceived,  that  they  are  brought  to  birth  as 
expressions  of  the  body  of  Christ  where 
persons  love  and  are  loved,  receive  and  are 
received,  accept  and  are  accepted.    □ 


October  1975  messenger  15 


Sermon  from  a  cbUrn 


Jeremiah  2:13 

"for  my  people  have  committed  two  evils: 

they  have  forsaken  me, 
the  fountain  of  living  waters, 

and  hewed  out  cisterns  for  themselves, 
broken  cisterns, 

that  can  hold  no  water. 

John  4:14 

"■but  whoever  drinks  of  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  will  never  thirst;  the  water  that  1  shall 
give  him  will  become  in  him  a  spring  of  water 
welling  up  to  eternal  life. 

Psalm  36:9 

'For  with  thee  is  the  fountain  of  life; 
in  thy  light  do  we  see  light. 


H. 


Lave  you  ever  heard  a  sermon  from  a 
cistern?  That  question  posed  by  Bob  Mum- 
ford  captured  my  imagination.  What  was 
he  getting  at?  What  had  that  to  do  with  be- 
ing a  Christian? 

I  could  recall  a  number  of  references  to 
springs,  fountains,  wells,  and  streams  in  the 
Bible.  But  cisterns? 

Jeremiah  puts  it  together  this  way  as 
God  laments,  "For  my  people  have  com- 
mitted two  evils;  they  have  forsaken  me, 
the  fountain  of  living  waters,  and  hewed 
out  cisterns  for  themselves,  broken  cisterns, 
that  can  hold  no  water." 


/~\.  cistern,  as  I  remembered  from  living 
on  a  farm,  was  not  something  I  would 
want  to  represent  my  life.  It  was  a 
"shallow"  hole  in  the  ground  walled  up 
with  cement.  Its  primary  purpose  was  to 
catch  and  "hold"  the  runoff  rain  water. 
Because  the  top  that  covered  the  cistern 
was  not  permanently  secured,  there  was  an 
element  of  danger,  and  my  parents  kept 
reminding  me,  "Stay  away  from  the 
cistern!  It's  not  safe."  They  also  cautioned 
me,  "Never  drink  that  water!"  Who  would 
want  to?  It  smelled  stagnant,  looked  dirty, 
and  felt  lukewarm.  And  what's  more  it  was 


hard  to  get  at.  The  pump  had  to  be  primed 
and  generally,  it  was  quite  stubborn  about 
giving  up  any  of  its  water.  As  I  think  back, 
I  wonder  why  we  even  had  a  cistern  since 
we  rarely  ever  used  it.  But  it  was  there — in 
case  of  an  emergency. 

As  I  considered  this  there  seemed  to  be 
an  inner  voice  saying,  "A  Christian  can  be 
like  a  cistern — a  kind  of  'holding  tank'  for 
religious  beliefs  and  thoughts." 


Le 


>et's  draw  an  analogy  between  a  cistern 
and  our  hearts,  and  between  cistern  water 
and  our  faith.  Ask  yourself  these  questions: 
Is  my  heart  a  kind  of  "dumping"  place  that 
catches  the  external  religious  runoff?  Is  it 
walled  up  against  internal  resources — the 
working  of  the  Spirit?  Is  my  faith  stagnant, 
polluted,  lukewarm?  Has  my  faith  been 
held  in  storage,  inactive  so  long  that  it  is 
difficult  to  get  at?  Like  a  cistern,  is  what  I 
offer  so  repulsive  that  others  turn  to  me 
only  in  case  of  emergency? 

The  cisterns  Jeremiah  refers  to  were 
broken,  not  even  capable  of  "holding" 
what  went  into  them.  Are  we  so  impaired 
by  outside  influences  that  we  are  incapable 
of  even  a  stagnant  faith? 

No,  that's  not  for  me!  What  alternative 
might  there  be? 

My  thoughts  turned  to  the  encounter 
between  Jesus  and  the  woman  at  the  well. 
"...  Whoever  drinks  of  the  water  that  I 
give  him  will  never  thirst;  the  water  that  I 
shall  give  him  will  become  in  him  a  spring 
of  water  welling  up  to  eternal  life." 

Drawing  from  my  childhood  experience 
again,  I  remembered  another  source  of 
water,  the  well  in  the  corner  of  the  yard 
near  our  house.  It  was  a  "deep"  hole  in  the 
ground,  lined  with  rocks  so  water  could 
filter  in.  The  source  of  water  was 
internal — bubbling,  flowing  springs  that 
were  continually  renewing  and  freshening 
the  supply  that  was  already  there.  This 


water  smelled  fresh,  looked  sparkling,  felt 
cool.  The  pump  required  firm  action,  but 
the  water  was  readily  available.  It  was  not 
only  "safe"  for  drinking,  but  also  providec 
the  essential  elements  needed  for  quenchin; 
thirst.  My  father  declared,  "Don't  be  afraic 
to  drink  this  water.  It  is  good." 

Let's  draw  an  analogy  between  a  well 
and  our  hearts,  and  between  well  water  am 
our  faith.  Ask  yourself  these  questions:  Is 
my  heart  open  to  receiving  fresh  new  truth 
that  have  been  filtered /tested  by  the  Spirit 
Is  my  faith  energetic,  radiant,  refreshing?  I; 
there  a  creative  force  continually  renewing 
my  faith?  Is  my  faith  readily  available,  am 
does  it  supply  my  spiritual  thirst? 


Oometimes  my  father  would  hook  up  a 
gasoline-powered  pump  to  the  well  and 
pump  it  all  day  and  all  night.  That  always 
was  a  bit  frightening  to  me  because  if  thai 
well  were  pumped  dry,  then  I'd  have  to 
carry  water  from  the  well  at  the  bam.  My 
father  reassured  me,  "The  more  water  we 
use  from  the  well  the  greater  and  better  th* 
supply  will  become."  In  fact,  when  we 
moved  to  that  farm  the  house  well  had 
been  dry  for  a  number  of  years.  But  after 
thorough  cleaning  the  water  began  to  seep 
in,  and  by  digging  deeper  we  found  anothe 
spring — even  stronger.  TTirough  regular 
and  generous  use  that  well  became  a 
dependable,  abundant  source  of  refresh- 
ing, life-giving  water. 

God,  our  Creator,  gives  us  that  same 
reassurance  today.  He  is  our  inexhaustible 
source  of  faith — the  water  of  life  that 
springs  up  from  within  us.  No  matter  how 
small  it  may  be,  the  more  we  use  the  faith 
that  he  gives  us,  the  more  faith  he  will  con 
tinue  giving  us.  Otherwise,  we  risk  a 
spiritual  drying  up.  Sometimes  we  need  to 
thoroughly  clean  the  recesses  of  our  heart; 
to  allow  faith  to  seep  in.  Other  times  we 
need  to  dig  deeper — to  be  opened  to  new 


~^Q[  Q  contrast  bctwcc 


16  MESSENGER  October  1975 


"Jeremiah, "  bv  William  L.  Harris 


jrings  of  faith.  Unlike  cistern  water,  faith 
sually  does  not  come  to  us  deluge  by 
sluge.  Rather,  it  comes  in  a  slow,  con- 
nual,  flowing  process. 
The  inner  voice  was  speaking  again, 
rhis  is  what  God  wants  for  you.  Your 
lith  can  become  as  the  water  of  a  well,  be- 
ig  constantly  renewed  by  the  inexhausti- 
le  inner  Source." 

What  a  contrast  between  a  cistern  and  a 
ell!  Each  is  a  hole  in  the  ground,  but  the 
urpose  of  each  is  so  different.  Each 
iceives  water  but  the  source  and  the 
lethod  by  which  it  is  received  is  complete- 
different.  And  there  is  no  comparison 
stween  the  water  each  has  to  offer.  About 
le  only  similarity  is  that  the  water  from 
ich  is  wet. 

Likewise,  each  of  us  has  a  faith — 
leaning,  that  by  which  we  live.  However, 
le  purpose  for  exercising  our  faith  may 
iry.  The  source  of  our  faith  may  differ, 
nd  the  process  by  which  we  grow  in 
ith  may  be  vastly  different.  About  the 
nly  similiarity  is  that  we  call  ourselves 
hristian. 


-n  the  Old  Testament  the  cistern  was  a 
[fmbol  of  alienation — brokenness  — 
;paration  from  God.  The  well  signified  a 
ilgrimage  in  a  new  land,  ownership  of  a 
jrtain  area,  a  place  where  relationships 
'ere  established  or  renewed.  The  well  im- 
lied  God's  blessing  and  was  a  coveted  in- 
eritance. 

All  the  connotations  of  the  well  in  the 
(Id  Testament  are  brought  together  in 
le  New  Testament  in  the  life  of  Christ — 
le  "living"  water — the  Source  of  life 
icarnate. 

The  choice  is  ours.  Will  our  faith  witness 
le  characteristics  of  a  cistern  or  a  deep 
'ell?  Let  us,  with  tiie  Psalmist,  affirm. 
With  thee,  O  God,  is  the  fountain 
flife."   D 


I  Cistern  and  a  wdl/bu  ^milu  Mumma 


October  1975  messenger  17 


[rss(0)[La[r©s^ 


EVANGELISM 
AIDS,  EVENTS 


Helps  in  evangelism  come  in  many  forms: 
study  courses,  books,  conference  ex- 
periences, or  information  and  ideas  on 
faith-building  and  faith-sharing.  The 
greatest  help  comes  when  individuals  are 
excited  about  their  relationship  to  Christ 
and  the  church.  These  resources  could  help 
that  happen.  Why  not  arrange  for  a  group 
to  use  a  study  course  for  13  weeks? 

New  Evangelism  Study 

This  13-week  study  course  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  comprises  a  packet  of  nine 
materials,  including  a  study  guide.  En- 
abling the  Witnesses,  by  Rick  Gardner, 
editor  for  biblical  resources,  and  a  tape  of 
excerpts  from  the  1974  Congress  on 
Evangelism.  Any  congregation  or  group 
eager  to  grow  in  evangelism  will  find  this 
resource  instructive  and  inspiring. 

The  three-month  experience  is  designed 

— to  affirm  the  basic  theological  and 
biblical  evangelism  doctrines. 

— to  assist  individuals  in  relating  to  each 
other  in  the  search  for  new  understandings 
of  salvation  and  faith-living. 

— to  guide  groups  in  evaluating  the 
evangelism  style  and  spirit  of  the  congrega- 
tion. 

— to  encourage  and  inspire  study  groups 
to  take  steps  in  expanding  the  evangelism 
program  of  the  local  congregation. 

Also  included  are  the  Brethren  Press 
paperback.  Call  the  Witnesses,  edited  by 
Paul  M.  Robinson;  Workshop  Reports 
from  the  Congress  on  Evangelism;  Sharing 
Good  News,  a  guide  on  evangelization 
through  relationships,  and  a  copy  of  Alive 
Now!,  an  Upper  Room  publication. 

The  Teacher  Packet  of  nine  items  is 
$5.95  plus  $1.15  postage  and  handling.  Stu- 
dent Packets  of  six  items  are  each  $2.95 
plus  $.80  p  &  h.  From  Brethren  Press,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 


The  Edge  of  Adventure 

Another  13-week  study  course.  The  Edge 
of  Adventure,  by  Keith  Miller  and  Bruce 
Larson,  consists  of  three  tapes  and  several 
booklets.  The  material  shares  informal 
leadership  of  the  two  authors  as  they  can- 
didly share  their  faith  pilgrimages  and  in- 
vite you  and  your  group  on  a  faith  journey 
as  well. 

TTie  kit  includes  The  Edge  of  Adventure, 
a  paperback;  three  60-minute  study  tapes;  a 
Leader's  Guide;  and  a  Participant's 
Response  Manual. 

The  complete  Leader's  Kit  is  $24.95  plus 
p  &  h;  the  Reading  Book  is  $3.95  plus  p  & 
h;  and  the  Participant's  Response  Manual 
is  $1.95  plus  p  &  h.  Available  from 
Brethren  Press,  1451  Dundee  Avenue, 
Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 

Speaking  in  Tongues 

Suddenly,  it  seems,  the  charismatic  move- 
ment has  expanded  in  size  and  power, 
touching  and  affecting  most  Protestant 
denominations  as  vv'ell  as  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  Speaking  in  Tongues:  An 
Urgent  Issue  for  the  Church,  by  Matthew 


ENABLING 

THE 
WITNESSES 


M.  Meyer,  deals  with  the  most  controver- 
sial aspect  of  the  movement,  glossalalia. 
The  experience  is  received  with  mixed  and 
divergent  reactions,  often  resulting  in  a 
polarized  congregation. 

The  destruction  comes  from  attitudes  on 
either  or  both  sides.  Polarization  need  not 
occur.  Division  and  destruction  of 


relationships  need  not  result.  But  local  con- 
gregations do  need  to  face  the  concern. 

This  new  Brethren  Press  book  is  de- 
signed to  assist  individuals  and  con- 
gregations to  understand  the  phenomenon 
better,  and  work  for  an  acceptable  solu- 
tion. 

Available  from  Brethren  Press,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue.  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 

Fifth  Assembly  Studies 

Material  produced  explicitly  for  par- 
ticipants in  the  Fifth  Assembly  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches,  Nov.  23  — 
Dec.  10,  Nairobi,  Kenya,  is  also  excellent 
for  congregational  study  groups. 

The  study  booklet,  Jesus  Christ  Frees 
and  Unites,  based  on  the  assembly  theme, 
is  $1.50.  Among  the  issues  dealt  with  are 
Jesus  Christ  — Liberator:  But  What  Kind 
of  Liberator?;  Liberation — in  Living 
Memory;  Living  Free;  Real  Life  Communi- 
ty. The  Bible  studies  draw  from  Mark  9, 
Lamentations  5,  Isaiah  40,  Deuteronomy  6, 
Romans  8,  and  John  2,  8,  and  15. 

Six  sectional  reports  treating  major 
topics  before  the  assembly,  delve  into  the 
following  themes: 

Confessing  Christ  Today;  What  Unity 
Requires;  Seeking  Community — the  Com- 
mon Search  of  People  of  Various  Faiths, 
Cultures,  and  Ideologies;  Education  for 
Liberation  and  Community;  Structures  of 
Injustice  and  Struggles  for  Liberation; 
Human  Development — the  Ambiguities  of 
Power,  Technology  and  Quality  of  Life. 
The  sectional  booklets  are  $1.30  each,  or 
$6  for  the  complete  set  of  6. 

Another  useful  resource  is  The 
Ecumenical  Review,  July  1974,  which  con- 
tains the  first  set  of  contributions  by  well- 
known  church  leaders  on  the  theme  of  the 
Assembly.  $2.80  per  copy.  Of  particular  in- 
terest to  many  will  be  the  worship  guide  for 
the  Fifth  Assembly,  published  as  a  special 
issue  of  Risk,  the  WCC  magazine  about 
renewal  in  the  churches.  Risk,  Vol.  1 1,  No. 
2-3,  1975,  A  Worship  Book,  $1.50.  Yearly 
subscription,  4  issues,  $3.50.  These  items 
are  available  from  the  World  Council  of 
Churches,  475  Riverside  Drive,  Room  439, 
New  York,  New  York  10027. 

Brotherhoodwide  Events 

In  the  wake  of  200  or  more  Lay  Witness 
Mission  weekend  events  in  congregations, 
the  evangelism  program  for  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  includes  four  significant 


18  MESSENGER  October  1975 


developments  for  1976-77.  The  Evangelism 
Team,  including  the  24  District  Evangelism 
Counselors,  have  begun  plans  for  these 
items,  which  were  approved  by  the  General 
Board  in  its  June  1975  meeting. 

1976 — Districi  Evangelism  Seminars  for 
Pastors.  To  assist  and  inspire  pastors  in 
their  evangelism  tasks,  each  district 
(Witness  Commission  with  Evangelism 
Counselor)  is  encouraged  to  plan  for  a 
two-day  Evangelism  Seminar  for  pastors. 

1977 — Five  Area  Evangelism  Con- 
ferences. Instead  of  another  national 
"Congress  on  Evangelism"  five  area  events 
are  being  planned  for  Church  of  the 
Brethren  people  across  the  states.  General- 
ly they  will  occur  in  these  areas:  West 
Coast,  Plains,  North  Central,  Northeast, 
and  Southeast. 

1976-1977 — Mission  to  Congrega- 
tions. This  is  a  plan  whereby  congrega- 
tions with  strong  pastoral  leadership  are 
challenged  to  give  assistance  to  smaller 
congregations  or  to  congregations  with 
special  needs.  Larger  fellowships  are 
challenged  to  make  pastors  available  for 
such  ministries,  and  smaller  churches 
are  encouraged  to  request  such  help. 
Financial  assistance  for  this  program  is 
available. 

For  more  information  on  the  above 
write  The  Evangelism  Team,  Parish 
Ministries  Commission,  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  1451  Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  Il- 
linois 60120. 

Another  national  Church  of  the  Brethren 
event,  which  is  bound  to  create  con- 
siderable excitement  is  a  conference  on  the 
Holy  Spirit,  June  10-11-12,  1976  at 
Valparaiso,  Ind.  Sponsored  by  a  group  of 
"charismatic  Brethren,"  the  event  will 
center  on  issues  of  faith  related  to  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Although  this  conference  is  not  of- 


ficially a  part  of  the  General  Board 
program,  the  Evangelism  Team  is  main- 
taining a  spirit  of  communication  and 
mutual  respect  with  the  organizers  of  the 
conference.  For  more  information  write  R. 
Eugene  Miller,  Route  1,  Box  255-B,  Dun- 
cansville.  Pa.  16635 

District  Activities 

According  to  the  evangelism  counselors, 
many  of  the  Districts  are  increasing 
evangelism  emphasis  in  camps,  encourag- 
ing local  congregations  to  hold  preaching 
missions,  promoting  Lay  Witness  Mission 
events,  advocating  evangelism  study 
courses  for  local  church  groups,  organizing 
a  District  Evangelism  Task  Team  and  a 
local  congregation  Evangelism  Coor- 
dinator, and  planning  for  Evangelism 
Seminars  for  Pastors  in  1976  and  Regional 
Evangelism  Conferences  in  1977. 

An  impressive  series  of  events  has  been 
scheduled  by  Middle  Pennsylvania  for  the 


between  each  event  to  put  into  practice 
learnings  from  the  workshops.  The  con- 
cluding event  will  be  an  inspirational 
celebration  of  commitment  to  Christ  and 
relationship  to  one  another. 

West  Marva  envisions  three  district 
evangelism  workshops  on  successive  Sun- 
day afternoons  directly  focused  on  per- 
sonal visitation  and  soul-winning.  The  first 
session  will  be  a  rally  day  including  a 
speaker,  gospel  singing,  and  testimonies; 
the  second  and  third  session  will  be 
workshops  on  visitation  and  faith-sharing 
experiences. 

Southeastern  District  projects  a  goal  of 
1000  new  converts  to  Christ  through  efforts 
modeled  after  the  New  Testament 
Evangelist,  Peter,  in  Acts  2.  Preaching 
revivals  and  visitation  evangelism  will  be 
central  in  the  plan. 

Evangelism  is  successful,  not  so  much 
because  of  methods  or  tools,  but  rather 
because  oi  spirit — the  Spirit  alive  and  at 
work  in  the  lives  of  individuals  and  con- 


Spring  of  1976.  Three  weekends  of 
workshops  on  Evangelism  (March  26-27, 
April  23-24,  and  May  21-22)  will  culminate 
in  a  mass  rally  on  Pentecost  Sunday,  June 
6,  1976.  Congregations  are  called  to  par- 
ticipate in  all  four  events,  using  the  month 


gregations.  Motivation  is  more  urgent  than 
models.  A  contagious  excitement  will  find 
a  way  to  be  expressed.  A  religious  fervor 
will  declare  its  faith.  May  God  grant  us 
and  our  congregations  these  qualities. 
— Matthew  M.  Meyer 


October  1975  messenger  19 


Bertha  Haag:  Brethren  jingle  belle 


At  many  a  Brethren  gathering  there 
has  been 
(Unnoticed,  quietly  writing  all  the 
time) 
A  certain  lady  who,  with  gifted  pen. 
Finds  joy    in    putting   happenings 
into  rhyme. 

At  meeting's  end,  should  hoped-for 
chance  afford. 
She    reads    aloud    the    lines    she's 
written  down. 
Thus,  verily  like  a  camera  (polaroid). 
She  turns  out  instant  pictures  to 
share  'round. 

The  whole  thing  started  many  years 
ago. 
"I'm  eighty  now,"  she  readily  will 
say. 
Her  hair,  now  thistledown,  is  white 
as  snow. 
But  twinkling  eyes  a  youthful  zest 
betray. 

Ambition  once  had  called  her  toward 
the  stage; 
In  summertime  she  did  Chautau- 
qua stints. 
She   turned   to   teach,   and    married 
Byron  Haag; 
Her  "stage"  has  been  the  classroom 
ever  since. 


Planning  for  a  banquet  long  ago 
Began   her   poet's  fame,  I  was  to 
learn: 
Absorbed   in  writing  jingles  for  the 
show. 
She  let  an  angel  food  cake  slowly 
burn! 

On    through    the    years    her  jingles 
brought  folk  joy 
And  joy  returned  tenfold  to  bless 
her  too. 
We  find  ourselves  engaged  in  God's 
employ 
If  tired  hearts  lift  whenever  we  pass 
through. 

Her      mirthful      lines      are      surely 
blessed  above. 
(What    matter    if    the    rhyme    or 
meter's  vague?) 
She  writes  with  poet's  pen  full-dipped 
in  love. 
And  ends  each  poem;  "Sincerely, 
Bertha  Haag."— K.T. 


unm 


TH 


Mike  Brewer:  A  reasor 

For  Ray  and  Sandy  Brewer  of  the 
Waka,  Texas,  congregation,  the  crisp 
Texas  Panhandle  day — the  most 
terrifying  one  of  their  lives — began 
normally  enough.  Ray,  an  oilfield 
mechanic,  was  finishing  his  morning 
paper  work  at  the  company  office 
about  four  miles  from  his  home  when 
Sandy  called.  Frantically  she  told 
Ray  that  their  two-year-old  son, 
Mike,  had  fallen  through  the  ice  into 
a  deep  pond  near  their  home.  She 
had  not  been  able  to  rescue  him. 

Ray  quickly  drove  home,  threw  his 
jacket  down,  and  dived  into  the 
water.  He  surfaced  with  Mike's  body, 
finding  his  face  blue  and  his  lips 
rimmed  with  white.  The  boy  was  not 
breathing  after  being  in  the  icy  cold 
water  for  over  fifteen  minutes.  Ray 
began  giving  his  son  mouth-to-mouth 
resuscitation,  which  he  had  recently 
learned   at  a  company  safety  course 
After  several  minutes  with  no 
response,  the  father  was  about  to  give 
up.  Then  Mike's  face  twitched.  Ray 
continued  to  work  over  the  boy  until 
an  ambulance  arrived  to  rush  him  to 
a  nearby  hospital  in  Perryton. 

There  the  doctors  gave  the  Brewers 
little  hope  for  Mike's  survival.  A 
metal  object  run  back  and  forth 
across  the  bottom  of  Mike's  foot 
brought  no  response.  Mike  was  then 
taken  by  air  to  a  hospital  for  more 
life-saving  facilities  in  Amarillo,  100 
miles  away. 

But  after  20  hours  of  un- 
consciousness, Mike  awoke,  crying 
and  wanting  to  see  "mama"  and 
"papa."  Next  day  he  was  standing  in 


20  MESSENGER  October  1975 


inks 

bed,  telling  everyone  he  wanted  to  go 
(home.  Mike  had  no  brain  damage, 
;suffering  only  a  slight  fever  from  a 
;cold  for  a  few  days. 
i    The  medical  explanation  of  Mike's 
[survival  was  that  he  had  somehow 
drifted  into  an  air  pocket  beneath  the 
lice.  Presumably  the  cold  had  numbed 
IMike's  hyperthermal  functions, 
[reducing  his  need  for  oxygen  during 
the  time  he  was  in  the  water. 
Although  Ray's  knowledge  of  mouth- 
to-mouth  resuscitation  was  partly 
jresponsible  for  Mike's  recovery,  he 
(insists,  "I  know  it  was  God  who 
saved  Mike."  It  was  a  miracle  that  he 
survived  the  ordeal. 

Mike's  story  is  not  over.  In  Oc- 
{tober  of  1974,  Mrs.  Brewer  again 
contacted  her  husband  at  work.  This 
Itime  curious  Mike  had  crawled  inside 
ian  electric  dryer  in  a  vacant  house. 
jThe  old  model  dryer  evidently  had 
(Uot  completed  a  full  cycle  as  it  began 
1  heating  and  revolving  as  soon  as  the 
door  was  closed  on  the  machine.  A 
playmate  heard  Mike's  cries  and 
opened  the  door.  Five-year-old  Mike 
had  been  in  the  dryer  long  enough  to 
receive  first,  second,  and  third  degree 
burns.  But  after  being  hospitalized 
:for  a  few  days  he  began  asking  when 
I  he  could  go  outside  to  play.  Soon 
after,  Mike  was  allowed  to  go  home. 
j     Being  twice  snatched  back  from 
:  death's  door  makes  Mike  more  than 
;  ordinarily  precious  to  Ray  and  Sandy 
Brewer,  and  their  Christian  faith  has 
been  necessarily  strengthened  as 
well. — Robert  Sifrit 


Earl  Bowman:  'God  called  me' 


Why  did  you  go  into  the  ministry? 
Some  people  ask  this  of  Dr.  Earl  M. 
Bowman  and  he  says  that  the  only 
answer  that  he  can  find  is  "I  feel  that 
God  called  me.  I  was  a  serious- 
minded  lad  and  accepted  the  call  with 
the  utmost  reverence.  Not  only  did  I 
feel  the  call  in  my  inner  con- 
sciousness, but  I  also  believed  that 
the  voice  of  the  church  was  also  the 
voice  of  God."  After  60  years  in  the 
ministry  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  he  says  "I  only  wish  I  had 
sixty  more  years  to  devote  to  the 
Christian  ministry." 

Dr.  Bowman,  who  has  preached 
approximately  5,200  sermons  since  a 
boy  of  18,  preached  again  with  digni- 
ty and  deliberation  on  the  morning  of 
December  1,  1974,  in  the  pulpit  of 
the  Bridgewater,  Virginia,  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  That  evening,  ap- 
proximately 150  friends  and  relatives 
gathered  to  celebrate  his  60  years  in 
the  ministry. 

He  was  married  to  Leah  Frances 
Miller  in  1919.  He  suffered  the  loss  of 
Leah  in  the  fall  of  1965.  His  second 
marriage  was  to  Rhea  Wampler 
Miller  in  the  spring  of  1967,  in 
Harrisonburg,  Va. 

Earl  Bowman  was  the  author  of 
the  1943  query  asking  the  Annual 
Conference  to  appoint  a  Committee 
of  Fifteen,  to  study  the  over-all  con- 
gregational structure  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  with  a  view  to 
simplification.  The  recommendation 
of  the  query  was  adopted  and  the 
Committee  of  Fifteen  elected  to  un- 
dertake the  study,  which  required 


two  years;  and  he  was  a  member  of 
this  significant  committee. 

He  served  one  term  on  the  General 
Board  of  Christian  Education;  and 
two  terms  on  the  newly  formed 
General  Brotherhood  Board.  He  was 
chairman  of  its  Commission  of 
Ministry  and  Home  Missions  for  five 
years. 

He  was  Moderator  of  five  District 
Conferences;  and  a  member  of 
Standing  Committee  six  times.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Southeastern  Regional  Board  and  of 
the  District  Board  of  Northern 
Virginia.  He  represented  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  on  the  Virginia 
Council  of  Churches,  1940-1950. 

Earl  Bowman  calls  the  work  of  be- 
ing a  pastor  a  hard  life,  but  a  good 
life.  "It  often  means  sleepless  nights, 
suffering  and  sharing  many  burdens 
of  others.  Nevertheless,  my  regret  is 
indescribably  deep  that  I  must  relin- 
quish such  a  good  work  because  of 
my  age.  If  it  were  possible  I  would 
gladly  live  my  life  over  and  devote  it 
to  the  pastoral  ministry  and  to  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  In  spite  of  many  disap- 
pointments and  much  suffering  I  can 
still  say  that  God  has  been  good  to 
me  and  his  love  has  overshadowed 
me." 

Sixty  years  of  service,  so  rich  in 
spiritual  ministry  and  effective  in 
good  churchmanship,  surely 
represents  a  worthy  response  to 
God's  call.— K.M. 


October  1975  messenger  21 


Floor  open  to  nominate 
for  1976  Conference 

The  opportunity  is  now  open  for  Brethren 
at  large  to  nominate  candidates  for  the 
1976  ballot  to  be  cast  at  the  Wichita  An- 
nual Conference,  according  to  the  Annual 
Conference  Office.  First  get  the  permission 
of  your  potential  nominee,  then  send  the 
name  to:  Annual  Conference  Office,  1451 
Dundee  Avenue,  Elgin,  III.  60120,  before 
December  1. 

Offices  open  in  1976  are: 

Moderator-elect  (one  person). 

General  Board,  district  representatives 
(ineligible  are  persons  from  these  districts: 
Atlantic  Northeast,  Northern  Indiana, 
South/Central  Indiana,  Iowa-Minnesota, 
Missouri,  Middle  Pennsylvania,  Southern 
Pennsylvania,  Southeastern,  Virlina,  West 
Marva.  Also  ineligible  are  persons  from  the 
same  congregation  as  any  continuing 
Board  member). 

General  Board,  at  large  representatives 
(eligibility:  no  more  than  one  from  any 
congregation  or  three  at  one  time  from  one 
district,  including  the  district  represen- 
tative). 

Annual  Conference  Central  Committee 
(one  person). 

Committee  on  Interchurch  Relations 
(one  person  elected;  one  person  named  by 
Board). 

Bethany  Electors  (one  person  from 
colleges;  one  laity;  one  at  large  named  by 
seminary  board). 

Committee  on  Health  and  Welfare  (one 
person  named  by  Board;  one  person  named 
by  Brethren  homes  and  hospitals). 

1976  conference  views 
church,  college  ties 

Earlham  College  campus  in  Indiana  will  be 
the  scene  of  the  first  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Higher  Education  Conference  to 
be  held  in  recent  years.  The  date  is  June 
24-27,  1976. 

The  planners  look  upon  the  conference 
as  an  examination  by  the  church  of  its  role 
in  higher  education.  The  findings  will  be 
forwarded  as  suggestions  for  action  by  the 
General  Board,  Annual  Conference,  and 
the  colleges. 

Participation  for  up  to  200  persons  will 
be  by  invitation,  broadly  representative  of 
the  church  and  academic  communities. 

In  1974,  the  General  Board  approved  a 


From  left.  Charles,  Benjamin,  Ann,  David,  and  iMveta  Hilton,  heading  for  Lafiya  program 
in   Lardin    Gabas,    Nigeria.    The  Hilton  children   will  be  students  at   Hillcrest   School. 


David  Hilton  recruited 
for  Lafiya  assignment 

A  veteran  of  ten  years  of  medical  service  in 
Nigeria,  Dr.  David  Hilton  of  Menominee, 
Mich.,  is  beginning  an  assignment  with  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  its  Lafiya 
program.  Dr.  Hilton  and  his  wife,  Laveta, 
served  from  1959  to  1969  with  the  United 
Methodists  at  Bambur,  Nigeria. 


According  to  J.  Roger  Schrock, 
Brethren  medical  coordinator  in  Nigeria, 
Dr.  Hilton  will  serve  first  at  Lassa 
Hospital,  replacing  Dr.  Dan  Zinn,  who  ter- 
minates service  in  November.  The  Hiltons 
have  been  serving  Puerto  Rico's  Castaner 
Hospital  while  awaiting  Nigeria  visas. 

The  Hiltons  were  accompanied  by  their 
three  youngest  children,  Benjamin,  17, 
Charles,  14,  and  Ann,  13.  Another 
daughter  is  in  college  in  the  US. 


plan  submitted  by  General  Secretary  Loren 
Bowman  to  begin  a  study  of  the 
relationship  between  the  church  and  the 
colleges.  The  action  came  in  response  to  a 
request  from  the  Atlantic  Northeast  Dis- 
trict, pointing  up  concern  over  the  crises  in 
finances  and  identity  confronting  in- 
stitutions of  higher  learning  today. 

To  clarify  issues,  purposes,  and  format 
for  such  a  conference,  the  General  Board- 
appointed  design  committee  conducted 
consultations  in  three  sections  of  the  coun- 
try, involving  64  persons.  From  this  input 
the  design  committee  formulated  proposals 
for  shaping  the  conference  itself.  The 
proposals  were  approved  by  the  General 
Board  in  June. 

Cast  as  a  working  conference  at  Rich- 
mond, Ind.,  the  parley  will  seek  to  arrive  at 
specific  responses  to  questions  posed  in 
preparatory  materials.  The  conference  itself 
will  form  study  groups  of  10  to  12  persons 
to  discuss  agenda  questions  concurrently, 
then  submit  written  responses  for  plenary 
discussion. 

As  the  issues  are  dealt  with,  votes  will  be 
tallied  and  opportunity  extended  for 
written  minority  viewpoints.  The  findings 
will  have  no  binding  authority  upon  the 


church  or  the  educational  institutions  but 
will  offer  guidelines  from  which  the 
General  Board,  Annual  Conference,  and 
the  colleges  may  act. 

The  design  committee,  chaired  by  Paul 
H.  Bowman,  Merriam,  Kans.,  includes 
Louise  B.  Black,  Elizabethtown,  Pa.;  Doris 
Egge,  Roanoke,  Va.;  Robert  Faus,  Lom- 
bard, 111.;  Melanie  May,  Timberville,  Va.; 
Lila  McCray,  Elkhart,  Ind.;  Ralph  G.  Mc- 
Fadden,  Elgin,  111.  and,  ex-officio,  S.  Loren 
Bowman,  Elgin,  111. 

Robert  Noffsinger  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  will 
serve  as  conference  manager  and  as  a  new 
member  of  the  conference  planning  com- 
mittee. 

The  church  will  be  represented  by 
laypersons,  pastors,  district  executives. 
Brotherhood  staff,  Bethany  Seminary 
faculty,  and  other  leaders.  College 
representatives  will  include  presidents, 
trustees  and  faculty  members,  students, 
and  campus  ministers.  The  design  com- 
mittee is  open  to  involvement  by  other  in- 
terested groups  and  plans  to  use  resource 
persons  of  other  denominations. 

National  leaders  in  religious  higher 
education  will  speak  to  the  delegates  in 
general  sessions. 


22  MESSENGER  October  1975 


Moomaw  emphasizes 
'benchmarks'  for  aid 

"Do  you  lobby  your  constituents  to  lobby 
us?"  was  a  question  asked  of  Dr.  I.  W. 
Moomaw  during  his  July  18  testimony 
before  the  House  International  Relations 
Committee  by  Congressman  Charles 
Whalen  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Whalen  pursued  the 
subject  by  saying  that  he  would  like  to 
receive  more  correspondence  on  the 
positive  side  of  the  foreign  aid  issue  since 
nearly  all  the  mail  he  receives  on  foreign 
assistance  is  negative.  His  clear  message 
was  that  if  Brethren  (and  others)  support 
foreign  assistance,  he  would  like  to  know 
about  it. 

The  occasion  for  Mr.  Whalen's  com- 
ments was  a  day  of  hearings  scheduled  by 
the  House  International  Relations  Com- 
mittee on  the  general  issue  of  foreign  aid 
and  specifically  on  a  bill  to  authorize  funds 
for  development  assistance  programs  over 
the  next  two  years.  Dr.  Moomaw  of  Se- 
bring,  Florida,  a  lifetime  worker  in  rural 
development  and  author  of  a  book  on  the 
US  foreign  aid  program,  testified  on  behalf 
of  the  General  Board,  stating  Brethren  sup- 
port for  some  foreign  aid  programs  and 
outlining  the  changes  he  thought  necessary 
to  make  aid  more  effective  and  worthwhile. 

In  his  testimony  Dr.  Moomaw  empha- 
sized eight  "benchmarks"  toward  a  better 
aid  program.  Among  these  were  using  aid 
to  help  the  genuinely  needy  rather  than  ty- 
ing it  to  political  or  military  concerns, 
working  with  the  poor  in  helping  them  to 
better  their  situation  rather  than  imposing 
our  solutions,  channeling  more  of  our  aid 
through  multinational  agencies  such  as  the 
United  Nations,  and  giving  a  much  higher 
proportion  of  our  gross  national  product 
for  development  assistance  programs. 

Dr.  Moomaw  was  pleased  to  note  that 
the  bill  being  considered  by  the  committee 
had  already  incorporated  some  of  his 
suggestions.  Especially  noteworthy  were 
several  sections  of  the  bill  that  stressed  a 
focus  on  the  causes  of  world  poverty  and 
directly  helping  those  in  the  poorest  ma- 
jority. Another  major  departure  from  past 
tradition  was  the  separation  of  develop- 
ment aid  and  military  aid  into  two  bills,  a 
procedure  the  Brethren  have  long  ad- 
vocated so  that  each  program  could  stand 
or  fall  on  its  own  merits. 

Dr.  Moomaw  concluded  with  Luke 
12:48,  "Unto  whomsoever  much  has  been 
given,  from  him  much  shall  be  required." 


Radio  series  dramatizes 
faith,  courage  of  women 

Women  who  dared  to  act  on  their  beliefs 
and  were  willing  to  suffer  the  dire  conse- 
quences that  followed  is  the  theme  of  a 
series  of  radio  dramas,  "Women  of  the 
Faith,"  to  be  introduced  nationwide  early 
next  year. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  among  the 
charter  sponsors  of  the  series,  joining  with 
an  interdenominational  coalition.  The 
series  also  accents  the  United  Nations  In- 
ternational Women's  Year  and  the  US 
Bicentennial  emphases. 

The  aim  of  the  five-minute  drama- 
tizations is  to  encourage  women  today  to 
achieve  a  stronger  sense  of  selfhood  and  a 
more  dynamic  faith,  inspired  by  women 
who  in  the  past  were  engaged  in  the  search 
for  freedom  and  justice. 

The  series  is  proposed  for  in-church  use 
at  the  close  of  the  50-week  period. 

Among  subjects  in  the  series  are  Mary 
Dyer,  the  Boston  Quaker  martyr;  Elizabeth 


Cady  Stanton,  early  advocate  for  women's 
rights  and  editor  of  The  Woman's  Bible; 
and  Sojourner  Truth,  an  illiterate  slave 
who  became  an  eloquent  abolitionist  and 
women's  rights  speaker  in  the  19th  century. 

Brethren  subjects  have  been  nominated 
for  inclusion  in  the  series. 

Two  Brethren  representatives  have  been 
named  to  the  coalition,  Ruth  Ann 
Johansen,  Princeton,  N.J.,  on  the  advisory 
committee,  and  Lois  Teach  Paul,  Elgin, 
111.,  on  the  production  committee.  Church 
of  the  Brethren  investment  in  the  project  is 
$2,000,  contributed  by  the  Parish 
Ministries  and  Communications  units  of 
the  General  Board  and  by  the  Womaen's 
Caucus. 

Executive  producer  for  the  series  is  Faith 
Pomponio,  director  of  special  services. 
Communications  Commission,  National 
Council  of  Churches.  The  programs  are  be- 
ing produced  in  Atlanta  by  Carole  Etzler 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  US. 

Women  in  churches  from  across  the 
country  are  invited  to  assist  in  helping 
market  the  programs  for  local  broadcast. 


How  they  keep  him  down  on  the  farm 


Venerable,  lifelong  servant  of 
humankind,  81-year-old  Ira  W. 
Moomaw,  the  foremost  Brethren 
name  in  agriculture,  presents  no 
problem  in  staying  on  the  farm  issue, 
if  not  on  the  farm  itself.  Back  from  a 
six-month  stint  in  Japan,  where  he 
and  his  wife,  Mabel,  co-directed  the 
World  Friendship  Center  (December 
1974  Messenger,  page  6),  Dr. 
Moomaw  has  now  taken  a  two-year 
volunteer  assignment  with  the 
Washington  Office,  as  a  consultant  on 
farm  issues. 

Prior  to  his  "retirement"  in  1962, 
the  former  India  missionary  (1923- 
1942)  had  served  since  1946  with 
Agricultural  Missions,  Inc.,  and  the 
Rural  Missions  Cooperating  Com- 
mittee. His  last  eight  years  with  those 
organizations  he  served  as  their  ex- 
ecutive secretary. 

Working  out  of  his  Sebring,  Fla., 
homebase,  his  task  will  be  to  imple- 
ment as  many  as  possible  of  the  twen- 
ty "recommendations  to  government" 
in  the  1974  Annual  Conference  State- 


ment on  the  Church  and  Farm  Issues. 
The  1974  statement  calls  for  govern- 
ment action  to  protect  the  environ- 
ment, to  support  small  farmers  and 
share  tenants,  to  enforce  existing  laws 
that  uphold  the  life-style  of  farm 
workers,  and  to  administer  welfare 
programs  for  rehabilitation  and 
educational  development  rather  than 
"demeaning  handouts." 


October  1975  messenger  23 


New  Windsor  to  finish 
Old  Main  renovation 

While  major  renovation  has  occurred  to 
much  of  Old  Main  at  the  hub  of  the  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  Brethren  Service  Center 
(January  Messenger),  two  upper  floors  re- 
main to  be  completed.  The  signal  to  con- 
tinue work  on  those  areas  has  been  given 
by  the  General  Board. 

Through  the  use  of  some  volunteer  labor 
and  donated  materials,  costs,  including  fur- 
niture, are  to  be  held  to  $250,000. 

More  than  120  years  old.  Old  Main  has 
been  cited  recently  by  Carroll  County, 
Md.,  as  one  of  the  area's  landmark 
buildings,  a  designation  reserved  for 
edifices  standing  in  original  form  or  having 
been  properly  restored. 

While  Old  Main  appears  much  the  same 
from  the  outside,  the  interior  was  virtually 
gutted  and  rebuilt  in  the  recent  renovation 
program.  The  floors  presently  completed 
house  the  International  Gift  Shop,  three 
conference  rooms  and  17  bedrooms. 

The  expanded  facilities  will  be  used 
largely  to  host  the  center's  conferences, 
work  groups,  retreats,  and  tours,  which  ac- 
counted for  18,000  registered  visitors  last 
year.  Several  thousand  other  visitors  came 
to  the  center  for  shorter  stays. 

Son  and  daughter 
of  the  pioneers 

In  observance  of  its  75th  anniversary  year, 
Elizabethtown  College  in  Pennsylvania 
presented  honorary  degrees  to  two  persons 
uniquely  aligned  with  the  institution's 
history. 

Recipients  were  a  writer  and  an  artist, 
the  writer  being  Anna  Beahm  Mow,  also  a 
missionary  and  a  teacher  and  the  daughter 
of  Elizabethtown's  first  president,  Isaac 
Newton  Harvey  Beahm. 

The  artist  was  James  (Jamie)  Browning 
Wyeth,  member  of  the  famed  Wyeth  family 
of  painters  and  descendant  of  the  Herr 
family  who  once  owned  the  farm  that  is 
now  part  of  the  college  campus. 

For  the  29-year-old  Wyeth,  a  prestigious 
artist  in  his  own  right  as  were  his  father 
and  grandfather,  it  was  his  first  college 
degree  in  that  he  had  dropped  out  of 
school  in  the  sixth  grade  to  pursue  an  art 
career.  His  father,  Andrew,  also  was  pres- 
ent at  the  commencement. 


Getting  it  all  together 

Even  a  football  match  requires  a  semblance 
of  organization,  which  is  what  Peter 
Cowan,  the  bearded  man  in  the  black,  is 
trying  to  bring  to  a  young  group  of 
refugees  on  Cyprus  (picture  above). 


Venerable  matriarch  Anna  Mow  (above) 
and  artist  Jamie  Wyeth  (below  with  father 
Andrew  Wyeth)  win  Elizabethtown  honors 


Cowan,  a  Britisher  and  a  former  member 
of  the  Brethren  Service  team  in  Cyprus,  ex- 
tended his  stay  for  six  months  at  the  re- 
quest of  Church  World  Service,  to  assist 
refugees  following  the  tense  Cypriot  con- 
flict. He  is  slated  to  return  to  the  island  for 
a  further  stint  of  service  this  fall. 

Suggest  auto  user's 
'thou  Shalt  nots' 

In  the  long  view  of  things  the  blues  of  the 
auto  industry  is  good  news  for  the  country, 
declares  one  church  journalist. 

Writing  in  US  Catholic,  associate  editor 
Kenneth  Guentert  exhorts  readers  to  drive 
less  and  to  avoid  buying  new  cars.  The 
idea,  he  explains,  is  to  "force  the  govern- 
ment to  do  what  it  should  do — build  a 
comprehensive  mass  transportation 
system." 

Citing  pollution,  the  energy  crisis,  and 
congestion,  Guentert  says  "what's  good  for 
General  Motors  is  not  good  for  America." 

In  the  form  of  "ten  commandments," 
Guentert  drew  up  a  list  of  minimum 
standards  for  the  use  of  the  automobile  by 
Americans,  a  list  oriented  more  to 
Americans  in  the  urban  sprawl  than  in  the 
wide  open  spaces.  The  ten: 

1 .  /  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  thou  shalt  not 
have  strange  gods  before  me.  Suggesting 
that  the  "supreme  strange  god"  in  America 
is  the  automobile,  Guentert  warns  readers 
not  to  listen  to  "government  officials,  auto 
executives,  or  union  officials  who  say  buy- 
ing a  new  car  is  'patriotic' " 

2.  Do  not  buy  an  automobile  in  vain. 
The  only  reason  for  owning  a  car  is  for 
"transportation,"  he  says,  and  the  only 
reason  for  buying  a  new  car  is  "improving 
your  mileage  and  causing  less  pollution." 


24  MESSENGER  October  1975 


(therwise  he  suggests  buying  a  used  car, 
ecause  "it  keeps  another  car  from  being 
uilt." 

3.  Keep  holy  the  Lord's  day.  Anyone 
'ho  hves  within  two  miles  of  church 
liould  walk  in  nice  weather,  he  says, 
dding  that  people  who  feel  a  two-mile 
'alk  would  be  too  strenuous  should  "see  a 
hysician." 

4.  Honor  thy  children.  "Never  buy  them 
car."  Parents  may  not  be  able  to  stop  18- 

ear-olds  from  buying  their  own  cars,  he 
dmits,  "but  nowhere  is  it  written  that  you 
ave  to  subsidize  their  stupidity." 

5.  Thou  shalt  not  kill.  Autos  "kill 
Uddenly  by  collision,  and  they  kill  slowly 
y  pollution."  Drivers  ought  to  have  a 
proportionately  good  and  life-giving 
eason  for  driving  the  car  instead  of  walk- 
ig,  taking  mass  transit,  or  bicycle." 

6.  Thou  shalt  not  commit  luxury.  People 
'ho  find  themselves  purchasing  a  car  that 

I  "full-size,  a  gas  hog,  or  in  the  luxury  or 
erformance  class"  should  ask  themselves 
'  they  are  purchasing  "transportation  or 
;lf-gratification."  If  the  answer  is  the 
itter,  Guentert  says,  "find  a  different  way 
3  gratify  yourself." 

7.  Thou  shah  not  steal.  Drivers  have  a 
Esponsibility  to  make  retribution  for  the 
nergy  and  social  costs  of  the  automobile, 
e  says.  As  a  result,  people  have  "no  right 
0  complain  about  high  gasoline  or  vehicle 
ixes,"  although  there  is  a  "responsibility 

0  see  that  such  taxes  are  used  for 
omething  other  than  building  more 
oads." 

8.  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness 
gainst  the  automobile.  "Nor  to  keep  your 
nouth  shut  about  its  evils,"  Guentert  adds. 
People  have  a  responsibility  to  educate 
imily  and  friends  about  the  automobile 
nd  its  alternatives." 

9.  Thou  shalt  not  buy  a  second  car  for 
hy  wife  or  husband.  "Two-car  and,  God 
orbid,  three-car  families  are  out  of  date," 
le  says. 

10.  Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's 
!• — unless  it  "gets  better  mileage,  causes 

ess  pollution,  and  takes  up  less  parking 
pace." 

US  Catholic  mailed  advance  copies  of 
he  article  with  a  questionnaire  to  a  sam- 
pling of  readers.  Two-thirds  of  the 
espondents  agreed  that  "what's  good  for 
Jeneral  Motors  is  not  good  for  America." 

However,  87  percent  said  their  auto  is 
not  a  luxury,  but  a  necessity,"  and  only 
3  percent  thought  owning  more  than 
>ne  car  was  "immoral." 


[LaDTldlSD^DODDS^ 


WORLD   FRIENDSHIP   CENTER 


new  director  Leona   Z. 


in  Hiroshima,  Japan,  has  as  its 
Row   of  Washington,  D.C.   The  former 


public  school  teacher  and  administrator  and  widow  of  W.    Har- 
old Row   began  the  volunteer  teirm  in  mid-September. 

OTHER   VOLUNTEERS    ...    Terrie  Miller,    1975  journalism  grad- 
uate of  Moravian  College  and  until  recently  from  Elizabeth- 
town,  Pa. ,  is  the  new  Communications  intern  at  Elgin.   Her 
predecessor,  another  Miller — Randij — is  enrolled  at  La  Verne 
College  in  California.  .  .  .  As  a  first  phase  of  a  new  year 
of  volunteer  service,  Ken   and  Nancy   Smi th-Sh uman ,    former 
workers  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  are  assisting  in  the  training 
of  the  September  BVS  unit.  .  .  .  Joining  the  staff  of  the 
Washington  Office  are  two  new  volunteers,  Marcy  Smith   of 
New  Castle,  Dela. ,  and  Tim  Speicher   of  North  Lima,  Ohio. 
.  .  .  Recently  completing  two  years  of  volunteer  service  in 
the  General  Services  area  at  Elgin  are  an  Ohio  couple,  Harry 
and  Gladys   Deardorff   of  Hartville. 

Ron  Adkins ,    for  two  years  training  assistant  in  Brethren 
Volunteer  Service,  is  now  engaged  in  the  Intermet  Seminary 
training  program,  Washington,  D.C.   The  study  includes  serv- 
ice with  the  Oakton,  Va. ,  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

PEOPLE   YOU   KNOW   . . .    Honored  for  28  years  of  pastoral 
leadership  by  the  Anderson,  Ind. ,  congregation  were  Elden 
and  Ruth  Petry    ....  Instructor  in  the  human  services  de- 
partment of  Elgin,  111.,  Community  College  is  Carl    W.    Zeig- 
ler  Jr. ,    former  Parish  Ministries  staff  member.  .  .  .  While 
in  the  east  for  induction  into  the  National  Track  and  Field 
Hall  of  Fame,  Charleston,  W.  Va. ,  Bob  Richards   preached  at 
the  Frederick,  Md. ,  Church  of  the  Brethren.   He  and  Mrs. 
Richards   placed  their  membership  at  Frederick  where  the  pas- 
tor. Merlin  E_.    Garber,    is  a  lifelong  friend.  .  .  .  David 
Wine,    1975  McPherson  College  graduate,  has  joined  the  home 
office  staff  of  the  Mutual  Aid  Society  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Abilene,  Kans.   He  and  his  wife  Jana   serve  the 
Buckeye  church  pastorate  part  time. 


IN   MEMORIAM 


Ted  Whitacre ,   42,  pastor  of  the  Wood- 


bridge,  Va. ,  church  for  seven  years  and  1975  Standing  Com- 
mittee delegate,  died  while  hospitalized  July  29.  .  .  .  Levi 
K_.    Ziegler,    86,  who  was  pastor.  Civilian  Public  Service  di- 
rector. Eastern  Regional  executive,  and  Morrisons  Cove  Home 
superintendent,  died  July  23.  .  .  .  Floyd  Wagoner,    80,  long- 
time member  of  Chicago's  First  Church,  died  July  19.   He  and 
his  wife  Cleo   became  residents  of  the  Greenville,  Ohio  Breth- 

•  Ethel    W.    Kurtz,    93,  died  at  La 
She  and  her  late  husband  D.    W. 


ren's  Home  last  fall. 
Verne,  Calif.,  July  19 


Kurtz    served  in  the  presidency  of  McPherson  College  and 
Bethany  Seminary  and  in  the  pastorates  of  First  Church,  Phila- 
delphia, and  of  the  Long  Beach  and  La  Verne,  Calif,  churches. 

CELEBRATION    ...  First  Church,  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  invites 
Brethren  to  attend  its  Nov.  2  celebration  at  which  time  the 
mortgage  on  the  Christian  education  building  will  be  burned. 
Stewart  B_.    Kauffman   is  the  morning  speaker;  a  noon  meal  will 
follow  for  those  who  make  advance  reservations. 

October  1975  messenger  25 


luipdmtm 


PRINT   AND  REPRINT 


Occasional  Brethren  writings  extend 


across  the  miles  and  through  the  years  to  an  international 
and  an  ecumenical  audience.  William  E.  Stafford's  Down  In 
My  Heart  (Brethren  Press  1947,  1948  and  1971)  was  published 
this  year  in  abridged  form  in  Japan  by  Yorifumi  Yaguchi,  a 
Mennonite  teacher.  The  account  chronicles  the  experiences 
and  feelings  of  conscientious  objectors  in  World  War  II. 

A  Messenger  article  by  Graydon  F.  Snyder  on  "Early  Chris- 
tian Symbols"  (March  26,  1970)  is  scheduled  to  appear  in 
Light  of  Life,    an  evangelical  monthly  published  in  India  and 
circulated  in  26  countries.   The  article  was  reprinted  ear- 
lier in  Sunday  Digest,    a  David  C.  Cook  publication. 

Stateside,  Messenger  articles  reprinted  of  late  include: 

— Kermon  Thomason's  report  on  Vietnam  refugees  filed  from 
Fort  Chaffee,  Ark. ,  in  the  NCCC   Chronicle,    the  new  quarterly 
newsletter  of  the  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ. 
The  full  text  appeared  in  Messenger's  July  Outlook  section. 

--Kermon  Thomason's  profile  of  the  new  general  secretary 
of  Lardin  Gabas,  Nigeria  (April)  in  The   Brethren   Evangelist, 
the  organ  of  the  Brethren  Church,  Ashland,  Ohio. 

— Larry  Graybill's  Bible  study  on  "Lord,  Give  Me  a  Drink" 
(March)  in  Presbyterian  Survey ,   official  magazine  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  US,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

— Ken  Stanley's  drawing  of  Christ  (March)  on  the  cover 
of  Scripture  A.D_.,    part  of  the  junior  high  curriculum  of  the 
Friends  United  Meeting,  Richmond,  Ind. 

— Alma  Long's  article  on  "Fasting:   A  Road  to  Discovery" 
(January)  in  The  Sabbath  Recorder,    a  Seventh  Day  Baptist 
publication,  Plainfield,  N.J. 

— Kermon  Thomason's  "The  Shadow  of  a  Kingdom"  (November 
1974)  adapted  for  the  Scott  Foresman  Reading  Systems  program 
for  children,  Glenview,  111. 

— Noah  Martin's  "Pass  a  Kiss  Around  the  Table"  (October 
1974)  in  The  Welcomer,  the  newsletter  of  the  Welcome  House 
Adoptive  Parents  Group,  Doylestown,  Pa. 

— Howard  Royer's  editorial  on  "Discovery  in  the  Green 
Felt  Jungle"  (March  1974)  in  The  Mennonite ,    issued  by  the 
General  Conference  Mennonite  Church,  North  Newton,  Kans. 

BRETHREN  HYMNAL  ...  An  ongoing  occurrence  is  the  reprint- 
ing of  material  from  The  Brethren  Hymnal  by  other  denomina- 
tions. Two  of  the  most  recent  requests:  The  use  of  five 
hymns  in  the  bilingual  hymnal  (Armenian  and  English)  of  the 
Arrr.enian  Evangelical  Churches  in  the  US  and  Canada,  and  two 
hymns  translated  into  Navajo  for  a  songbook  produced  by  the 
Navajo  Hymnal  Conference  in  New  Mexico. 


PAPERBACKS  APLENTY 


In  partnership  with  Pyramid  Publi- 


cations of  New  York,  three  older  Brethren  Press  volumes  have 
been  produced  as  paperbacks  for  the  general  market- -Jngle- 
nook  Cook  Book    (1911),  Inglenook  Doctor   Book    (1903),  and  Lucile 
Long  Brandt's  Anna   Elizabeth    (1942). 

Also  being  issued  cooperatively  by  the  Brethren  and  Pyra- 
mid are  three  new  works:   Edward  K.  Ziegler's  Simple  Living, 
released  last  October;  Dorris  Blough's  The  Brass  Ring,    due 
this  month,  and  Esther  Pence  Garber's  Button  Shoes ,    to  be 
off  the  press  in  December. 

26  MESSENGER  October  1975 


'Stupidity,  duplicity' 
charged  in  Delta 


A  federal  agency  dealing  with  Freedom 
Village  in  Mississippi  is  guilty  either  of 
"stupidity  or  unmitigated  duplicity," 
asserted  an  editorial  in  The  Delia 
Democrat-Times  upon  analyzing  a  353- 
page  report  filed  by  the  US  Department 
of  Agriculture's  office  of  Investigation. 

The  editorial  of  July  16  said  that 
Farmers  Home  Administration  officials 
either  were  "almost  invariably  ill-informed 
or  uninformed"  about  the  needs  of  the  80- 
acre,  self-help  project  12  miles  southeast  of 
Greenville,  Miss.,  or  they  had  conceived  "a 
deliberate  pattern  of  double-dealing  to  the 
predetermined  end  that  Freedom  Village 
would  not  receive  funds  come  hell  or  high 
water." 

As  reported  in  Messenger  in  March. 
Freedom  Village.  Inc..  filed  a  formal  com- 
plaint with  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture 
Earl  Butz  last  September  delineating 
delays,  broken  agreements,  and  obstruc- 
tions that  led  to  the  "sabotage"  of  the 
development  for  sharecropper  families. 
Former  BVSer  Joe  Myer  of  Lancaster,  Pa., 
negotiator  for  Freedom  Village,  invested 
major  time  in  compiling  and  documenting 
the  complaint. 

"The  affair  smells  to  high  heaven  no 
matter  how  it  is  viewed. ...  A  lot  of 
promises  have  been  made  and  broken  by 
Farmers  Home  Administration  spokesmen 
New  conditions  have  been  repeatedly  at- 
tached to  old  agreements,"  the  Times 
editorial  declared. 

Upon  completing  its  five-month  study, 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  held  the  in- 
vestigative report  as  confidential.  Appeals 
by  interested  parties  to  the  Freedom  of  In- 
formation Act  finally  jarred  the  report 
loose. 

Distressed  that  the  report  evidently 
closes  the  door  to  involvement  by  the 
federal  agency  in  developing  Freedom 
Village,  the  staff  of  the  Delta  Housing 
Development  Corporation  reflected: 

"Farmers  Home  Administration  began 
as  a  risk-taking  agency  actively  seeking  to 
fulfill  its  goal  to  provide  decent  housing 
to  the  rural  poor.  Somewhere  along  the 
way  this  agency  has  lost  its  sense  of 
urgency  and  now  places  its  allegiance  to 
the  goal  of  government  security  rather 
than  seeking  ways  of  housing  the 
homeless." 


Paul  M.  Robinson 


Warren  F.  Groff 


John  N.  Stauffer  Frederick  M.  Binder  Leland  B.  Newcomer 


Administrative  changes 
on  Brethren  campuses 

Springtime  resignations  have  brought  ad- 
ministrative changes  on  three  Brethren 
campuses  this  fall. 

The  March  resignation  of  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary  president.  Dr.  Paul 
M.  Robinson,  was  followed  at  Annual 
Conference  time  with  the  announcement  of 
his  successor.  Dr.  Warren  F.  Groff.  Juniata 
College's  president.  Dr.  John  N.  Stauffer. 
who  left  Juniata  September  I,  has  been 
succeeded  by  Dr.  Frederick  M.  Binder.  The 
search  continues  for  a  replacement  for  La 
Verne  College's  president,  Dr.  Leland  B. 
Newcomer,  who  stepped  down  August  15. 

Dr.  Robinson,  named  President 
Emeritus  of  the  seminary  he  had  served 
since  1953  (see  Messenger  for  June,  page 
7),  began  work  September  1  as  pastor  of 
the  Crest  Manor  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
South  Bend,  Indiana.  His  successor, 
seminary  dean.  Dr.  Warren  F.  Groff,  was 
presented  to  Annual  Conference  delegates 
in  Dayton,  June  25,  by  Dr.  A.  G. 
Breidenstine,  chairperson  for  the  seminary 
board  of  trustees. 

Dr.  Groff,  50,  who  had  been  dean  of 
Bethany  for  thirteen  years,  has  been  a 
member  since  1963  of  the  commission  of 
Faith  and  Order  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches,  having  served  for  five  years  on 
the  Working  Committee  of  that  Commis- 
sion. 

He  holds  degrees  from  Juniata  College, 
and  Yale  Divinity  School  and  Yale  Univer- 
sity, New  Haven,  Conn. 

Dr.  Groff  is  a  contributor  to  theological 
journals,  the  author  of  the  books,  Christ, 
the  Hope  of  the  Future,  and  Story  Time: 
God's  Story  and  Ours,  and  co-author  of 
The  Shaping  of  Modern  Christian 


Thought.  He  and  his  wife,  Ruth 
Davidheiser  Groff,  have  one  son,  David, 
19,  a  student  at  Oberlin  College. 

Dr.  John  N.  Stauffer,  seventh  president 
of  Juniata  College,  cited  health  problems 
when  announcing  his  resignation  last 
March.  President  since  1968,  he  noted  ex- 
tensive cardiac  examinations,  the  result  of 
which  called  for  substantial  reduction  of 
his  work  load  and  necessary  restrictions  in 
daily  activities. 

A  native  of  Palmyra.  Pa.,  Dr.  Stauffer 
served  as  the  ninth  president  of  Wittenberg 
(Ohio)  College  from  1963  to  1968.  He 
received  the  M.A.  degree  in  psychology 
from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in 
1942,  and  the  doctor  of  education  degree 
from  Pennsylvania  State  University  in 
1956. 

Dr.  Stauffer's  term  at  Juniata  has  seen 
the  college's  operations  budget  grow  from 
$3.6  to  $5.5  million,  while  endowment  has 
grown  from  $2.8  to  $6.1  million.  The 
college  has  also,  since  1968,  raised  some 
$7.9  million  toward  its  $10  million  "Margin 
of  Difference"  program.  Juniata  celebrates 
its  centennial  anniversary  in  1976. 

Dr.  Stauffer  continues  to  serve  Juniata, 
having  accepted  a  position  in  the  college 
development  office  that  offers  a  decreased 
work  load  and  fewer  hours. 

Succeeding  Stauffer  September  1 
was  Dr.  Frederick  M.  Binder,  who  left 
Whittier  (Calif.)  College  after  a  five-year 
presidency. 

A  native  of  New  Jersey,  Dr.  Binder 
received  his  bachelor's  degree  from  Ursinus 
(Pa.)  College  in  1942.  He  received  both  his 
master's  degree  in  American  history  and 
Ph.D.  in  American  economic  history  from 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 

Prior  to  his  service  at  Whittier,  Dr. 
Binder  served  as  president  of  Hartwick 
(N.Y.)  College  from  1959  to  1969,  and 


Associate  Commissioner  for  Higher  Educa- 
tion, New  York  State  Education  Depart- 
ment, in  1969-70. 

A  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  he 
is  married  to  the  former  Grace  I.  Brandt 
and  they  have  two  children. 

Queried  about  his  June  resignation  from 
the  La  Verne  College  presidency.  Dr. 
Leland  B.  Newcomer  replied,  "1  suspect  the 
prime  reason  is  that  1  seem  to  need  a  new 
challenge  every  so  often  and  have  been  at 
La  Verne  College  for  seven  years — longer 
than  I  have  ever  been  in  any  position  in  my 
life." 

"I  feel  La  Verne  College  has  ac- 
complished what  I  came  here  to  work  on. 
The  best  example  I  know  is  that  we  con- 
ferred 877  degrees  this  year,  and  when  I 
came  to  La  Verne  College  seven  years  ago, 
we  only  had  about  600  students  enrolled. 
The  students  that  have  graduated  are  mak- 
ing a  difference  all  over  the  world  consis- 
tent with  the  college's  mission  of  service  to 
humankind,"  he  said. 

In  taking  over  La  Verne  as  president  in 
1968,  Dr.  Newcomer  said,  "Within  the  next 
ten  years  we  either  are  going  to  witness  the 
death  of  La  Verne  College,  or  we  are  going 
to  see  it  emerge  in  the  very  forefront  of 
higher  education." 

Dr.  Newcomer  and  his  wife,  Barbara, 
have  four  children  and  five  grandchildren. 

On  August  15  Dr.  Newcomer  became 
superintendent  of  Grossmont  Union  High 
School  District  in  the  San  Diego,  Calif, 
area. 

A  "presidential  search  committee," 
chaired  by  Dr.  D.  Welty  Lefever,  expects 
to  find  a  successor  to  Newcomer  by 
November.  In  the  interim  period  ad- 
ministrative functions  of  the  college  are  be- 
ing handled  by  Dr.  W.  Donald  Clague, 
vice-president  in  charge  of  academic  af- 
fairs, and  the  dean's  council. 


October  1975  messenger  27 


Above:  Andrew  Cordier  at  the  UN  podium 
in  1958.  Below:  The  UN  ■•trinity":  The 
Secretary     General    (Hammerskjold),     the 


Andrew  W.  Cordier: 
Hope  and  reality 
hand  in  hand 


by  Kermon  Thomason 

Asked  once  if  the  United  Nations  might  be 
a  structure  of  hope  more  than  reality,  An- 
drew Cordier  answered,  "I  think  hope  and 
reahty  ought  to  go  hand  in  hand.  Your 
hopes  cannot  be  reahzed  unless  you  work 
for  them." 

Andrew  Cordier  did  work  to  realize  his 
hopes,  and,  unlike  most  Brethren — whose 
hopes  for  world  peace  must  be  manifested 
in  simply  brightening  the  corner  where  they 
are — he  was  able  to  move  those  hopes 
toward  reality  in  the  councils  of  the 
mighty.  A  servant  of  the  Lord  and 
humankind.  Dr.  Cordier  was- described, 
after  his  death  July  1 1  at  age  74,  by  United 
Nations  Secretary  General  Kurt  Waldheim 
as  "an  exemplary  international  servant." 
How  an  Ohio  country  boy  who  had  to 
walk  five  miles  to  attend  high  school  went 
on  to  be  that  international  servant  is  a 
story  that  warrants  some  Brethren 
biographer's  immediate  attention. 

Dr.  Cordier  credited  his  taste  for  hard 
work  and  long  hours  to  his  early  training. 
Several  years  ago  he  recalled  that  taste  be- 
ing instilled  in  him  by  his  parents. 

President  (U  Thant),  and  the  Under  Secre- 
tary (Cordier).  Below:  Dr.  Cordier  with 
Harry  S.   Truman:  the  President  took  him 


Wellington  and  Ida  Mae  Cordier,  on  their 
Canton,  Ohio,  farm,  where  young  Andrew 
began  helping  with  farm  chores  at  age  five. 

After  receiving  his  Ph.D.  in  medieval 
history  in  1927,  Dr.  Cordier  served  until 
1944  as  a  professor  and  chairman  of  the 
department  of  history  and  political  science 
at  Manchester  College.  During  those  years 
he  traveled  widely  in  Europe  and  South 
America.  He  studied  a  year  at  the 
Graduate  Institute  of  International  Studies 
in  Geneva  (1930-31)  and  made  surveys  of 
developing  crises  in  the  Sudetenland  and 
Danzig  and  after  the  Chaco  War  in 
Paraguay. 

From  1941  to  1945  Dr.  Cordier  served 
the  denomination  as  the  first  chairperson 
of  the  Brethren  Service  Commission,  laying 
the  groundwork  for  the  service  that 
Brethren  would  render  to  the  world  then 
being  torn  apart  by  war. 

Dr.  Cordier  left  Manchester  in  1944  to 
work  with  the  US  Department  of  State  as 
an  expert  on  international  security.  He 
went  to  San  Francisco  with  the  US  delega- 
tion to  the  1945  United  Nations  Con- 
ference and  was  sent  to  London  to  help 
organize  the  new  world  body.  It  was  often 

to  San  Francisco  to  help  form  the  UN. 
Below:  M.  R.  Zigler  and  Cordier  in  1974. 
Right:  Working  with  Ralph  Bunche  in  1962. 


said  in  later  years  that  he  could  recite  the 
UN  Charter  from  memory.  At  least,  with 
his  phenomenal  memory,  he  was  usually 
able  later,  as  Executive  Assistant  to  the  UN 
Secretary  General,  to  cite  the  precise  rule 
applicable  to  any  specific  situation  without 
looking  it  up. 

That  tenure  at  the  UN  began  when  Dr. 
Cordier  was  named  in  1946  adviser  to  the 
President  of  the  first  United  Nations 
General  Assembly,  Paul  Henri  Spaak  of 
Belgium,  and  executive  assistant  to  Trygve 
Lie,  the  first  UN  Secretary  General.  This 
was  a  demanding  role  that  was  to  last  for 
sixteen  crises-ridden  years. 

As  the  UN  weathered  the  storms  of  the 
1950s  and  early  1960s,  Andrew  Cordier 
was  at  the  center  of  action,  always  in  a 
conciliatory  role — at  the  end  of  the  Korean 
War  he  helped  revive  American-Soviet 
relations,  when  the  US  and  Russia  were 
hardly  on  speaking  terms,  by  privately 
arranging  for  Dean  Rusk  and  Yakov  Malik 
to  get  together  for  talks  in  the  Cordier 
home.  In  the  1956  Suez  Crisis  he  spent  five 
hours  in  Cairo  convincing  Egypt's  Presi- 
dent Nasser  to  accept  a  Cordier  formula 
for  use  of  ships  in  the  canal.  He  also 
worked  alongside  Secretary  General  Dag 
Hammerskjold  in  the  1960-61  Congo  crisis. 

After  Hammerskjold's  death  (which  Dr. 
Cordier  believed  to  the  end  was  no  acci- 
dent) he  practically  ran  the  world  organiza- 
tion (or  so  the  Russians  complained)  until 
Hammerskjold's  successor,  U  Thant,  was 
named.  Then  Dr.  Cordier  left  the  UN, 
holding  the  formal  title  of  Under  Secretary. 
He  joined  Columbia  University  as  head  of 
the  School  of  International  Affairs.  He  ex- 
pected to  find  Columbia  a  haven  of  calm 
after  his  UN  career,  but  student  ferment 
for  administrative  reform  soon  became  evi- 
dent at  Columbia.  Agitation  led  to  tumult 
and  violent  outburst  in  1968,  and  Dr.  Cor- 
dier was  named  acting  president  of  the 


university  to  deal  with  the  crisis.  With  calm 
persistence  he  succeeded  in  taking  the  edge 
off  student  radicalism  at  Columbia  and 
continued  in  office  until  November,  1970, 
as  full  president. 

Dr.  Cordier  was  in  Europe  interviewing 
former  colleagues,  preparatory  to  writing  a 
book  of  his  United  Nations  memoirs,  when 
his  final  illness  forced  his  return  to  the  US. 
That  book  would  have  spoken  of  ex- 
periences all  over  the  world,  and,  indeed. 
Dr.  Cordier,  as  an  ordained  Brethren 
minister,  considered  that  world  as  his 
parish.  But  his  devotion  to  the  historic 


peace  church  that  nourished  him  never 
diminished  despite  the  spate  of  urgent 
demands  and  duties  that  he  responded  to 
in  his  long  career. 

Andrew  Cordier  has  been  called  home, 
and  the  Brethren,  poorer  and  richer  at  the 
same  time,  cannot  do  less  than  emulate  the 
example  he  set  in  service  to  God  and  neigh- 
bor. What  he  said  of  Dag  Hammerskjold 
can  as  appropriately  be  said  of  him:  "No 
memorial  in  concrete  or  marble  would  be 
suitable.  An  appropriate  memorial  has  to 
be  something  to  perpetuate  the  work  he  did 
for  a  better  and  more  stable  world."  G 


The  wit  and  wisdom  of  Andrew  Cordier 

•  All  my  life  I've  been  student-oriented.  It's  in  my  bones. 

•  Anger  is  a  normal  human  emotion,  but  that  emotion  should  not  be  resorted  to.  It 
should,  in  fact,  be  curbed  and  harnessed  and  checked  as  much  as  possible. 

•  We  in  the  western  world  have  spent  much  more  time  on  the  philosophy  of  giving 
than  we  have  on  the  problem  of  receiving. 

•  Agam  and  again  one  could  sit  at  the  feet  of  black  people,  yellow  people,  and 
brown  people  and  receive  from  them  insights  into  life,  knowledge,  inspiration,  un- 
derstanding, and  comprehension  into  the  meaning  of  life. 

•  The  teachings  of  Jesus  are  a  practical  down-to-earth  guide  for  the  solution  of 
every  human  problem. 

•  You  can  be  firm — very  firm — in  international  diplomacy  and  still  be  fair,  honest, 
and  above-board. 

•  If  your  opponents  are  devious  and  dishonest,  you  do  not  need  to  abandon  your 
own  moral  principles  to  counter  them. 

•  I  sometimes  wonder  if  people  deserve  peace,  they  are  willing  to  do  so  little 
toward  it. 

•  Utter  sincerity,  utter  fairness,  and  utter  integrity  are  basic  to  communication  and 
I  first  learned  them  as  prior  conditions  to  coming  to  the  love  feast  table. 

•  How  one  can  escape  from  the  world,  I  don't  know.  It  isn't  a  matter  of  being  in- 
fluenced by  the  establishment;  it's  a  matter  of  influencing  the  establishment. 

•  We  don't  believe  in  peace,  actually,  with  our  whole  souls,  hearts,  and  minds.  Our 
responsibility  must  be  not  alone  the  proclamation  of  peace,  but  the  deeds  and  at- 
titudes of  peace. 

•  Looking  over  one's  shoulder  to  make  sure  that  others  are  making  parallel 
sacrifices  will  always  assure  defeat. 

•  In  war  we  make  the  greatest  sacrifices  gladly;  in  peace  we  complain  of  the 
smallest,  most  insignificant  sacrifice. 


October  1975  messenger  29 


Dsltl^S[r^ 


DECORUM  AT  CONFERENCE 

May  I  use  the  Letters  column  to  express  a 
serious  concern  or  two  regarding  Annual  Con- 
ference? 

My  first  concern  is  about  decorum.  It  has 
always  been  difficult  to  maintain  a  spirit  of 
respectful  attention  during  business  sessions  and 
an  attitude  of  reverence  during  worship  services 
at  Conference.  For  some  years  there  seemed  to 
be  much  improvement.  But  this  year's  con- 
ference hit  a  new  low.  It  is  good  to  have  many 
young  persons  attending  Conference.  But 
wandering  in  and  out  eating  and  drinking, 
wearing  dirty  jeans,  and  young  men  wearing 
status  symbol  hats  during  the  sessions  is  offen- 
sive. 

Even  more  offensive  is  the  practice  of 
applauding.  The  moderator  rightly  asked  that  it 
be  stopped  during  discussions.  But  when 
applause  breaks  out  after  anthems  and  sermons, 
it  is  utter  rudeness.  Anthems  and  sermons  are 
not  performances;  they  are  acts  of  worship 
directed  to  God  in  any  worship  service,  whether 
in  the  home  church  or  in  a  great  auditorium  at 
Conference.  I  urge  that  Central  Committee  take 
steps  to  insure  that  the  atmosphere  of  true 
worship  prevail! 

And  I  miss  great  preaching  at  Conference. 
Surely  we  have  enough  truly  excellent  preachers 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  among  the 
honored  guests  whom  we  invite  to  bring 
prophetic  messages  that  we  have  a  right  to  ex- 
pect powerful  sermons  every  day,  and  not  only 
as  Moderators"  addresses  and  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing. The  same  is  true  of  worship  leaders. 

Finally,  the  quality  and  inspirational  value  of 
worship  times  and  sermons  does  not  depend  on 
great  length!  Let's  keep  them  within  limits. 

Edward  K.  Ziegler 
Woodsboro,  Md. 

BEHAVIOR  MODIFICATION'  MISNOMER 

I  was  very  pleased  to  read  in  the  May 
Messenger  that  the  church  is  taking  a  stand  on 
the  issue  of  criminal  justice  reform. 

I'm  sure  that  many  of  us  share  the  concerns 
expressed  in  the  report  of  the  task  force,  and  the 
committee  members  should  be  commended  for 
presenting  a  list  of  positive  alternatives  along 
with  their  expressions  of  concern. 

I  was  a  bit  concerned  over  one  recommenda- 
tion, however.  The  statement  concerning  the  use 
of  "behavior  modification  methods  such  as 
shock  and  drug  therapy  ..."  was  of  particular 
concern  to  me,  since  as  a  graduate  student  m 
psychology  I  have  devoted  much  of  my  study  to 
learning  the  principles  and  techniques  of 
behavior  modification. 

The  term,  behavior  modification,  has  been 
grossly  misused  of  recent;  and  one  of  the 
greatest  misuses  has  been  to  label  traditional 
drug  and  shock  therapy  as  behavior  modifica- 
tion. These  are  the  tools  of  traditional  psy- 
chiatry, noi  the  behavior  modifier. 

The  term,  behavior  modification,  when  cor- 
rectly used,  implies  the  application  of  the  prin- 


ciples of  social  learning  theory  to  changing 
behavior.  The  philosophy  behind  behavior 
modification  seems  to  me  to  be  a  very  hopeful 
one;  it  says  simply  that  all  behavior  is  learned, 
including  maladaptive  behavior.  It  follows  then 
that  we  can  teach  the  criminal  offender  socially 
appropriate  behaviors  to  replace  inappropriate 
behavior. 

Janice  Siegel 
Logan,  Utah 

ARE  WE  ENTITLED  TO  KILL? 

I  read  with  interest  your  editorial  in  the 
August  Messenger  regarding  gun  control.  You 
have  made  many  laudable  but  Utopian 
statements.  While  a  society  with  absolutely  no 
weapons  would  be  wonderful  this  is  absolutely 
impossible.  Someone  can  always  manufacture  a 
bomb,  a  knife,  or  a  gun  in  his  basement. 

In  the  Bible  we  read  of  a  large  army  being 
decimated  by  a  man  wielding  the  jawbone  of  an 
ass.  This  act  of  course  was  done  in  righteous  in- 
dignation. But  are  we  not  entitled  to  this  same 
course  to  protect  our  loved  ones  and  property? 

I  served  for  seven  years  as  a  police  officer  and 
can  testify  that  the  real  reason  for  the  prolifera- 
tion of  crime  and  violence  are  the  organizations 
and  the  judiciary.  The  soft  approach  that  is 
taken  in  the  punishment  of  criminals,  who  are 
largely  not  rehabilitable,  contributes  to  repeat 
crimes. 

It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  a  weapon  in  the 
homes  of  many  Americans  is  a  deterrent  to 
crime  and  to  the  takeover  of  the  country  by  any 
force  from  within. 

A  fresh  appraisal  is  indeed  needed  but  I  have 
yet  to  see  one  that  will  work. 

William  C.  Bard 
Lancaster,  Pa. 

A  PARADIGM  OF  UNEASINESS 

The  Pastor's  Association  meeting  at  Dayton 
had  a  strong  endorsement  for  story-shaping 
stories  (paradigms — experiences  that  "dictate" 
meaning).  The  Bethany  land  sale  decision  also 
has  story-shaping  story  power. 

One  printed  evaluation  for  example  regards 
the  denomination  being  left  "immeasurably 
wealthier  in  democratic  wisdom  and  Christian 
freedom."  Others  have  seen  it  as  a  vote  against 
scholarship  aid  for  needy  students  who  will  in- 
creasingly work  more  and  study  less,  if  not  drop 
out  or  not  attend,  and  as  a  vote  that  ties  up 
funds  that  would  have  provided  needed  im- 
provement and  teaching  aids,  as  monies  that 
would  have  bolstered  small  reserves  or  that 
would  have  been  otherwise  available  for  world 
ministries. 

This  story-shaping  story  focus  in  the  land  sale 
should  obviously  not  be  either  the  twenty  Cana- 
dian geese  and  the  two  lakes  or  whether  the  Oak 
Brook  community  could  get  by  with  a  few  less 
stores.  Those  who  voted  against  the  land  sale 
will  likely  continue  to  see  this  occasion  as  the 
time  when  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  decided  it 
would   support   the  seminary  without  reserves. 


And  the  majority  of  delegates,  board  members, 
faculty  and  students,  area  councils,  and  con- 
stituency who  were  for  the  sale  will  likely  con- 
tinue to  be  haunted  by  what  was  judged  as  a 
basic  issue:  whether  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
can  justify  to  itself  its  theological  students,  its 
needy  society,  its  concerned  Christ  having 
$1,137,500.00  in  tied-up  funds. 

Theirs  is  a  paradigm  of  uneasiness  and  tension 
that  they  need  not  bury  or  forget  lest  the  church 
in  having  saved  some  property  lost  some  soul. 
LeRoy  E.  Kennel 
Lombard,  111. 

REMEMBERING  ELDER  SWALLOW 

I  just  finished  reading  the  article  (July 
Messenger)  on  James  F.  Swallow.  1  knew  him 
well  in  the  fairly  early  1900s  and  admired  him 
for  his  sincerity  and  natural  ability  to  speak.  I 
often  wondered  what  had  become  of  him.  1 
loved  his  wife,  Ann.  too.  He  held  meetings  in 
two  churches  for  us  and  lived  in  our  home  most 
of  the  time.  One  meeting  was  in  the  Salem 
church  in  Iowa,  where  we  were,  and  one  in  Mt. 
Etna,  Iowa,  where  my  husband  (S.  Leslie  Cover) 
was  elder. 

Elder  Swallow  held  many  revivals,  all  over  the 
United  States. 

DuLciE  Cover 
Sebring.  Fla. 

OPPONENTS  OF  EQUAL  RIGHTS 

I  want  to  congratulate  you  for  a  "first" — the 
article  published  in  the  June  Messenger  entitled 
"Equal  rights  passage  hits  rough  sledding." 

Since  your  listing  of  the  groups  opposed  to 
the  ERA  seemed  very  limited  as  compared  to  the 
list  you  showed  as  being  proponents.  I  herewith 
submit  a  partial  and  longer  list  of  opponents  for 
your  reference: 

From  Vol.  7,  No.  12,  Section  2.  July  1974 
Schlafly  Report.  Here  is  a  partial  list  of 
organizations  which  have  taken  a  position 
against  ERA  or  defeated  a  convention  motion  to 
support  ERA.  Many  of  them  are  very  large 
organizations;  some  are  10  to  30  times  the  size  of 
most  of  the  pro-ERA  organizations: 

National  Council  of  Catholic  Women. 
Southern  Baptist  Association.  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution.  Illinois  Federation  of 
Women's  Clubs.  Illinois  Congress  of  Parents 
and  Teachers. 

Virginia  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs.  Fami- 
ly Preservation  League.  Rabbinical  Society  of 
America.  Women  in  Industry,  Inc.  National 
Stop  ERA. 

National  Association  of  Pro  America. 
National  Coalition  of  Accountability.  Farm 
Bureau  —  Florida,  Missouri,  Oklahoma.  Women 
for  Responsible  Legislation.  AWARE.  Dade 
County  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs. 

Happiness  of  Womanhood.  Right  to  be  a 
Woman,  Inc.  Homemakers  United  Efforts. 
Democratic  Women's  Clubs  of  Florida. 
Federations  of  Republican  Women's  Clubs  in  25 
States.  National  Association  of  Orthodox  Rab- 


30  MESSENGER  October  1975 


bis.  League  of  Large  Families.  Women  for  Con- 
stitutional Government. 

National  Federation  of  Young  Republicans. 
Young  Americans  for  Freedom.  Minnesota 
Knights  of  Columbus.  Virginia  Taxpayers 
Association.  Women's  Anti-Liberation  League. 

One  point  you  failed  to  make  is  that  both  the 
proponents  and  opponents  agree  that  women 
will  be  subject  to  military  service  on  the  same 
basis  as  men.  This  is  my  strong  opposition  to 
this  dangerous  amendment  and  should  by  all 
means  be  yours  as  members  of  a  pacifist  church. 
I  couldn't  care  less  if  they  want  to  use  the  same 
restrooms — at  least  in  that  they  would  have  a 
choice — but  the  military  angle  there  is  no 
choice. 

And  1  along  with  the  opposition  resent  the 
furtherance  of  federal  bureaucracy  in  our  lives  in 
telling  us  what  we  have  to  do  and  using  the  stick 
of  a  constitutional  amendment  to  obtain  it. 

Mrs.  Alden  Bowman 
Edinburg,  Va. 

A  SETTING  APART  TIME 

I  was  delighted  to  see  the  article  on  the 
seminary  in  the  June  Messenger. 

We  recently  attended  a  Ministers  and  Wives 
Seminar  at  Bethany,  another  outstanding  and 
vital  area  of  Bethany's  ministry. 

The  setting  apart  time,  together  as  couples,  to 
center  in.  to  be  open,  to  listen,  to  confront  and 
talk  about  the  leading  of  the  Spirit  . . . 
TREMENDOUS! 

I  "wish"  this  seminary  experience  for  each 
minister  and  wife  in  our  Brotherhood. 

Praise  the  Lord  for  David  Wieand,  our  leader, 
who  has  the  unique  gift  of  being  attuned. 

Please  continue  to  make  this  available. 

Jean  Smith 
Plymouth,  Indiana 

PERFECTION  OR  COINCIDENCE? 

What  a  delightful  sketcher  Ken  Stanley  is! 

The  August  Messenger  cover  and  the  article 
inside  entitled  "Lovest  Thou  Thee?"  was  the 
most  perfect  symbiosis  of  outside  cover  and  in- 
side coverage  I  have  seen  in  a  long  time  . . .  was 
it  planned  perfection  or  coincidence? 

Marie  Brunton 
Portland,  Ore. 

HOPE  STILL  BEFORE  US 

I  found  a  moth  cocoon  last  February  while 
Dad  (Edward  Kintner;  see  "The  hope  before  us, " 
August  Messenger,  page  38)  was  in  the  hospital. 
I  asked  him  if  it  was  still  viable.  "I  don't  know," 
he  said.  "Of  course  you  can  put  it  aside  and 
eventually  find  out." 

1  put  it  aside  and,  preoccupied  with  Dad's  ter- 
minal illness  in  April,  forgot  it.  One  May  day  I 
was  surprised  to  see  a  cecropia  moth  flying  in 
my  room.  It  was  so  very  much  alive  and 
beautiful.  The  implication  of  a  form  of  resurrec- 
tion was  very  easy  for  me  to  see. 

Burton  Kintner 
Elkhart,  Ind. 


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255  JEFFERSON  AVE.  SE..  GRAND  RAPIDS.  MICH.  49502 


October  1975  messenger  31 


h(mr<B  D 


On  democracy,  meditation,  wholeness 


Paul  W.  Keller 

Democratic  tilt 
seen  at  Dayton 

From  the  platform,  the  business  sessions  of 
the  Dayton  Annual  Conference  probably 
looked  very  much  like  any  Conference  in 
years  past.  But  it  seemed  to  me  there  was 
more  than  met  the  eye.  There  were  good 
and  valid  reasons  for  needing  that  extra 
business  session  on  Saturday.  It  may  be  we 
needed  even  more  time. 

The  truth  seems  to  be  that  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  is  becoming  democratic,  at 
least  in  the  handling  of  its  official  business. 
We  have  talked  about  ourselves  in  those 
terms  for  years.  We  have  made  a  great  deal 
of  the  fact  that  our  local  congregations  are 
autonomous,  and  that  the  church  has  no 
hierarchy  of  bishops.  But  we  have  steadily 
depended  on  the  voices  of  a  prophetic  few 
to  guide  us,  and  when  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee has  spoken,  its  wisdom  has  seldom 
been  questioned. 

The  Dayton  conference  seemed  further 
evidence  that  there  is  a  new  day  a-comin'. 
Some  voices  were  heard  repeatedly  at  this 
Conference,  but  very  few.  There  were,  on 
the  other  hand,  more  youth  at  the 
microphones,  more  women,  and  more  first- 
time  delegates  than  in  "the  old  days."  What 
is  probably  more  important,  no  issues  that 
came  to  the  floor  was  treated  by  delegates 
as  if  they  were  there  simply  to  rubber 
stamp  it. 

Between  sessions  one  day,  a  delegate  said 
something  like  this  to  me:  "You  watch 
what  happens  to  any  amendments  that 
come  to  the  floor.  They  may  be  discussed, 
but  the  delegates  will  end  up  doing 
whatever  they  think  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee or  the  General  Board  wants  them  to 
do."  On  that  hunch  I  watched,  during  a 
part  of  Saturday's  sessions,  the  fate  of  all 

To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those  in 
the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or  disagree 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation  of  this 
value,  and  to  an  open  and  probing  forum, 
that  "Here  I  Stand"  responses  are  invited. 


32  MESSENGER  October  1975 


amendments  offered.  Twelve  were  offered. 
Six  passed  and  six  were  defeated.  On  none 
of  them  could  the  influence  of  some 
previous  decision  be  said  to  have  deter- 
mined the  vote.  People,  it  seemed  to  me, 
were  listening  to  all  arguments  and  then 
making  up  their  minds  as  best  they  could. 
In  some  cases,  the  discussion  left  an  issue 
less  than  clear,  but  the  delegates  voted  by 
the  best  light  they  had.  If  rubber  stamp 
voting  was  part  of  our  past,  it  is  not  part  of 
our  present. 

So  democracy,  it  appears,  is  coming  to 
the  Brethren.  And  the  irony  is  that  the 
more  we  succeed  at  it,  the  harder  we  make 
it  for  ourselves.  It  takes  longer  with  every 
issue,  and  that  produces  a  time  squeeze, 
and  the  time  squeeze  leads  to  hurried,  in- 
complete discussion.  I  noticed  that  one 
delegate  voted  against  every  motion  for  the 
"previous  question,"  apparently  on  the 
conviction  that  everyone  who  wanted  to  be 
heard  should  be  heard.  But  the  clock  can 
say  "no"  to  what  the  heart  and  mind  say 
"yes." 

Our  task  for  the  future  is  to  cut  down 
the  agenda,  and  some  of  the  formalities 
that  go  with  it,  so  that  the  important  issues 
can  be  open  to  full  and  free  debate. 

There  is  much  in  our  tradition  we  can  be 
very  proud  of.  The  debate  at  Dayton  was 
vigorous  and  responsible.  There  were  a 
great  many  speeches  based  on  careful  in- 
formation and  thoughtful  analysis. 

There  are  some  stern  tests  ahead,  I 
suspect,  before  we  will  know  whether  we 
can  combine  democracy  and  Christian  love 
and  charity.  The  calm  sensitivity  of  the 
Moderator,  and  the  sense  of  family  among 
the  delegates  at  Dayton,  can  now  be  seen 
as  hopeful  harbingers.  □ 

Joel  Eikenberry 

Use  'meditation' 
to  find  God 

"Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am  God  ..." 
(Psalms  46:10).  Although  I  was  taught  that 
verse  as  a  child,  I  never  was  taught  how  to 
be  still  and  know  of  God.  I  think  that 
many  Christians  could  benefit  from 
assistance  in  the  practice  of  listening  and 


being  still.  1  say  this  based  on  my  own  ex- 
perience, for  I  have  been  greatly 
strengthened  and  have  discovered  a  much 
more  fulfilling  life  by  spending  time  to  be 
still  and  listen.  This  does  not  consist  solely 
of  reading  a  meditational  passage  and 
spending  a  few  minutes  in  prayer  (especial- 
ly if  the  prayer  is  me  doing  all  the  talking). 
It  may  start  with  that.  I  spend  a  time  after 
that,  anywhere  from  five  to  forty-five 
minutes  and  beyond.  A  time  to  listen  and 
receive  the  peace  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  I  call  it 
"meditation." 

I  am  the  son  of  missionaries  and  have 
been  exposed  to  worship  and  personal 
devotions  of  many  types  since  I  was  young. 
I  think  that  I  probably  have  had  more 
training  than  most  Christians  in  how  to 
pray  and  what  prayer  can  do  and  mean. 
Yet  I  know  that  I  have  felt  great  deficits  in 
my  prayer  life  at  different  times  and  have 
been  helped  by  the  shared  thoughts  and  ex- 
periences of  others.  I  have  had  virtually  no 
training  in  how  to  be  still,  to  be  quiet,  and 
to  sense  the  presence  of  God.  No  training 
was  given  or  offered  in  how  to  listen  and  to 
receive  the  outflowing  of  God's  strength 
and  love.  What  do  you  do?  What  should  or 
could  be  expected?  How  can  this  be  a 
meaningful  part  of  your  spiritual  life?  1 
suspect  most  Christians  have  had  no  more 
training  than  I  have  in  these  aspects. 

Though  I  had  been  active  in  youth 
leadership  in  high  school,  in  college  I  had  a 
time  of  rebellion.  In  many  ways  I  suppose 
that  rebellion  has  not  yet  passed  complete- 
ly, nor  am  I  sure  I  ever  want  it  to.  I  had  a 
time  when  I  turned  away  from  the  church 
completely,  because  I  could  not  find  mean- 
ing in  the  practices  and  tenets  expounded. 
This  is  not  a  unique  experience  to  me.  of 
course.  Over  a  period  of  years,  I  struggled 
on  and  off  to  find  what  was  meaningful  to 
me.  What  beliefs  were  valid? 

Along  the  way  I  have  found  myself  drift- 
ing back  toward  the  Christian  faith,  though 
it  is  modified  considerably  from  the  faith  I 
grew  up  with.  Along  the  way,  pieces  of 
many  philosophies  have  been  considered 
and  some  incorporated  in  my  set  of  beliefs. 
Several  worship  and  devotional  forms  were 
tried,  and  some  have  been  retained. 

TTie  practice  that  I  have  adopted  and 
which  has  helped  me  as  much  or  more  than 
any  other  has  been  the  practice  of  "medita- 


tion."  I  started  off  on  my  own  with  no  in- 
structor, because  I  had  seen  it  help  others. 
I  had  read  a  little  about  it,  and  that  was  the 
basis  for  what  I  did.  Somewhat  to  my  sur- 
prise, I  felt  that  it  helped  me  to  be  more 
peaceful,  more  loving,  more  Christlike 
almost  right  away. 

Since  that  start  I  have  had  contacts  and 
sharing  with  others  who  have  had  much 
more  experience  than  I,  and  have  learned 
from  them.  With  patience  and  experience, 
the  "meditation"  has  continued  to  get 
better  for  me  and  to  provide  a  deeper  sense 
of  peace  and  alignment  with  God's  will. 

It  is  the  joy,  the  growth  in  spirit,  the 
satisfaction,  the  peace  and  the 
meaningfulness  of  this  experience  for  me 
that  makes  me  want  to  share  it  with  others. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  have  my  particular  set 
of  beliefs,  nor  any  particular  creed.  This 
could  be  a  valuable  tool  for  all  people,  1 
feel,  but  Christians  have  not  been  exposed 
to  it  very  much  in  the  past. 

Although  I  have  had  some  assistance 
and  some  ideas  provided  by  others,  my 
practices  in  "meditation"  are  unique  to  me. 
They  always  will  be  because  I  am  unique. 
Just  as  not  everyone  finds  satisfaction  with 
the  same  liturgy  or  worship  experience,  so 
not  everyone  will  have  the  same  form  for 
"meditation."  There  is  no  one  way  that  is 
"right,"  and  that  should  therefore  be 
taught.  Rather  I  think  that  this  practice 
will  be  developed  and  changed  by  in- 
dividuals to  suit  their  own  needs, 
background,  and  expectations. 

Many  people  will  find  it  a  valuable  tool, 
but  they  need  a  little  nudge  to  get  started. 
They  need  to  have  someone  suggest  a  start- 
ing point  and  to  show  them  that  they  too 
can  share  this  great  experience.  They  need 
to  consider  the  possibility,  not  as 
something  that  belongs  to  eastern  religions 
or  to  the  mystics,  but  as  a  valuable  practice 
for  themselves  as  Christians.  It  is  this  start, 
this  beginning  step,  that  I  feel  we  can  and 
should  help  with.  What  develops  from 
there  is  up  to  the  individual  involved. 

This  concept  is  a  little  bit  alien  to  the 
Christian's  experience — associated  with 
Eastern  religions  frequently.  Yet  it  is  found 
throughout  the  Christian  traditions  as  well. 
Many  of  the  monasteries  and  many  of  the 
great  leaders  of  the  church  past  and  pres- 
ent have  emphasized  the  need  for  a  time  of 
quiet  in  which  to  "draw  nigh  to  God." 
They  have  spent  long  times  themselves 
alone  with  God  in  prayer  and  meditation. 


Now-a  revised  edition  of 
WILLIAM  BARCLAY'S 

I>\ILySTUD^ 
BIBiJB 


The  famous 
seventeen-volume  set 
of  New  Testament  commentaries 
that  Christians  everywhere  have 
found  an  indispensable  aid  to 
devotional  reading  and  Bible 
study.  Ten  of  the  revised  seven- 
teen volumes  will  be  available  by 
the  end  of  1975.  This  edition  is 
reset  in  new  type,  and  available 
in  a  choice  of  two  formats: 
Hardbound  Deluxe  @  $6.25; 
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\V 


READY  NOW 

The  Gospel  of  Matthew,  Vol.  1 

The  Gospel  of  Matthew,  Vol.  2 

The  Gospel  of  Mark 

The  Gospel  of  Luke 

The  Gospel  of  John,  Vol.  1 

The  Gospel  of  John,  Vol.  2 

LATE  FALL  1975 

The  Letter  to  the  Romans 
The  Letters  to  the  Corinthians 
The  Letters  to  the  Philippians, 
Colossians,  and  Thessalonians 
The  Letters  to  Timothy,  Titus, 
and  Philemon 

SPRING  1976 

The  Letter  to  the  Hebrews 
The  Letters  of  James  and  Peter 
The  Letters  of  John  and  Jude 
The  Revelation  of  John,  Vol.  1 
The  Revelation  of  John,  Vol.  2 

FALL  1976 

The  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
The  Letters  to  the  Galatians 
and  Ephesians 


From  this  was  gained  strength  and  peace  to 
face  the  day  and  show  forth  God's  love  in 
all  they  did. 

In  some  instances  they  felt  they  received 
directly  inspired  messages  or  thoughts.  But 
the  emphasis  for  ordinary  Christians  has 
not  been  along  this  line  so  much.  This  is 
especially  true  I  think  for  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  Corporate  worship,  Bible 
study,  and  outreach  and  action  programs 
have  been  emphasized  instead.  These 
are  valuable  and  should  be  done,  but 
the  inner  person  and  his  spiritual  develop- 


ment is  equally  important. 

The  idea  of  meditation  is  now  becoming 
more  common  in  the  US  as  a  result  of  the 
importation  of  oriental  meditation  forms. 
The  Christian  can  learn  much  from  these. 
They  do  not  teach  a  theology,  but  rather  a 
method  of  quieting  the  mind  and  listening 
with  the  soul.  They  teach  how  to  become 
calm,  to  be  at  peace,  and  to  be  more  lov- 
ing. These  traits  are  something  that  I  know 
I  can  use,  and  I  think  most  of  us  can.  The 
ideas  are  just  as  applicable  to  the  Christian 
faith  and  practice  as  to  other  rehgions.  D 


October  1975  messenger  3?. 


"Dawn  People"  on  Film 

A  14-minute  color  sound  film  based 
on  the  text  that  appears  at  the  opening 
of  this  issue  is  available  for  rental. 

The  statement  was  drafted  by 
Gabriel  Fackre,  professor  of  theology 
at  Andover-Newton  Theological 
School,  Andover,  Mass.,  while  en- 
gaged as  consultant  to  the  United 
Church  of  Christ  Board  for  Homeland 
Ministries.  The  statement  is  among  the 
study  resources  provided  to  delegates 
preparing  for  the  upcoming  Fifth 
Assembly  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches. 

Rental  of  the  16  mm  film  is  $10. 
Order  from  600  Grand  Ave., 
Ridgefield,  N.J.  07657. 

A  set  of  24  slides,  to  be  augmented 
with  scenes  of  local  parish  life,  has 
also  been  developed  from  the  state- 
ment, "Dawn  People."  The  cost  is  $10. 
Order  from  J.  Alan  McLean,  Board 
for  Homeland  Ministries,  287  Park 
Ave.  S.,  New  York,  New  York  10010. 


m  fSe  i^ttd 


Glenn  H.  Asquith 
"FoolprJpts  of  others 
j;risscrqss  my  daily  path 
"  and  my  footprints-are 
found  by  others.  ..." 

J.  .-  .  writes  Glenn  H.  Asquith  in 
these  challenging  meditations 
urging  us  to  look  outward  from 
our  Awn  little  personal  worlds  and  . 
see  with  sympathetic  understand- 
ing the  needs,  desires,  hopes  and 
fears  that  we  all  share  in  common 
with  every  human  being  in  God's 
world.  Excellent  for  group  dis- 
cussion as  well  as  personal  medi- 
tation. Paper,  $2.95 

At  your  bookstore  or  write  to: 

ifpJUDSON  PRESS 

^11 1       VALLEY  FORCE  Pa  19481 


34  MESSENGER  October  1975 


[hsD^s  D 


Nelda  Rhoades 

The  whole  person 
active  in  worship 

In  his  article  on  glossolalia,  (July 
Messenger)  Matt  Meyer  warns  against  the 
tendency  to  become  very  judgmental,  from 
both  sides  of  the  issue.  In  looking  at  Paul's 
letter  to  the  Corinthians,  we  find  that  he 
was  writing  to  groups  that  were  causing 
great  division  due  to  judgmental 
differences  in  connection  with  the  gift  of 
tongues. 

In  chapter  12  of  1  Corinthians  he  dis- 
cusses some  of  the  various  gifts  and  the 
variety  this  gives  to  the  body.  In  chapter  13 
he  goes  into  a  special  discussion  of  the 
greatest  of  gifts,  love.  As  he  comes  to 
chapter  14  he  returns  to  the  more  general 
discussion  of  gifts  he  had  been  about 
earlier. 

From  Paul's  discussion  it  is  evident  that 
some  of  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit  are  present  in 
Corinth.  These  are  actually  causing 
divisions  rather  than  greater  unity.  This 
division  is  bringing  disorder  to  worship 
and  Paul  gives  some  guidelines  that  will 
help  to  bring  order  to  their  worship  so  the 

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colour  slides,  offering  good  coverage  of  the 
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historical  interest.  Also  available  is  a  com- 
plete slide  program  of  the  Holy  Land  with 
both  taped  and  written  commentary,  which 
is  Ideal  for  churches,  ministers,  etc.  For  free 
details  write:  Fauth  (Dept.  N),  P.O.  Box 
10373,  Jerusalem,  Israel. 

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stroke  condition.  If  couple,  outside  work 
available.  D.  S.  Houser,  24641  Riley  Road, 
Norfh  Liberty,  Ind.  46554.  Tel.  (219)  656- 
4469. 

TRAVEL— with  the  Richard  Wengers  on  a  Bi- 
ble Lands  Journey  to  "the  cradle  and  people 
of  our  faith."  10-day  tour  to  Jordan,  Israel 
and  Egypt  departs  March  1,  1976  from  New 
York  $899.  Discounts  negotiable  for  con- 
gregations paying  pastors  and  wives  tour. 
Write:  Richard  Wenger,  805  Stanford  Ave., 
Johnstown,  Pa.  15905  or  call  collect  814- 
255-3657. 

INVITATION  — If  you  are  planning  a  trip  to 
Florida,  why  not  worship  with  us?  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  7040-38th  Ave.  No., 
St.  Petersburg,  Fla.  33710.  Phone  341-3561. 
Sunday  School  9:15  A.M.  Morning  Worship 
10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor. 


whole  community  may  be  benefited.  Paul 
shows  his  reasons  by  using  the  gifts  of 
tongues  and  prophecy  as  an  example, 
emphasizing  prophecy  as  the  greater  gift  in 
worship  (I  Cor.  14:5). 

As  we  look  closer  at  some  of  the  verses 
in  chapter  14,  we  see  that  Paul  is  writing  of 
the  importance  of  the  whole  being  to  be  in- 
volved in  worship.  Yet  he  wants  them  to  be 
aware  of  what  is  going  to  be  of  benefit  to 
the  total  community.  He  can  identify  with 
those  who  speak  in  tongues  but  he  wants 
them  to  be  aware  of  the  greater  concerns 
for  the  entire  church. 

In  Corinth  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
emphasis  on  the  experiential.  The  Christians 
at  Corinth  were  finding  this  in  an  acceptable 
form  through  speaking  in  tongues.  It  seems 
however,  that  it  had  become  such  an  impor- 
tant thing  to  individuals  that  they  were  doing 
it  without  consideration  for  others.  (Perhaps 
even  insisting  all  Christians  must  do  this.) 
This  one  gift  does  not  dare  be  set  up  as  the 
gift  for  all  and  Paul  is  trying  to  show  them 
this(l  Cor.  12:8-11). 

Paul  is  not  trying  to  say  that  tongues  is 
wrong  and  to  be  ruled  out  entirely.  He  has 
the  gift  of  tongues  (14:18)  and  knows  that 
there  is  value  in  this  gift  as  in  other  gifts 
(14:4).  He  wants  rather  for  the  total  person 
to  be  involved  in  both  praying  and  singing 
(14:14-15).  Not  only  the  spirit  but  the 
whole  person  is  to  be  active  in  worship. 

Paul  does  not  put  down  tongues  but 
rather  tries  to  raise  up  the  good  of  the 
community.  The  Christian  is  to  be  most 
concerned  about  what  will  build  up  the 
body  (14:3-5,  7,  12).  To  do  this,  it  is  impor- 
tant to  speak  so  that  others  can  learn  from 
what  you  say.  Paul  sees  this  teaching  as  an 
important  part  of  the  gathered  community. 
Anything  that  might  hinder  this  growth 
process  is  better  left  for  private  benefit. 

Paul  points  up  the  greater  value  that 
comes  when  all  of  God's  gifts  are  put 
together.  (Notice  the  inclusiveness  of  his 
list  of  the  elements  of  worship.  14:26-33) 
This  is  true  also  for  the  individual  who  uses 
the  mind  and  not  only  the  spirit.  Five 
words  of  the  whole  person  is  of  much 
greater  worth  to  the  body  of  Christ  than 
tens  of  thousands  of  words  without. 

"...  but  in  a  gathering  I  wish  to  speak 
five  words  with  my  understanding,  that 
I  may  instruct  others  too,  rather  than 
ten  thousand  words  in  a  tongue,"  (I  Cor. 

14-19).  n 


1^[La[r[n]D[n]gj  pcDDOiil^^ 


Pastoral 
Placements 

S.  La  Verne  Hinson,  from  secular 
to  Decatur,  Illinois/ Wisconsin 

Fred  A.  Jordan  Sr.,  from  secular. 
to  Trinity,  Virlina 

J.  Ronald  Mummert,  from 
Middletown,  Southern  Ohio,  to 
New  Enterprise,  Middle  Penn- 
sylvania 

Tom  Shannon,  from  Canton, 
Maple  Ave.,  Northern  Ohio,  to 
Alliance.  Northern  Ohio 

Clarence  D.  Sink,  from  Elkhart 
City,  Northern  Indiana.  to 
Middlebury,  Northern  Indiana 


Wedding 
Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rolla  Etter,  Pan- 
dora, Ohio,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Forror,  El 
Cajon,  Calif.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phares  Gross,  Hat- 
field, Pa.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray  Harris,  Can- 
do,  N.  Dak.,  52 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ben  Hepner,  La 
Verne,  Calif.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Merrill  King,  Peru, 
Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren  J.  Miller, 
Bremen,  Ind.,  54 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ezra  Mitchell, 
Floyd,  Va.,  61 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clifford  Neff,  Nap- 
panee,  Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  E.  Reed,  Alum 
Ridge,  Va.,  54 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norman  Schmidt, 
Modesto,  Calif.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alton  Sherred, 
Denver,  Colo.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell  Stubbs, 
Hagerstown,  Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  K.  Swank 
Sr.,  Sebring,  Fla.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harold  Vore, 
Lima,  Ohio,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  E.  Wakeman, 
Luray,  Va.,  57 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ralph  Wort,  Se- 
bring, Fla.,  51 


Deaths 

Sadie  Cox  Akers,  79,  Alum 
Ridge,  Va.,  May  6,  1975 

Luella  Akley,  Goshen,  Ind.,  Jan. 
15,  1975 

Orville  Albright,  52,  Roaring 
Spring,  Pa.,  May  17,  1975 

Hassell  Alley,  54,  Riner,  Va., 
June  3,  1975 

Albert  Anderson,  81,  Quinter, 
Kans.,  May  29,  1975 

Vernon  Baker,  88,  Doubs,  Md., 
June  24,  1975 

Ingeborg  Nybe  Nielsen  Esbensen 
Bendsen,  87,  Richmond,  Ind.,  June 
19,  1975 

Mary  Bestor,  99,  Rochester, 
Minn.,  May  17,  1975 

John  Brant  Sr.,  84,  Dallastown, 
Pa.,  May  26,  1975 


Giles  Broadwater,  61,  Harmony, 
Minn.,  May  12,  1975 

Melvin  Brown,  86,  Eldorado, 
Ohio,  May  30,  1975 

Alda  E.  Brunner,  64, 
Chambersburg,  Pa.,  May  30,  1975 

Ethel  Buterbaugh,  83, 

Chambersburg,  Pa.,  April  1,  1975 

Bessie  Butterbaugh,  83,  South 
Bend,  Ind.,  June  14,  1975 

Wanona  Carder,  58,  FisherviUe, 
Va.,  May  19,  1975 

Melvin  Chishoim,  67,  Garrett, 
Ind.,  May  16,  1975 

Ruth  S.  Coffman,  67,  White,  Pa., 
June  14,  1975 

Mary  Conrad,  Goshen,  Ind., 
Nov.  25,  1974 

Mary  Coy,  86,  Salem,  Ohio, 
March  30,  1975 

Mark  Cripe,  64,  La  Mesa,  Calif., 
May  4,  1975 

Harry  Dayton  Sr.,  67,  Windber, 
Pa..  April  3,  1975 

Floyd  Dutrow,  66,  Myersville, 
Md.,  April  5,  1975 

Lura  C.  Evans,  Goshen,  Ind., 
Nov.  30,  1974 

Dossie  Webb  Fewell,  94,  Peru, 
Ind.,  May  26,  1975 

Mrs.  Ocye  Fink,  88,  Mar- 
tinsburg.  Pa.,  June  12,  1975 

Susie  Fissgus,  Goshen,  Ind.,  Feb. 
2,  1975 

Charles  Fortune,  93,  Pontiac, 
Mich.,  April  19,  1975 

Minnie  Lee  Germaine,  52, 
Sebring,  Fla.,  June  13,  1975 

Alvia  Greer,  68,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  June  2,  1975 

Clayton  Greist,  York,  Pa.,  May 
16,  1975 

Bessie  Grossnickle,  87, 

Myersville,  Md.,  May  24,  1975 

Carrie  Grossnickle,  77,  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  May  26,  1975 

Nancy  Flory  Harris,  66,  Staun- 
ton, Va.,  May  18,  1975 

Henry  H.  Hauenstein,  79, 
Worthington,  Minn.,  June  16,  1975 

Earl  Hill,  64,  Windber,  Pa., 
March  21,  1975 

Hazel  Holsinger,  Eldorado, 
Ohio,  March  20,  1975 

Irvin  Hoover,  Battle  Creek, 
Mich.,  May  8,  1975 

Elton  Houston,  66,  In- 
dependence, Mo.,  May  21,  1975 

Ernest  Johnson,  75,  Girard,  III., 
May  25,  1975 

Clarence  Johnston,  83,  Waterloo, 
Iowa,  AprU  2,  1975 

Martin  L.  Keith  Sr.,  75,  Clover- 
dale,  Va.,  May  24,  1975 

Myron  Samuel  Kennedy, 
Goshen,  Ind.,  Sept.  21,  1974 

John  D.  Leight,  83, 

Chambersburg,  Pa.,  May  31,  1975 

Edward  W.  Lichty,  84,  Waterloo, 
Iowa,  May  9,  1975 

Paul  Lewis  Linkenhoker,  32, 
Alum  Ridge,  Va.,  Dec.  4,  1974 

Domer  Long  Sr.,  Goshen,  Ind., 
July  13,  1974 

Lillian  Allison  Longanecker,  57, 
Columbiana,  Ohio,  Dec.  15,  1974 

Deborah  E.  Lynch,  72, 
Wilmington,  E)el.,  June  13,  1975 

Lois    McQain,    73,    Richmond, 


Ind.,  June  5,  1975 

John  McKnight,  80,  Quinter, 
Kans.,  May  18,  1975 

Clark  Mead,  77,  Oakwood,  Ohio, 
April  1975 

John  Measel,  77,  Defiance,  Ohio, 
May  1975 

Blanche  Michael,  North 

Manchester,  Ind.,  June  8,  1975 

Edith  Miller.  86,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  May  9,  1975 

Lelia  Gentry  Miller,  80, 
Bridgewater,  Va.,  June  10,  1975 

Treva  Miller,  77,  Lewisburg, 
Ohio,  June  17,  1975 

Lester  Leroy  Murray,  70,  Omak, 
Wash.,  June  14,  1975 

Charles  Lynn  Myers,  76,  Mexico, 
Ind.,  June  25,  1975 

Chris  Myers,  85,  Loganville,  Pa., 
May  8,  1975 

James  Payne,  73,  Independence, 
Mo.,  May  22,  1975 

William  H.  Pearson,  82,  Broad 
Top  City,  Pa.,  May  24,  1975 

Russell  Pine,  63,  Columbiana, 
Ohio,  Feb.  28,  1975 

Elsie  Piatt,  82,  Cuyahoga  Falls, 
Ohio,  June  16,  1975 

Frieda  Rheinheimer,  Goshen, 
Ind.,  Jan.  16,  1975 

Mary  Rohrer,  94,  North  Lima, 
Ohio,  April  20,  1975 

Edith  Elizabeth  Pfoutz  Roop,  80, 
Linwood,  Md.,  Feb.  13,  1975 

Sarah  Rudisill,  93,  Troy,  Ohio, 
May  18.  1975 

Amandus  Sala,  Goshen,  Ind., 
June  23,  1974 

Mattie  Dulaney  Salmons,  59, 
Floyd,  Va.,  Dec.  22,  1974 

Edgar  Millard  Salmons,  62, 
Hoyd,  Va.,  Feb.  18,  1975 

Burton  K.  Sherrick,  72, 
Middleton,  Mich.,  May  19,  1975 

Roy  M.  Shreiner,  76, 
Chambersburg,  Pa.,  April  13,  1975 

Lester  Slough,  69,  Troy,  Ohio, 
June  11,  1975 

Clarence  O.  Smith,  Long  Beach, 
Calif,  May  28,  1975 

Virgil  Speelman,  68,  Akron, 
Ohio,  May  5,  1975 

Abraham  Stoner,  80,  Neffsville, 
Pa.,  May  5,  1975 

Harvey  Swihart,  74,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  May  18,  1975 

Aldiabelle  Tucker,  69,  Pontiac, 
Mich.,  May  13,  1975 

Warten  W.  Ulery,  Goshen,  Ind., 
May  19,  1975 

Minnie  Spade  VoUertsen,  83, 
Lititz,  Pa.,  June  7,  1975 

Philip  S.  Weller,  76,  Linwood, 
Md.,  Nov.  II,  1972 

Carrie  Werking,  74,  York,  Pa., 
June  5,  1975 

Edward  B.  Wingert,  79,  Green- 
castle,  Pa.,  June  18,  1975 

Ollie  Woodie,  82,  Greenville, 
Ohio,  June  15,  1975 

Mary  Ellen  Wren,  57,  De  Graff 
Ohio,  June  12,  1975 

Hazel  Bushnell  Wright,  81, 
Chaseley,  N.D.,  July  19,  1975 

Sarah  Spencer  Young,  88,  Rocky 
Mount,  Va.,  May  24,  1975 

Ruth  Phillips  Younkins,  81, 
Boonsboro,  Md.,  June  18,  1975 


r    That 
glorious  period 
of  Christian 
witness  and 


THE 

ANABAPTIST 

STORY 

by  William  R.  Estep 

Conrad  Grebei  insisted  that 
the  Reformers  had  not  gone 
far  enough  in  repudiating  the 
excesses  of  Roman  Catholi- 
cism. And  on  a  January  eve- 
ning 450  years  ago,  he  and  a 
dozen  men  of  like  conviction 
baptised  one  another — sig- 
naling their  break  with  Zwin- 
gli.  That  act  marked  the  birth 
of  Anabaptism — and  the  be- 
ginning of  a  long  succession 
of  martyrs. 

In  this  sympathetic  account, 
William  Estep  details  the 
growth  of  the  Anabaptist 
movement,  discusses  its  the- 
ology, its  agreements  and  dif- 
ferences with  Reformation 
doctrine,  and  assesses  its  im- 
pact on  the  contemporary 
church. 

"Dr.  Estep  tells  the  story  au- 
thoritatively and  movingly. 
The  book  should  be  read  by 
all  who  believe  that  the  true 
church  is  loyal  first  to  her 
Lord,  rather  than  living  in 
bondage  to  cultural  pres- 
sures . . ." 

— Franldin  H.  Littel 

Chicago  Theological 

Seminary 
256  pages.  Paper  $3.95 


_llVc 

255  JEFFERSON  A 


At  your  bookstore  or  write 

WM.  B.  EERDMANS 
PUBLISHING  CO. 


October  1975  messenger  35 


■fDOruD  \r(mm@w^ 


Nashville:  Making  sense  or  fun? 


Nashville:  Produced  and  directed  by 
Robert  Altman.   Written  by  Joan 
Tewkesbury.  Music  arranged  and  super- 
vised by  Richard  Baskin.  A  Paramount 
Pictures  Release. 

Frederic  A.  Brussat: 

During  a  period  when  most  American 
directors  have  been  cranking  out  formula 
entertainments,  Robert  Altman  has  been 
experimenting  with  movies  that  are  in- 
direct, fluid,  organic,  free-form,  and  in- 
tellectually stimulating.  TTie  hallmarks  of 
his  idiosyncratic  style  of  storytelling; 
overlapping  dialogue,  spontaneous  humor 
and  improvisation,  a  surplus  of  visual 
richness,  and  a  repertory  company  of  in- 
teresting performers.  Most  of  his  creations 
are  what  McLuhan  called  "cool" — films 
that  ask  the  viewers  to  fill  in  the  spaces,  in- 
terpret the  story  on  many  levels,  and  make 
their  own  judgments  as  to  the  significance 
of  the  cinematic  experience. 

Nashville  is  images  of  America,  politics, 
and  entertainment.  Nashville  is  about  the 
connections  and  abrasions  that  sometimes 
take  place  between  performers  and 
audiences.  Nashville  is  a  meditation  upon 
non-communication  and  the  feelings  of 
emptiness  that  result  from  it.  Nashville  is  a 
simulation  of  the  American  Dream  and 
how  that  dream  is  now  in  jeopardy. 

Barbara  Jean  (Ronee  Blakley),  a  country 
singer    who    can't    handle    being    a    star 


1 


Nashville  is  a  movie  capable  of  being 
anything  you  want  it  to  be — one  cf  the 
first  do-it-yourself  cinema  experiences  of 
the  decade.  Nashville  is  one  of  the  best 
films  of  the  year. 

TTie  meandering  story  line  of  Nashville 
spins  out  five  days  during  which  a  political 
advanceman  (Michael  Murphy)  is  trying  to 
put  together  a  group  of  country  music  stars 
and  celebrities  for  a  televised  Nashville  ral- 
ly promoting  the  Presidential  candidacy  of 
Hal  Phillip  Walker  of  the  "Replacement 
Party."  Among  the  most  memorable  in- 
dividuals we  meet  during  this  time  span  are 
Barbara  Jean  (Ronee  Blakley),  a  popular 
country  singer  who  can't  handle  the 
burdens  of  being  a  star;  Linnea  Reese  (Lily 
Tomlin).  a  gospel  singer  who  is  seeking  her 
own  kind  of  good  news;  L.  A.  Joan 
(Shelley  Duvall),  a  groupie  who  can  be 
found  wherever  celebrities  gather;  Opal 
(Geraldine  Chaplin),  a  reporter  from  BBC- 
TV  who  is  trying  to  ingest  the  Nashville  ex- 
perience as  a  picture  of  America;  Haven 
Hamilton  (Henry  Gibson),  a  shrewd  coun- 
try and  western  star  who  knows  how  to  get 
the  most  mileage  out  of  the  conservative 
business;  Sueleen  Gay  (Gwen  Welles),  a 
waitress  who  thinks  she  has  learned  how  to 
sing  but  is  only  beginning  to  realize  the 
hypocrisy  and  brutality  of  show  biz;  Albu- 
querque (Barbara  Harris),  an  aspiring 
country  singer  who  has  left  her  husband 
for  the  glory  of  the  big  time;  and  Mr. 
Green  (Keenan  Wynn),  an  old  man  who 
just  doesn't  understand  the  glitter,  energy, 
and  competition  of  the  place.  These  are 
just  some  of  the  individuals  who  in  their 
own  ways  are  caught  up  in  the  fairy  tale 
world  of  Nashville.  The  city  isn't  the  world 
but  it's  the  way  we  think  about  the  world. 
And  that's  one  reason  why  Altman's  film  is 
so  important. 
Processing  Nashville 

1.  On  the  most  basic  level  of  all 
Nashville  is  about  image-making.  Politics 
and  entertainment  are  both  realms  of  illu- 
sion. Someone  once  called  them  the  restless 
individual's  mysticism.  Share  reactions  in 
your  group  to  the  campaign  propaganda  of 
Hal  Phillip  Walker  and  some  of  the  coun- 
try and  western  songs  dealing  with 
American  history.  What  images  of  America 
are  they  trying  to  convey?  Do  you  believe 
these  pitches? 

2.  A  celebrity  is  a  person  known  for  be- 
ing well  known.  Individuals  hoping  to 


become  stars  usually  imitate  celebrities  as 
they  were  cast  in  the  mold  of  greatness. 
What  impressions  do  you  gain  about  the 
entertainment  world  through  Altman's  m 
of  established  stars  and  aspiring  singers? 
the  longing  to  rise  from  darkness  into  th^ 
glare  of  publicity  a  universal  one? 

3.  Out  of  the  twenty-four  characters  in 
the  movie,  which  ones  engage  your  sym- 
pathies the  most?  Which  ones  rub  you  th 
wrong  way? 

4.  What  scenes  pinpoint  Altman's  un- 
derstanding of  the  shift  in  values  from 
truth  to  coverup  that  has  taken  place  in 
our  society?  Which  characters  try  hardest 
to  keep  up  their  image? 

5.  What  is  the  dynamic  at  work  as  the 
performers  and  audience  assemble  at  the 
Parthenon  rally?  In  what  sense  does  the 
audience  have  a  love/hate  relationship  tc 
those  on  stage? 

6.  Discuss  the  entire  movie  in  terms  of 
Daniel  Boorstin's  thoughts  here. 

We  are  threatened  by  a  new  and  a  par- 
ticularly American  menace  ...  It  is  the 
menace  of  unreality.  The  threat  of 
nothingness  is  the  danger  of  replacing 
American  dreams  by  American  illusions 
. .  .  We  risk  being  the  first  people  in  histo» 
to  have  been  able  to  make  their  illusions 
vivid,  so  persuasive,  so  "realistic"  that  thf 
can  live  in  them.  We  are  the  most  illu- 
sioned  people  on  earth.  Yet  we  dare  not 
become  disillusioned,  because  our  illusioi 
are  the  very  house  in  which  we  live;  they 
are  our  news,  our  heroes,  our  adventure, 
our  forms  of  art,  our  very  experience. 

7.  "I  wanted  to  do  Nashville  to  study  oi 
myths  and  our  heroes  and  our  hypocrisy. 
By  the  time  we  usually  get  around  to  stud 
ing  our  present  it's  past,  and  the  truth  is 
buried  so  deep  we  can't  even  find  it" 
(Robert  Altman  in  a  New  York  Times  in 
terview).  Do  you  believe  that  American 
film-makers  should  deal  with  contem- 
porary material?  Has  Altman  succeeded  i 
fulfilling  his  hopes  for  this  movie?  D 

Bob  Greene: 

I  went  to  see  the  movie  Nashville.  It  is 
quite  bad. 

Normally,  such  an  observation 
wouldn't  qualify  to  run  in  the  news  sectio 
of  the  paper;  lots  of  bad  movies  are 
produced  every  year,  and  evaluations  of 
them  traditionally  are  reserved  for  the 


36  MESSENGER  October  1975 


|iovie  pages.  But  Nashville,  by  virtue  of 
he  unprecedented  publicity  its  producers 
lave  drummed  up  for  it,  and  by  virtue  of 
L.ts  claims  to  be  not  merely  a  movie,  but  a 
Dlindingly  accurate  mirror  of  American 
iociety,  has  attempted  to  place  itself  in  a 
flifferent  league. 

\    The  publicity  started,  as  usual,  with  a 
film  critic  named  Pauline  Kael  who  writes 
for  the  New  Yorker.  Miss  Kael  provided  a 
prerelease  rave,  and  around  the  country 
i^iovie  reviewers  lined  up  for  the  privilege 
pf  adding  their  own  praise.  The  general 
['.one  of  the  awed  reviews  has  been  that  all 
bther  motion  pictures  now  must  be 
iTieasured  against  Nashville,  that  it  is  a 
andmark  movie  in  terms  of  understanding 
j^merica. 

f    We  were  told  that  Nashville  is  a 
cinematic  microcosm  of  all  that  our  nation 
las  come  to  be  at  the  end  of  200  years,  that 
Nashville  speaks  eloquently  of  the  ordinary 
people  in  America,  with  their  desires  and 
[lopes  and  sorrows  and  frustrations.  We 
(ivere  told  that  Nashville  lets  us  see 
ourselves  as  never  before. 
j    Well,  that's  a  joke.  Nashville  is  nothing 
Jnore  than  a  series  of  cheap  smirks,  cruel 
Oarodies  and  mean,  sneering  stereotypes.  It 
tias  nothing  to  do  with  life. 
'    While  purporting  to  be  about  ordinary 
people,  Nashville  makes  it  very  clear  that 
its  producers  consider  ordinary  Americans 
to  be  nothing  more  than  stupid  hicks  and 
ludicrous  rubes.  That  is  the  one  theme  that 
bianages  to  make  itself  felt  after  sitting 
fhrough  Nashville:  The  terrible  lack  of 
fespect  for  people  on  the  part  of  Robert 
Altman,  the  man  who  made  the  movie.  In 
New  York  City,  filmgoers  are  lined  up 
ground  the  block  to  see  Nashville,  and  this 
is  not  surprising.  Altman's  view  of  the  rest 
pf  America — a  view  that  says  Americans 
outside  the  big  cities  are  to  be  pitied  and 
mocked  and  clucked  at — precisely  feeds 
jthe  prejudices  of  urban  dwellers  who  want 
jto  believe  that  the  rest  of  the  country  is 
Ideprived  and  inferior. 
I    Certainly  there  is  much  to  be  lamented 
in  heartland  America.  The  problem  is,  the 
people  who  made  Nashville  have  no  idea 
how  to  go  about  it.  Yes,  there  exist — in  the 
[Words  of  Tom  Wicker  of  the  New  York 
{Times,  who  praised  the  movie — "vulgarity, 
greed,  deceit,  cruelty,  barely  contained 
hysteria"  among  ordinary  Americans.  But 
pomeone  making  a  movie  about  such  traits 
might  attempt  to  understand  those  traits. 
;The  producers  of  Nashville  only  make  fun. 
Underneath  this  desperation  that  we  see 


in  so  much  of  America  there  is  a  fun- 
damental dignity  and  decency  that  anyone 
who  has  ever  troubled  to  venture  out 
around  the  country  has  come  upon.  It  is 
not  impossible  to  comment  on  the  faults  of 
Americans  in  a  movie  and  still  convey  this 
decency.  It  was  done  beautifully  several 
years  back  in  a  movie  called  Derby,  about 
the  pathetic  struggling  of  a  tire  worker 
from  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  his  quest  to  become 
a  Roller  Derby  skater.  Yes,  he  was  piteous, 
but  he  was  a  man,  and  we  did  not  want  to 
laugh  at  him.  Derby  was  superior  to 
Nashville  in  every  way.  It  bombed,  of 
course. 

Jack  Mabley,  in  a  perceptive  column  in 
the  Chicago  Tribune,  pointed  out  that 
many  movie  critics  tend  to  become  out  of 
touch  with  anything  other  than  movies. 
TTiis  helps  to  explain  how  the  nation's 
critics  could  have  been  fooled  into  thinking 
that — just  because  Altman  has  the 
technical  skills  to  make  a  movie  look 
physically  good,  and  just  because  he  has 
chosen  a  serious  subject — then  it  should 
follow  that  Nashville  has  something  valid 
to  say  about  Americans. 

But  the  only  valid  thing  that  the  movie 
has  to  say  is  that  the  Hollywood  film 
makers  who  put  out  something  like 
Nashville,  and  the  New  York  critics  who 
endorse  it  with  their  gushing  plaudits,  are 
more  to  be  pitied  than  the  nonmetropolitan 
Americans  they  attempt  to  insult  and 
ridicule.  It  is  even  possible,  by  the  way, 
that  the  moviemakers  do  not  think  they  are 
insulting  anyone;  that  they  think  their  pic- 
ture of  America  is  somehow  touching  and 
realistic.  People  who  would  stoop  to  using 
such  tawdry  cinematic  tricks  as  utilizing 
deaf  children  to  build  sympathy,  or 
political  assassination  to  provide  a  climax, 
are  capable  of  believing  anything  about 
their  own  vision,  I  suppose. 

There  are  moments  that  work  in 
Nashville.  They  are  so  few,  and  so  widely 
scattered,  that  you  find  yourself  noting 
them  every  time  they  come  along,  just  as 
you  find  yourself  waiting  for  the  movie  to 
become  even  slightly  redeeming,  which  it 
never  quite  does.  All  that  happens  is  that 
you  are  asked  again  and  again  to  giggle 
and  patronize  over  someone's  idea  of  what 
Americans  are  really  like.  You  leave  the 
theater  knowing  that  the  only  rubes  are  the 
would-be  sophisticates  standing  in  the  line 
waiting  to  pay  money  to  see  Nashville,  n 

Bob  Greene's  review  reprinted  with  permis- 
sion from  Chicago  Sun-Times. 


Leslie 
Weotherheod: 
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Portrait 

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Weatherhead 

Unwanted,  unloved,  undone 
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growing    up    .    .    .   this   was 
the  scene  for  the  Leslie 
Weatherhead  story.  Battling 
against  a  stern  childhood 
in  a  home  where  a  mother 
"of  terrible  and  serious 
aspect"   exhibited   less   than 
enthusiastic  support, 
Weatherhead  emerged  un- 
scathed to  become  a  greatly 
beloved  British  clergy- 
man and  writer. 

A  PERSONAL  PORTRAIT, 
written  by  the  son  of  the 
clergyman,   is  nonetheless 
objective,  yet  filled  with 
warmth,  humor,  compassion, 
and  Tespect.  A  fast-paced 
biography  for  Weatherhead 
fans,  laity,  ministers,  and 
others.  $7.95 


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Announcing  publication  of 

FROM 

THESE 
ROOTS 

A  history  of  the  life-span  of  North 
Atlantic  District,  including  the  history 
of  each  of  the  district's  congregations 
from  1723  to  1974.  It  is  a  history  of 
the  region  from  the  time  Brethren 
first  set  foot  on  American  soil  and  es- 
tablished the  roots  of  our  heritage  on 
this  continent.  Hard  cover.  Ap- 
proximately 450  pages.  Publication 
date,  October  1,  1975.  Save  $1.00  by 
ordering  immediately  at  price  of 
$7.50.  After  October  1.5,  1975,  the 
price  will  be  $8.50.  Add  50C  per  copy 
for  mailing.  Fill  in  reservation  form 
and  mail  it  with  check  to  Stanley  L. 
Davis.  680  Edgewood  Ave., 
Lansdale,  Pa.  19446. 


Please  send  me copies  of  FROM 

THESE  ROOTS  at  special  pre- 
publishing  price  of  $7.50  each,  plus 
50  cents  postage. 

Name 


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City State. 


.Zip_ 


October  1975  messenger  37 


God  is  perfection, 
and  whoever  strives  after  perfection 
is  striving  for  something  divine 


A  religious  vision  of  reality 


The  500th  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Michelangelo  (he 
was  born  March  6,  1475)  serves  as  a  reminder  that  the 
majority  of  the  works  of  this  Renaissance  genius  were 
inspired  by  and  glowingly  reflected  a  religious  vision  of 
reality.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  exaggerate  the 
significance  of  Michelangelo's  religious  outlook  on  his 
art. 

In  the  opinion  of  many  scholars  and  critics  this  out- 
look was  a  blend  of  orthodox  Roman  Catholic  belief  as 
professed  at  the  time  and  elements  of  Renaissance 
Neoplatonism,  which  saw  in  the  beauty  of  the  human 
form  a  reflection  of  God's  beauty  from  which  the  forms 
emanated.  Their  restlessness  suggests  their  unhappiness 
in  the  human  shell  and  their  desire  to  be  reabsorbed 
into  God,  the  source  from  which  they  issued. 

The  art  of  the  period,  at  first,  was  almost  entirely 
devoted  to  religious  subjects  and  the  most  popular  sub- 
ject was  the  "Madonna  and  Child." 

In  this  respect  Michelangelo  was  a  child  of  his  time. 
His  very  first  stone  carving,  executed  when  he  was  only 
16  years  old,  was  the  Madonna  of  the  Stairs,  a  low 
relief  showing  the  Virgin  Mary  in  side  view  suckling  the 
baby  Jesus.  At  age  24  he  produced  what  is  commonly 
accepted  to  be  one  of  the  supreme  artistic  creations  of 
the  Western  world — The  Pieta,  today  a  guarded 
treasure  of  St.  Peter's  Basilica  at  the  Vatican. 

Chiseled  out  of  a  single  block  of  white  marble,  its 
surfaces  gleaming  with  many  rubbings,  Michelangelo's 
Pieta  is  clearly  a  work  of  deep  Christian  piety,  but,  as 
some  art  critics  have  pointed  out,  it  also  embodies  the 


youthful  sculptor's  Neoplatonic  belief  that  physical 
beauty  is  a  manifestation  of  a  noble  spirit. 

Michelangelo's  next  major  work,  completed  in  15' 
was  his  heroic  statue  of  David,  done  for  the  city  of 
Florence.  Nearly  17  feet  tall,  it  has  been  described  as 
epitomizing  "the  Renaissance  civic  virtues  of  force  ai 
anger."  Despite  its  expressing  the  Old  Testament  cor 
frontation  of  a  youthful  David  with  (an  unseen) 
Goliath,  the  statue  of  a  nude  specimen  of  early 
manhood  at  the  peak  of  physical  power  and  grace  is  ( 
viously  more  Greek  than  Hebraic,  more  Platonic  tha 
scriptural,  more  worldly  than  religious. 

Michelangelo's  equally  heroic  Moses,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  transcendentally  scriptural.  Completed  in  15 
it  sits  today  at  the  foot  of  the  tomb  of  Pope  Julius  II 
Rome. 

Michelangelo's  sublime  Old  Testament  frescoes  on 
the  vaulted  ceiling  (44  feet  by  132  feet)  of  the  Vatica; 
Sistine  Chapel  are  likewise  profoundly  religious  and  i 
scriptural — but  with  some  Neoplatonic  elements. 
Despite  his  insistence  that  he  was  no  painter,  but  boi 
ing  to  the  insistence  of  Pope  Julius  II,  sculptor 
Michelangelo  toiled  for  four  years  on  scaffolding  68  f 
above  the  chapel's  mosaic  floor  and  created  a 
monumental  masterwork  that  is  unquestionably  the 
most  imposing  single  painting  of  the  High  Renaissan 
if  not  of  any  period  in  Western  history. 

TTie  ceiling  painting,  which  is  said  to  have  changet 
the  course  of  art  in  the  West,  was  shown  to  the  publ 
for  the  first  time  on  October  31,  1512.  Twenty-three 


38  MESSENGER  October  1975 


Above  left:  The  Vatican's  Pieta  (detail). 
Left:  The  colossal  David  stands  today  in 
Florence's  Academia.  Above:  Creation  of 
Adam  highlights  the  Vatican's  Sistine 
Chapel  frescoes.  Right:  Moses  guards 
Rome's   Church   of  S.    Pietro   in    Vincoli. 


years  later  in  1535,  Michelangelo  returned  to  the  Sistine 
Chapel  to  execute  the  Last  Judgment  for  Pope  Paul  III. 

In  the  intervening  period,  Rome  had  been  sacked  and 
the  papacy  humiliated.  The  continent  was  seething  with 
Protestant  reformation  and  Catholic  counter- 
Reformation  polemics.  Michelangelo  himself  was  con- 
vinced of  his  "sinfulness"  and  cried  out,  in  a  poem,  "Oh, 
God,  send  the  light,  so  long  foretold  for  all." 

His  Last  Judgment  reflects  the  pessimism  and  dark 
forebodings  of  the  times.  Whereas  the  beneficent  spirit 
of  God  the  Creator  pervades  much  of  the  ceiling 
Frescoes,  it  is  the  terrible  wrath  of  Christ  the  Judge  that 
sweeps  down  through  the  wall  painting. 

Michelangelo  had  many  productive  years  remaining. 
He  continued  to  work  up  until  the  time  of  his  death  in 
Rome  on  February  18,  1564.  This  man,  who  is  univer- 
sally recognized  as  one  of  the  greatest  artistic  geniuses 
^ho  ever  lived,  left  to  the  world  an  imperishable  legacy 
K  sculpture,  painting,  architecture,  and  poetry. 
I    Triumphant  as  so  many  of  Michelangelo's  works 
Appear  to  others,  for  him  they  still  failed  of  the  perfec- 
tion which  he  felt  he  must  attain.  Still,  even  in  failing  to 
^chieve  a  goal — perfection — that  is  beyond  the  grasp  of 
^ny  mortal,  Michelangelo  was  groping  for  God. 

"True  art,"  he  once  wrote,  "is  made  noble  and 
religious  by  the  mind  producing  it."  And  the  mind, 
ihe  soul,  becomes  ennobled  by  "the  endeavor  to 
preate  something  perfect,  for  God  is  perfection,  and 
khoever  strives  after  perfection  is  striving  for 
something  divine."  Q 


sdlStoD^DSiD 


The  word  that  moves  the  heart 


My  soul  pineth  for  Thy  salvation: 
In  Thy  word  do  I  hope. 

Psalm  119:81  (KJV) 
A  word,  a  phrase,  a  seed  thought  that  moves  peo- 
ple is  ever  in  demand.  Advertisers,  politicians, 
teachers,  preachers,  journalists  all  strive  for  ex- 
pressions that  elicit  impact;  all  know  something  of 
the  power  of  the  word. 

Such  awareness  is  nothing  new.  There  is  abun- 
dant evidence  that  the  ancient  world  attached  no 
less  importance  to  the  power  of  the  word  than 
communicators  do  today.  The  Bible  conveys  an 
extraordinary  concern  for  clean  lips  and  integrity 
of  language;  Proverbs  18:21  contends,  "Death  and 

life  are  in  the  power  of  the  tongue "  One  of  the 

most  important  commandments  in  Hebrew 
teaching  is,  "You  shall  not  take  the  name  of  the 
Lord  your  God  in  vain."  To  do  so  is  to  debase  the 
highest  in  human  values  and  relationships. 

In  the  midst  of  today's  communications 
overkill,  the  word  that  jumps  out,  speaks,  moves 
the  heart,  and  saves  is  like  buried  treasure,  Robert 
Davis  suggests  in  the  verse  on  page  5.  The 
redeeming  word  may  be  glimpsed  from  the  images 
of  lightness  and  darkness  interpreted  by  Gabriel 
Fackre  in  his  cover  essay  on  dawn  people,  dawn 
pilgrims,  the  dawn  trail.  The  illuminating  word 
may  issue  out  of  the  contrasts  between  the  broken 
cistern  and  the  wells  of  living  water  described  by 
Emily  Mumma  in  the  page  16  Bible  study. 

It  is  appropriate  that  a  treatment  of 
evangelism  lift  up  a  variety  of  metaphors.  For 
wherever  one  turns  in  the  Bible,  a  choice  of  life- 
stirring  and  life-shaping  imagery  abounds. 
References  to  the  body — face,  hand,  heart,  bones. 
References  to  nature — wind,  trees,  floods,  hills. 
References  to  the  roles  people  pursue — lovers, 
singers,  warriors,  priests.  The  Scriptures  offer  im- 
ages and  words  that  counsel  and  comfort;  that  ad- 


monish and  correct.  A  metaphor  or  theme  taken 
alone  may  stand  in  contradiction,  or  at  least  as 
counterpoint,  to  other  emphases  in  the  biblical 
message. 

A  clue  to  any  group's  identity  is  the  particular 
clustering  of  stories,  events,  and  images  that  has 
been  lifted  up  from  generation  to  generation. 
Warren  F.  Groff,  in  a  tract  published  in  1970, 
identified  the  code  words  of  the  Brethren  as  stem- 
ming from  an  array  of  biblical  motifs.  There  are 
the  familiar  ones — salt  and  leaven,  basin  and 
towel,  the  Good  Samaritan  binding  up  wounds  of 
a  needy  neighbor.  But  there  are  others,  he 
suggests,  that  also  must  have  enlightened  and  in- 
spired Brethren  in  periods  of  intense  struggle: 
Moses  leading  a  walkout  from  the  Pharaoh's  slave 
shop;  a  shaggy  Amos  confronting  well-to-do  land- 
owners; Jesus  marching  to  Jerusalem  at  the  risk  of 
creating  a  disturbance  and  irritating  the  establish- 
ment. 


Th 


he  point  is  that  as  the  times  change,  so  may  the 
images  or  stories  that  captivate  and  move  a  people 
at  a  given  moment.  A  number  of  themes  lifted  up 
by  Rick  Gardner  in  his  article  on  "Evangelism  for 
Brethren"  suggest  emphases  particularly  ap- 
propriate for  these  times:  "Salvation  now,"  "new 
community,"  "freedom  of  the  Spirit"  among  them. 
"Jesus  Christ  Frees  and  Unites,"  the  World  Coun- 
cil of  Churches'  study  on  freedom  and  communi- 
ty; the  charismatic  movement's  accent  on  praise; 
the  scriptures  that  underly  our  Brotherhood 
priorities,  published  in  the  September  Messenger, 
also  offer  theme  possibilities. 

Fra  Angelico,  the  painter,  before  taking  up  the 
brush  each  morning  would  pray,  "I  wish  I  could 
find  the  word  today!"  What  more  meaningful 
prayer  could  there  be  for  us  all? — h.e.r. 


40  MESSENGER  October  1975 


BRETHREN  WE'RE  INVOLVED! 


Yes,  we  are  involved!  And  so 
we  ought  to  be.  We  chose  to 
respond  to  the  call  of  Christ  to 
come  .  .  .  and  go   .  .  .  and  be 
his  witnesses. 

We're  involved  in  God's 
mission  among  persons  on  all 
six  continents.  Where  com- 
munity wells  are  being  dug 
and  medical  care  provided. 
Where  peacemaking  efforts 
are  going  forward. 

We're  involved  as  we 
render  service  to  the  hungry, 
the  cold,  the  sick,  the  poor. 


the  homeless.  As  we  relate  to 
persons,  study  the  scriptures, 
participate  in  the  training  of 
church  leaders,  and  benefit 
from  the  gifts  of  others. 

We  are  involved  in  sharing 
the  hope  that  is  in  Christ  and 
the  faith  that  is  in  us.  We're 
involved,  too,  as  we  give  our 
dollars  through  the  Brother- 
hood Fund.  Anytime.  Right 
now.  With  joy  and  thanks- 
giving! 

Won't  you  send  your  check? 
With  or  without  the  coupon. 


WORLD  MISSION  OFFERING 

Church  of  the  Brethren 

General  Board 

1451  Dundee  Avenue 

Elgin,  Illinois  60120 

Amount  $ 

Name 


St./RFD- 
City 


State. 


.Zip, 


Congregation 
District 


cyibingfkm 
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sources,  and  historical  and  religious  background. 

"The  Bible  and  Faith  and  Life" — Fingertip  reference  to  doctrines  pertaining 
to  God,  the  world,  miracles,  salvation,  and  issues  of  utmost  importance  to 
Christian  thought  and  action. 

SPECIAL  Introductory  Price  of  $13.95  through 
December  31,  1975;  $15.95  thereafter. 

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messenger 

CHURCH   OF  THE   BRETHREN        NOVEMBER    1975 


FIVE  WORDS 
THAT  SUM  UP 
THE  WHOLE  OF 
CHRISTIAN  FAITH 


©©DTll^SDI]!^^ 


Dsl^l^SD^^ 


Brethren  Patriots  Again!  Should  Brethren  participate  in  the 
Bicentennial  observances?  Are  there  any  reasons  for  interest  or  in- 
volvement? Vernon  F.  Miller  reminds  us  Brethren  that  "we  were  there" 
in  1776,  and  have,  with  the  early  United  States,  much  in  common. 

Giving  In  but  Not  Up.  Robert  L.  Baucher  ponders  his  priorities, 
following  his  recent  heart  attack. 

Confrontation  &  Celebration.  Philip  a.  Potter,  General 

Secretary  of  the  World  Council  of  Churches,  lifts  up  his  expectations 
for  the  World  Council  of  Churches  Fifth  Assembly  meeting  in  Kenya 
this  month. 

Looking  Toward  Nairobi.  S.  Loren  Bowman  gives  a  preview  for 
the  Brethren  of  the  WCC  Fifth  Assembly  and  a  rationale  for  their 
presence  in  Nairobi. 

Litanies  of  Joy  and  Hope,  a  collection  of  litanies  for  con- 
gregations, lifting  up  the  spirit  of  the  WCC  Assembly. 

Jesus  Christ  Frees  and  Unites.   Mortimer  Arias'  Bible  study 
says  the  Fifth  Assembly  theme  sums  up  in  five  words  the  whole  of 
Christian  faith. 

Let's  Strive  for  a  Loving  Discipline.  Barry  J.  Weber  ex- 
presses his  concern  over  "the  erosion  of  discipline  in  our  church"  and 
suggests  some  follow-up  for  action  taken  at  the  1975  Annual  Con- 
ference on  "The  Ministry:  Ordination  and  Family  Life." 

Making  Applebutter.  Esther  Pence  Garber,  in  some  seasonal 
nostalgia,  tells  of  applebutter  time  in  yesterday's  Shenandoah  Valley. 
The  story  is  excerpted  from  her  forthcoming  book.  Button  Shoes. 

In  Touch  vignettes  Olive  Wise,  Lillian  Peterson,  and  Pop  Warner  (2)  .  .  .  Out- 
look reports  on  Carson  Valley,  Bethany  Seminary.  Kubler-Ross,  new  Com- 
munications team  members,  cluster  plan,  Lardin  Gabas,  Leona  Row,  1976 
Mini-NYC,  Sudeten  Germans,  earned  re-entry,  SHARE,  Mari  Y.  Malgwi 
(start  on  4)  . .  .  Underlines  (9)  . .  .  Special  Report,  "Kahler  and  Kent  State 
Revisited,"  by  Mary  Sue  H.  Rosenberger  (10)  .  .  .  Here  I  Stand,  statements  by 
Judy  Hubbell,  Garry  Loucks,  Lonnie  Lutz,  Dale  Ott,  and  Edwin  Sell  (28)  .  .  . 
Turning  Points  (32)  .  .  .  Word  from  Washington,  "Congress  and  Criminal 
Justice  Reform,"  by  Sylvia  Eller  (34)  . . .  Resources,  "Christmas  at  Home,"  by 
Shirley  J.  Heckman  (36)  . .  .  Editorial  (40) 


EDITOR 

Howard  E   Royer 
MANAGING  EDITOR 
Kermon  Thomason 
ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 
Kenneth  I    Morse 
DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 
Clyde  E  Weaver 
PUBLISHER 
Galen  B  Ogden 


VOL  124.  NO.  1  1 


NOVEMBER  1975 


CREDITS:  Cover,  1  Corila  Kent,  by  permission 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  USA.  3, 
19  (insets)  Edward  J.  Buzinsld.  4  Bethany 
Seminary.  5,  36  Carol  Riggs.  6  Joe  Detrick.  7 
(lower)  Ankers  Capitol  Photographers.  8  Randy 
Miller.  10  Chicago  Sun-Times.  12,  13  art  by  Ker- 
mon Thomason.  15  Kent  Baucher.  16,  18,  19 
John  Taylor,  WCC.  20  Sadao  Watanabe.  23 
Willis  S.  Wheatley,  Division  of  Mission,  United 
Church  of  Canada.  24  G.  L.  Groome.  34  RNS.  38 
G.  W.  Peters. 


Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug.  20,  1918,  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17, 
1917.  Filing  date.  Oct.  1,  1975.  Messenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version. 

Subscription  rates:  $6.00  per  year  for  indi- 
vidual subscriptions;  $4.80  per  year  for  Church 
Group  Plan;  $4.80  per  year  for  gift  subscriptions; 
$3.15  for  school  rate  (9  months);  life  subscription, 
$80.00.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from 
Messenger  and  send  with  new  address. 
Allow  at  least  five  weeks  for  address 
change.  Messenger  is  owned  and 
published  monthly  by  the  General 
Services  Commission,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee 
Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120.  Second-class 
postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111..  Nov.  1975.  Copyright 
1975,    Church   of  the    Brethren   General    Board. 


l»u.uu.     II 

■ 


LIMITED  CONCEPT,  DISTORTED  IMAGE 

In  response  to  "God  as  'Father'  —  biblical,  per- 
sonal" by  the  Shulls  in  the  August  Messenger,  I 
would  like  to  express  my  appreciation  to  the 
persons  responsible  for  broadening  our  symbolic 
language  referring  to  God. 

When  we  continue  to  limit  our  terms  for  God 
to  a  few  traditional  ones,  not  only  are  we 
limiting  our  concept  and  understanding  of  God, 
but  are  sometimes  giving  a  distorted  picture  of 
what  God  is.  The  term  "father"  is  an  example. 
Two  men  —  my  husband  and  my  pastor — have 
pointed  out  that  many  children  don't  have  a 
father  and  therefore  can't  relate  personally  to  the  |c 
term  while  the  fathers  others  have  evoke  only 
fear  and  dislike — not  appropriate  emotions  to 
feel  toward  God. 

Another  term  that  comes  to  mind  is  "king." 
Most  American  children  see  a  king  as  a  tyran- 
nical, selfish,  cruel  person.  Is  this  the  image  we 
want  to  give  of  God? 

To  keep  God  personal  for  children,  couldn't 
the  term  "parent"  be  used?  (Although  there  is 
still  the  problem  of  children  who  do  not  have  a 
living  relationship  with  either  parent  not  relating 
positively  to  the  term.) 

The  statement  the  Shulls  made  about  libera- 
tion movements  "going  off  the  deep  end" 
bothers  me.  Who  is  to  define  what  the  deep  end 
is?  Jesus  led  the  greatest  liberation  movement  in 
history,  one  which  is  the  basis  for  many  current 
liberation  movements.  He  liberates  us  from 
sin — separation  from  God,  each  other,  and 
ourselves.  From  reading  the  Bible,  it  seems  the 
"establishment"  of  his  time  certainly  thought  he 
was  "going  off  the  deep  end" — socializing  with 
women  and  sinners,  questioning  the  sincerity  of 
the  Pharisees,  actually  giving  his  life  without 
speaking  up  as  Pilate  demanded. 

I  don't  think  the  fellowship  of  the  church  is 
"to  help  avoid  those  extremes."  Being  a  Chris- 
tian often  demands  seeming  extreme  in  the  eyes 
of  society.  To  me,  the  fellowship  of  the  church  is 
to  help  us  to  know  when  being  a  Christian 
demands  seeming  extreme  (refusing  to  kill,  even 
in  self-defense;  using  terminology  for  God  which 
is  meaningful  to  all  people)  and  then  to  give  sup- 
port to  maintain  that  stance. 

Pamela  B.  Lowe 
Norristown,  Pa. 

BETHANY?  WE  RECOMMEND  IT: 

A  group  of  us  non-seminary  pastors  and 
laypersons,  who  consider  ourselves  privileged  to 
have  had  this  opportunity,  are  using  this  means 
of  sharing  with  the  Brotherhood  our  impression 
of  our  seminary,  its  staff  and  program.  Quite 
frankly,  it  is  altogether  different  from  what  some 
of  us  had  heard  and  expected. 

We  found  our  instructors,  Byron  Royer  of 
Bethany  and  Rick  Gardner  of  the  Parish 
Ministires  staff  to  be  both  positive  and  practical 
in  their  approach  to  matters  of  the  faith  as  well 
as  uplifting  and  challenging  in  helping  us  to 
better  understand  the  matter  of  "Freedom  and 
Authority  in  the  Church." 

Our  experience  with   members   of  Bethany's 


[p®gjs  ©tnis 


faculty  who  were  on  campus  while  we  were  there 
proved  to  us  that  their  theology  is  basic  and 
sound  and  that  their  influence  is  wholesome. 

While  recognizing  the  possibility  that  perhaps 
not  every  church  in  the  Brotherhood  could  best 
be  served  by  a  seminary  graduate,  we  would 
recommend  Bethany  to  any  person  desiring  a 
seminary  experience. 
Andrew  S.  Bontrager  Margaret  Eberlv 
N.  W.  Crumpacker  James  Eberlv 

Randall  S.  M.  Lehman    Roy  Fulk 
Wendell  Thompson  Ken  Elmore 

Bruce  Noffsinger  Paul  Roth 

1975  Bethany  Summer  Institute 

THANKS  FOR  BLUNDERS  OVERLOOKED 

Again  my  heart  is  filled  to  the  brim. 

Not  because  of  the  shape  I'm  in. 

But  because  of  a  poem  written  about  me! 

And  not  one  of  my  blunders  did  you  see. 

Or,  if  you  did,  those  things  you  did  not  write. 

And  so  I'll  just  say,  "Thank  you,"  with  all  my 

might. 
I'll  add,  too,  if  that  is  the  first  poem  you  ever 

wrote, 
Keep  it  up — you'll  soon  be  poets  of  note. 
Yes,  my  dear  sirs,  the  facts  are  all  there. 
But  you've  handled  them  with  ,  .  ,  shall  we  say 

.  .  .  such  care. 
That  you've  made  me  sound  like  a  wonderful  me 
And  I'm  only,  just  simply.  Bertha  Dee. 
Thanks  and  prayers  from  a  sometimes  bad  egg! 
Signed:  Sincerely,  Bertha  Haag. 

Bertha  Ha.^g 
Plymouth,  Ind. 

(The  above  lines  were  written  in  response  to 
the  October  Messenger's  "In  Touch"  profile  of 
Mrs.  Haag.  —  Ed.) 

HELP  ME  TO  PRAISE 

Please  accept  my  thanks  for  the  remem- 
brances sent  me  and  my  dear  husband  (Joseph 
E.  Whitacre)  during  his  illness,  and  after  his 
passing  away.  Also  after  the  passing  of  our  dear 
son  and  daughter,  and  following  the  death  in  re- 
cent months  of  a  brother-in-law  and  three 
cousins. 

Blessed  be  the  Lord  who  giveth  and  taketh 
away.  Help  me  to  praise  the  Lord  for  having  the 
privilege  of  working  with  these  persons  in  doing 
a  bit  for  our  Master  here  on  earth. 

Bertha  R.  Whitacre 
Lancaster,  Pa. 

IF  NOT  CHRISTIANITY,  WHAT? 

In  two  letters  in  Messenger,  one  in  July  and 
one  in  August,  the  writers  were  concerned  about 
the  report  of  the  Brethren  Farmers'  Tour  of  the 
People's  Republic  of  China.  They  were  critical 
of  the  use  of  the  word  Christian  in  describing 
Chinese  communism.  In  fairness  to  Messenger, 
I  feel  it  was  quite  accurate. 

Perhaps,  though,  it  is  a  mistake  to  use  such 
terminology,  since  it  seems  to  make  both  the 
Christian  and  the  Communist  unhappy.  The 
American,  conditioned  by  spiritual  pride  and 
years  of  anti-communist  propaganda,  is  insulted 


at  hearing  that  Christianity  and  Communism 
have  some  similar  ethical  practices.  Likewise,  the 
Chinese  Communist  is  insulted  at  being  com- 
pared to  the  Christian,  beheving  that  Christiani- 
ty represents  the  epitome  of  hypocrisy.  As  our 
Chinese  guide  said,  "The  Christian  preaches  one 
thing  and  practices  the  other." 

I  want  to  come  to  the  defense  of  Helen 
Grossnickle  and  the  rest  of  our  delegation.  To 
us,  China  was  an  eye  opener.  Here  was  an  entire 
society  practicing  the  good  ethics  that  we  were 
taught  in  Sunday  School  and  Church — unselfish 
service  to  their  country  and  fellow-citizens, 
honesty,  high  moral  conduct,  thrift,  conserva- 
tion of  resources,  hard  work.  It  was  easy  to  say, 
"In  many  ways  the  Chinese  exemplify  Christiani- 
ty more  than  we  do  in  our  society."  Historical- 
ly, our  own  skirts  are  far  from  clean  in  regard  to 
killing  and  insistence  on  uniform  thinking. 

Our  three-weeks  travel  in  China  doesn't  make 
us  infallible  observers.  But  what  we  saw  and 
heard  seemed  to  coincide  very  well  with  what 
others  say  who  have  traveled  there  recently. 

We  highly  recommend  visits  between  our  two 
peoples. 

Ch.arles  Sheller 
Eldora,  Iowa 


BEEF  ABOUT  BEER  INSTEAD 

This  is  my  plea:  that  critics  of  the  beef  in- 
dustry turn  their  opposition  to  the  brewers  and 
distillers  instead.  Ralph  Nadar's  statisticians 
could  well  be  telling  us  how  many  loaves  of 
bread  could  be  made  from  the  grain  condensed 
in  a  bottle  of  beer. 

Nutritionists  tell  us  that  animal  proteins  af- 
ford values  that  vegetable  proteins  cannot  sup- 
ply. How  many  of  India's  famine  victims  could 
survive  if  the  cattle  that  die  in  famine  could  be 
used  for  food?  US  visitors  are  surprised  at  the 
high  levels  of  animal  foods  consumed  in  human 
diet  in  the  areas  of  greatest  human  density  in 
Europe.  German  wheat  fields,  at  times,  produce 
90  bushels  per  acre.  In  the  US  60  bushels  per 
acre  is  rated  a  feasible  maximum  yield.  The 
animals  that  consume  a  portion  of  the  harvest 
contribute  soil-builder  so  that  after  150  years  of 
farming  the  acre  yield  can  exceed  its  original 
production. 

A  thousand-pound  animal  produces  in  the 
range  of  600  pounds  edible  product.  The  percen- 
tage of  this  600  produced  from  pasture,  hay, 
silage,  and  cellulose  far  exceeds  the  pounds 
produced  by  cereal  feeds.  The  Ore-Ida  potato 
processing  plants  feed  their  "potato  slurry" 
(brushed  off  potato  skin),  to  fatten  beef  animals 
to  a  finished  equivalent  of  corn-fed  beef,  apart 
from  cereal  "finish."  If  corn-fed  beef  offends 
your  conscience,  eat  more  potatoes  and  think 
about  "potato  slurry"  when  you  cut  your  steak. 
After  threshing,  bean  pods,  as  fodder  for  cattle, 
contain  the  feeding  equivalent  of  alfalfa  hay. 

Bovine  animals  are  conversion  factories  for 
cellulose  "re-cycled"  into  animal  protein. 

Galen  Barkdoll 
Constantine,  Mich. 


With  boldness  and  vibrancy,  contem- 
porary artist  Corita  Kent  in  our  cover 
painting  depicts  a  theme  very  central  to 
Christian  conviction:  that  Jesus  Christ 
both  frees  and  unites.  The  implications  of 
this  message  will  be  debated  and 
celebrated  by  delegates  to  the  Fifth 
Assembly  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches  Nov.  23  —  Dec.  10  in  Nairobi, 
Kenya. 

As  background  to  that  encounter,  the 
November  Messenger  presents  art,  ar- 
ticles, and  worship 
resources  reflecting 
global  and  ecumen- 
ical perspectives. 
Contributors  are 
^^,^-^-.  Philip     A.     Potter, 

■■  54-year-old        West 

■  ^k  ■  ,.  Indian       Methodist 

9    *^  ,f  bishop  who  is  gen- 

eral secretary  of  the 
World  Council  of 
Churches;  S.  Loren  Bowman,  general 
secretary  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Board;  and  Mortimer  Arias,  a 
Methodist  bishop  in  Latin  America.  The 
"Litanies  of  Joy  and  Hope"  are  from  the 
Book  of  Worship  to  be  used  at  services  in 
Nairobi. 

Vernon  F.  Miller,  pastor  of  the 
Arlington,  Va.,  congregation,  is  a 
heritage  curriculum  writer  for  Parish 
Ministries.  Robert  L.  Baucher  is  an  ad- 
ministrative assistant  in  the  Modesto, 
Calif.,  church.  Barry  J.  Weber,  until 
recently  pastor  of  the  Springfield,  111., 
congregation,  is  a  doctoral  student  in 
clinical  psychology  at  Loyola  University. 
Mary  Sue  H.  Rosenberger  is  a  member  of 
the  General  Board  from  Louisville,  Ohio. 
Esther  Pence  Garber,  author  of  the  new 
Brethren  Press  book.  Button  Shoes,  is 
from  Bridgewater,  Va. 

Sylvia  Filer  completes  in  December  a 
term  of  BVS  work  in  the  Washington  Of- 
fice. Shirley  J.  Heckman  is  Parish 
Ministries  consultant  for  educational 
development.  Connie  Andes  Weddle  is  a 
member  of  the  Hutchinson,  Kans.,  Com- 
munity church.  Randy  Miller  completed 
in  August  a  year  of  service  with  us  as 
Communications  intern.  He  is  now  a  stu- 
dent at  La  Verne  College. 

Here  I  Stand  positions  were  taken  by 
Judy  Hubbell,  Kent,  Wash.;  Garry 
Loucks,  McPherson,  Kans.;  Lonnie  Lutz, 
Manchester  College  senior;  Dale  Ott, 
Geneva-based  director  of  Brethren  Serv- 
ice in  Europe;  and  Edwin  D.  Sell,  Wood- 
bury, Pa. — The  Editors 


November  1975  messenger  1 


Olive  Wise:  Family  nurse  practitioner 


The  first  time  I  met  Olive  Wise  she 
had  just  returned  from  a  term  of 
service  as  a  missionary  nurse  in  In- 
dia. At  Camp  Galilee  in  the  moun- 
tains of  West  Virginia,  Olive  made  a 
vesper  service  memorable  for  me  by 
her  playing  on  a  unique  stringed  in- 
strument she  had  brought  from  In- 
dia. 1  recall  vividly  her  explaining 
that,  although  the  instrument  had 
several  strings,  her  short  bow 
touched  only  one  of  them.  The  others 
vibrated  in  sympathetic  harmony. 

Olive  went  back  to  India  for  ad- 
ditional years  as  a  nurse,  returning  to 
the  States  in  1963.  Recently,  near  her 
home  in  Tennessee,  she  has  found  a 
new  kind  of  community  health  serv- 
ice, in  which  she  carries  on  a  signifi- 
cant ministry  as  a  "family  nurse  prac- 
titioner." Though  her  duties  are 
different,  involving  more  training  and 
responsibilities  than  her  earlier  ex- 
periences as  a  missionary,  for  Olive 
the  same  emphasis  on  Christian 
medical  service  is  paramount.  That  is 
the  "one  string"  in  her  priorities,  but 
talking  to  her  you  soon  learn  that  she 
has  many  other  interests  that  help 
out  with  their  own  special  vibrations. 

What  is  a  "family  nurse  prac- 
titioner"? Olive  explains  that  in 
North  Carolina  (she  serves  in  a  clinic 


in  Bakersville  in  Mitchell  county  near 
the  Tennessee  border)  the  state 
matches  community  resources  to  give 
a  registered  nurse  the  benefit  of  a 
year's  special  training  and  to  un- 
derwrite an  area  clinic  for  at  least 
two  years.  As  a  practitioner  Olive 
assumes  responsibilities  more  exten- 
sive than  those  of  a  registered  nurse. 
Following  a  set  of  "standing  orders" 
approved  by  a  medical  doctor,  she  is 
qualified  to  examine  patients,  to 
diagnose  many  ailments,  and  to  begin 
treatment,  always  keeping  in  touch, 
however,  with  her  "back-up"  doctor 
to  whom  she  can  refer  cases  requiring 
more  professional  attention.  The 
program  is  designed  to  provide  basic 
health  care  for  families  in  areas 
where  doctors  are  either  unavailable 
or  overworked. 

Speaking  from  the  perspective  of  a 
varied  career  in  health  services — 
overseas,  in  a  large  city,  and  in 
isolated  mountain  areas — Olive  Wise 
recommends  this  type  of  service  for 
persons  who  want  to  serve  where 
there  is  an  urgent  need  for  medical 
care,  and  where  the  mountain  scenery 
is  lovely  any  time  of  the  year.  —  K.M. 


in^ 


m 


Lillian  Peterson:  'God  o] 

"God  always  opens  doors  for  me,"  af- 
firms Lillian  Peterson  of  Hutchinson, 
Kansas. 

While  she  speaks  only  for  herself, 
this  slender  blond  woman,  who 
claims  Danish  ancestry  "as  far  back 
as  can  be  traced,"  seems  almost  to 
echo  the  sentiments  of  her  grand- 
father. Christian  Hope,  when, 
exactly  one  hundred  years  ago,  he  be- 
came the  first  Brethren  overseas 
missionary. 

A  native  of  Denmark,  Christian 
Hope  was  called  to  the  ministry  by  a 
special  district  meeting  at  the  Cherry 
Grove  church  in  Illinois  in 
November,  1875,  and  at  the  same 
time  was  commissioned  to  return  as  a 
missionary  to  the  land  of  his  birth. 
He  and  his  family  reached  Denmark 
in  February,  1876.  In  coming  months 
appropriate  recognition  will  be  given 
to  this  centennial  of  overseas  mis- 
sions in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Looking  at  Lillian's  life,  one  in- 
deed sees  many  doorways,  often 
associated  with  her  family.  She  was 
born  after  her  Grandfather  Hope's 
death,  but  due  to  her  mother's  poor 
health,  Lillian  spent  many  of  her 
growing  years  with  her  grandmother, 
Mary  Hope,  as  well  as  with  aunts 
and  uncles  in  Hutchinson. 

Several  challenges  came  to  her, 
such  as  teaching  thirteen  pupils  in 
eight  grades  in  a  country  school  and 
graduating  from  McPherson  College 
to  teach  high  school  languages  and 
history.  Later,  passing  the  Civil  Serv- 
ice Examination  and  going  to 
Washington,  D.C.,  Lillian  became 


2  MESSENGER  November  1975 


)rs 

le  administrative  assistant  to  one  of 

Etwo  Deputy  Quartermaster 
nerals  during  World  War  II  and 
n  assisted  in  the  opening  of  the 
jteran's  Administration  office  in  St. 
3uis. 

However,  these  challenges  were 
inctuated  by  family  illness,  bringing 
llian  back  to  Hutchinson  to  care 
r  the  relatives  who  had  raised  her. 

1946  Lillian  came  home  again  — 
is  time  to  stay — and  another  door 
»ened,  as  she  became  the  personal 
cretary  to  the  president  of  a  group 

associated  newspapers  and  radio 
ations,  the  position  she  holds  today. 
With  her  immediate  family  no 
nger  living,  Lillian  Peterson  is  the 
Jy  descendant  of  Christian  Hope 
10  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
e  Brethren.  Community  Church  in 
utchinson  has  experienced  Lillian's 
usical  ability  through  the  years  as 
anist,  choir  director,  and  presently 

organist.  But  perhaps  a  more 
itent  witness  has  been  her  self- 
nying  loyalty  to  the  Hope  family 
id  her  faith  that,  as  she  approaches 
tirement,  God  still  opens  doors 
Connie  Andes  Weddle 


Pop  Warner:  Brethren  camp  pioneer 


Euell  Gibbons  may  be  a  close 
runnerup,  but  it  would  likely  be  safe 
to  say  that  few  people  in  this  century 
have  spent  as  much  time  in  the  out- 
doors as  Arthur  "Pop"  Warner.  Since 
his  early  years  Pop  has  been  a  stead- 
fast believer  in  the  experience  of 
camping.  "When  I  was  nine  years  old 
my  dad  bought  me  a  book  on  nature. 
It  told  how  to  make  tents.  So  my 
sister  and  I  sacrificed  some  of  dad's 
grain  sacks  and  made  a  wigwam,  and 
we  camped  in  it  that  one  summer." 

Pop  was  born  on  December  19, 
1895,  in  LaPorte  County,  Indiana,  the 
son  of  Quaker  farmers.  At  the  age  of 
nine  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
Waterford,  Ind.,  where  Pop  lived  un- 
til he  graduated  from  high  school.  In 
1920  he  joined  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 

His  interest  in  camping  led  to  his  in- 
volvement in  the  Boy  Scouts,  a 
collaboration  that  has  endured  for  56 
years.  In  scouting  he  learned  of  many 
helpful  camping  methods.  His 
knowledge  in  this  area  proved 
valuable  as  he  later  tried  to  interest 
Brethren  in  camping.  "But,"  he  said, 
"camping  was  very  unpopular  with 
the  Brethren." 

Pop  had  attended  Bethany  Bible 
School  in  1921,  and  in  1922  he  was  li- 
censed and  ordained  as  a  Brethren 
minister.  That  same  year  he  acted  as  a 
leader  in  the  first  Brethren  camp,  held 
at  Franklin  Grove,  111. 

Pop's  firm  belief  in  camping  as 
an  asset  to  Christian  growth  stems 
partly  from  his  understanding  of  who 
Jesus  was. 


"Do  you  know  that  Jesus  wouldn't 
have  had  half  of  the  illustrations  from 
life  that  he  gave  to  people  if  he  had 
been  a  Pharisee  and  worshiped  all 
those  years  up  at  the  temple?  He  was  a 
rough  boy  from  up  in  Galilee.  And 
he'd  laid  out  there  on  the  hills,  and 
he'd  looked  at  the  moon  and  the  sun 
and  the  stars,  and  he'd  studied  nature. 
He  could've  been  a  child  of  the  tem- 
ple; he  could've  learned  the  law  by 
heart.  But  it  would've  been  a 
dogmatic,  verbal  thing  in  his  life.  As  it 
was,  his  relationship  with  God  was 
living.  God  created  the  world,  and  he 
was  enjoying  it.  He  let  nature  talk  to 
him.  And  that  made  all  the 
difference." 

Pop's  door  to  the  wonders  that  each 
day  can  bring  continues  to  remain 
open. 

"Now  I  live  in  Selma,  Va.,  and 
frankly,  those  mountains  are  half  of 
my  pay.  My  wife  and  I,  we  sit  out  on 
the  back  porch  many  a  night  and 
watch  the  moon  come  over  Mount 
Richpatch.  And  it  just  shows  the 
world  that  God  has  made." 

Pop's  ability  to  see  God  in  even  the 
simplest  natural  surroundings  is  a 
quality  that  has  deeply  enriched  his 
life.  It's  this  same  ability  that  he  was 
able  to  pass  on  to  Brethren  campers 
through  the  years  since  the  first 
Brethren  camp  took  place.  For  help- 
ing us  to  see  that  important  aspect  of 
the  camping  experience,  we  shall,  for 
years  to  come,  remain  indebted  to 
Pop  Warner.  —  Randy  Miller 


November  1975  messenger  3 


Carson  Valley  enables 
its  faith  to  take  flesh 

Bethany  Seminary's  Oak  Brook,  111.,  cam- 
pus has  not  been  declared  a  project  for 
Brethren  Disaster  Service  or  Parish 
Volunteer  Service,  but  it  may  have  seemed 
that  way  for  two  weeks  this  past  summer. 
A  group  of  Pennsylvania  Brethren  were  on 
hand  performing  "deferred  maintenance." 

The  episode  began  with  R.  Eugene 
Miller,  pastor  of  the  Carson  Valley  church 
in  Middle  Pennsylvania,  who  earlier  this 
year  spent  volunteer  time  as  project  direc- 
tor of  Brethren  Disaster  Service  at 
Tuscaloosa,  Ala.  Members  of  his  parish 
traveled  to  assist  there  as  they  had  done 
last  year  at  Xenia,  Ohio. 

Reflecting  on  those  experiences  and  on 
the  Annual  Conference  talk  about 
Bethany's  needs  for  exterior  refurbishing 
caused  by  several  years  of  deferred 
maintenance,  Eugene  Miller  encouraged 
members  of  his  parish  to  spend  a  week  or 
two  at  Bethany  in  repair  tasks. 

Pastor  Miller  has  never  been  to  the 
Bethany  campus  though  he  has  enrolled  in 
Bethany  Extension  Schools  at  Juniata 
College  and  knows  many  of  the  faculty.  He 
also  is  interested  in  Christian  mission  in  its 
many  forms. 

The  seminary  was  responsive  to  Pastor 

Anila  Hoover,  Dave  Zeek,  and  Patty  Smith 
paint  window  frames  at  Bethany  Seminary 


Linn  Clapper,  Craig  Salyards,  and  Ralph  Hutchinson  add  new  tar  to  Bethany  roof  topi 


Miller's  inquiry  and  soon  fourteen 
members  from  the  Carson  Valley  Church 
and  nearby  Williamsburg  congregation 
headed  for  Illinois.  Once  on  the  campus 
they  painted  window  frames,  helped 
remodel  classrooms,  applied  some  500 
gallons  of  tar  to  roofs,  and  built  shelves  in 
preparation  for  the  merging  of  the  Bethany 
and  the  Northern  Baptist  libraries.  In  the 
evenings  the  work  crew  explored 
metropolitan  Chicago. 

For  most  of  the  people  who  came, 
Bethany  was  no  stranger.  Terry  Grove,  a 
1967  graduate,  Don  Hoover,  a  1972 
graduate,  and  current  senior  James 
Hutchinson  were  raised  in  the  Carson 
Valley  congregation.  Jim's  father,  Ralph 
headed  up  and  supervised  the  first  work 
week.  Some  of  the  young  volunteers  ex- 
pressed interest  in  future  seminary  training. 

"Far  beyond  the  actual  work  ac- 
complished, facuhy,  staff,  and  students  at 
Bethany  draw  great  strength  from  the  sym- 
bol of  persons  being  willing  to  invest  a 
week  of  volunteer  time  to  strengthen  our 
program  at  Bethany,"  commented  Presi- 
dent Warren  F.  Groff.  "This  type  of  in- 
volvement by  persons  speaks  so  strongly  of 
the  type  of  personal  investment  all  of  us 
have  come  to  appreciate  as  a  part  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  pattern  of  dis- 
cipleship." 

Meanwhile,  the  outreach  of  the  Carson 
Valley  congregation  continued  to  find  fresh 
ways  of  witnessing  at  home  as  well  as  600 
miles  away.  As  he  was  arranging  for  the 
seminary  trip.  Pastor  Miller  conducted  a 
baptism  in  the  Blair  County  Jail,  believed 
to  be  the  first  such  event  to  occur  there.  A 
portable  baptistry  was  constructed  for  the 
occasion.  And  he  was  giving  leadership  to 
what  is  to  be  the  church's  first  national 


Conference  on  the  Holy  Spirit  next  spring. 

Involvement  in  Christian  mission  is  con- 
tagious and  has  been  down  through  the 
centuries,  Eugene  Miller  believes.  Current 
evidence  is  found  in  the  work  of  the  Car- 
son Valley  parish,  which  of  late  extends  to 
such  places  as  Xenia,  Tuscaloosa,  Oak 
Brook,  and  the  Blair  County  Jail. 

The  commitment  of  the  Carson  Valley 
Brethren  is  to  be  open  to  ways  to  enable 
their  own  faith  to  take  flesh. 

Congregational  support 
essential  to  seminary 


A  base  of  support  lodged  in  the  con- 
gregations is  essential  to  the  vitality  of 
Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  President 
Warren  F.  Groff  has  stated  in  a  letter  to 
congregational  leaders. 

As  a  means  of  expressing  such  support, 
the  seminary  invites  local  churches  to 
designate  November  23  as  a  time  of  focus 
on  the  Bethany  Seminary  Fund.  The 
churches  are  encouraged  to  respond  with 
offerings  over  and  above  the  Partners  in 
Mission  allocation  for  the  seminary. 

In  1974  Annual  Conference  created  the 
Bethany  Seminary  Fund  by  which  all  con- 
tributions were  to  be  sent  directly  to 
Bethany  and  the  money  was  no  16nger  to 
be  divided  into  debt  retirement  and  current 
operations.  "Hopefully  the  simplicity  of 
one  fund,  one  indication  of  need,  and  one 
accounting  category  will  be  helpful  to 
churches  as  they  build  budgets  and  to  the 
seminary  as  it  projects  needs,"  said  Dr. 
Groff. 

Needs  projected  by  the  seminary  for  the 
coming  year  require  $465,000  beyond 
income  from  tuition  and  rent.  Of  this. 


$380,000  is  sought  through  Partners  in 
Mission  allocations  and  $85,000  in  in- 
dividual and  special  income. 

TTie  debt  retirement  program,  originally 
a  $3.2  million  item,  will  continue  to  require 
$100,000  annually  plus  interest  through 
1978. 

In  regard  to  the  sale  of  a  tract  of  front- 
age land  that  was  voted  down  by  1975  An- 
nual Conference  delegates,  seminary  of- 
ficials report  many  of  the  needs  to  which 
the  land  monies  would  have  been  applied 
still  remain:  Deferred  maintenance,  in- 
creased student  aid,  support  for  new 
programs,  and  the  building  of  essential 
reserves. 

The  seminary  acknowledges  the  strong 
support  of  congregations  in  the  Challenge 
offerings  of  the  past  four  years  and  the 
solid  gains  in  Partners  in  Mission 
allocations  this  past  year.  "Bethany  will 
continue  to  pursue  its  mission  with  vigor, 
confident  of  sustaining  support  from 
across  the  Brotherhood,"  administrative 
officials  declare. 


Kubler-Ross  convinced 
of  a  life  after  death 

A  strong  affirmation  of  life  after  death  has 
been  expressed  by  Dr.  Elizabeth  Kubler- 
Ross,  a  widely  quoted  authority  on  grief 
and  on  the  care  of  the  dying. 

Research  has  convinced  her  that  it  is 
only  the  physical  body  that  dies,  and  that 
life  continues  after  death,  the  psychiatrist 
told  the  Conference  on  Interdisciplinary 
Ministry  on  Death,  Dying  and  Living 
meeting  at  the  Quaker  Yokefellow 
Institute  located  at  Earlham  College, 
Richmond,  Ind. 

She  also  told  an  interviewer  for  Family 
Circle  magazine  (September  issue)  that  she 
no  longer  believes,  as  she  once  did,  that 
death  is  the  end  of  everything.  "Now  I'm 
certain  it  is  not,"  she  stated. 

In  both  the  Yokefellow  lecture  and  in  the 
magazine  interview  she  explained  she  has 
little  traditional  religious  background.  Her 
conclusions  are  based  in  part,  she  said. 


on  talks  with  people  who  were  clin- 
ically dead  but  were  revived  by  medical 
means. 

"When  people  die,"  she  said,  "from  small 
children  to  aged  adults,  among  both 
religious  and  non-religious,  there  is  a 
common  denominator.  Three  things 
happen: 

"First,  there  is  an  experience  of  floating 
out  of  the  body.  The  dying  {jerson 
perceives  what  is  happening  to  his  or  her 
corpse.  They  observe  such  things  as  heroic 
attempts  (by  others)  to  resuscitate." 

The  second  experience,  she  continued,  is 
a  feeling  of  peace  and  wholeness. 

The  third  is  being  met  by  someone  who 
is  already  dead. 

She  spoke  of  children  relating  ex- 
periences of  being  met  by  Jesus  and  Mary 
and  telling  the  story  when  revived  from 
clinical  death. 

"None  of  the  patients  who  have  had  a 
death  experience — and  returned — are  ever 
again  afraid  to  die,"  Dr.  Kubler-Ross  told 
the  conference. 


Stewart  Hoover  and  Ruby  Rhoades, 
working  with   Communications  team 


New  thrusts  launched 
in  media,  marketing 

A  pilot  effort  to  broaden  Brethren  interest 
and  concern  in  the  mass  media  and  an 
enlarged  marketing  program  for 
Messenger  are  steps  currently  being 
launched  by  the  General  Services  Commis- 
sion of  the  General  Board. 

Stewart  M.  Hoover,  who  this  summer 
completed  a  master's  study  in  Christian 
ethics  at  Pacific  School  of  Religion, 
Berkeley,  Calif.,  is  directing  the  media 
education  program  for  the  Com- 
munications team.  Ruby  Frantz  Rhoades, 
Emerson,  N.J.,  for  eleven  years  on  the  staff 
of  a  religious  publishing  firm,  is  field 
representative  for  Messenger.  Both  began 
specified  terms  of  service  on  Oct.  1. 

In  a  12-  to  15-month  assignment  made 
possible  by  the  General  Board's  expanded 
ministries  funds  from  1974,  Hoover  is  help- 
ing individuals  and  groups  discern  the  ex- 
tent to  which  their  understanding  of  issues 
and  values  is  shaped  by  a  video  culture.  He 
also  is  seeking  to  assist  Brethren  in  iden- 
tifying and  sharing  concerns  with  media 
decision- makers. 

He  is  aligned  with  professional  efforts  to 
monitor  and  research  media  treatment  and 
to  model  ways  of  conveying  positive  social 


values  through  the  media. 

In  Berkeley,  Hoover  was  a  teaching 
assistant  in  mass  media  studies,  a 
workshop  leader  in  children's  television, 
and  radio/tv  producer  for  the  Northern 
California  Ecumenical  CouncU. 

His  wife  Karen  Woody  Hoover  is  a  stu- 
dent at  Bethany  Theological  Seminary, 
where  the  couple  resides.  He  is  the  son  of 
Wilbur  and  Miriam  Hoover  of  McPher- 
son,  Kans.,  and  a  graduate  of  McPherson. 

Ruby  Rhoades  is  engaged  as  Messenger 
field  representative  for  21  months,  working 
with  districts  and  congregations  in  inter- 
preting Messenger  and  securing  new  group 
subscriptions. 

In  1963  she  joined  the  staff  of  Fleming 
H.  Revell,  which  has  grown  to  be  the 
nation's  second  largest  religious  publisher. 
For  the  past  two  years  she  was  the  firm's 
public  relations  director. 

With  her  husband  J.  Benton  Rhoades, 
who  now  is  executive  of  Agricultural 
Missions,  Inc.,  New  York  City,  she  co- 
founded  the  Rural  Development  program 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Ecua- 
dor. A  Manchester  alumnus,  she  has 
written  several  books  and  articles  and 
worked  in  innovative  programs  of  adult 
education.  The  Rhoadeses,  who  have 
four  grown  children,  continue  to  re- 
side in  Emerson,  N.J. 


November  1975  messenger  5 


Cluster  plan  upholds 
the  extended  family 

For  families  who  want  to  enrich  their  life 
together  and  for  families  who  lack  the 
presence  of  grandparents,  aunts,  uncles, 
cousins,  or  children  on  an  ongoing  basis,  a 
number  of  congregations  are  turning  to 
family  clusters  to  enable  growth  and  learn- 
ing across  the  generation. 

A  family  cluster  is  a  group  of  four  to  six 
family  units  ("family"  being  defined  as  per- 
sons under  the  same  roof,  be  they  single, 
with  or  without  children,  a  nuclear  family, 
or  a  one-parent  family),  consisting  perhaps 
of  20  to  25  persons.  The  group  meets  on  a 
regular  basis  to  relate  feelings,  explore 
problems,  look  at  decision-making,  share 
religious  beliefs.  Children  always  are  in- 
cluded and  activities  range  from  games  and 
"get  acquainted"  ideas  to  drama,  music  and 
varied  discussion  themes.  The  clusters  are 
arranged  so  individuals  may  opt  out  of  the 
active  circle  or  rejoin  it  as  they  choose. 

Family  cluster  allows  people  in  their 
sixties-on-up  to  share  with  one  month  — 
two-year-olds  and  all  in  between.  More 
deeply,  it  enables  families  to  live  out  in  a 
broader  context  the  combination  of 
theological  beliefs  and  everyday  matters. 

Proponents  of  the  cluster  plan  stress  the 
importance  of  acceptance  of  one  another  as 
"whole  persons"  and  "whole  families"  and 
applying  the  attributes  of  affirmation, 
forgiveness,  and  grace. 

As  a  means  of  training  leaders  or  enablers 
for  family  clustering  in  the  congregations,  a 
retreat  was  held  at  the  New  Windsor,  Md., 
Brethren  Service  Center  this  past  summer, 
involving  74  persons  from  across  the  coun- 
try. Mary  Qine  Detrick  of  Parish  Ministries 
coordinated  the  event. 

In  training,  the  New  Windsor  par- 
ticipants were  involved  twice  daily  in  fami- 
ly clusters,  and  family  members  were  very 
much  a  part  of  the  scene.  One  member  of 
the  group  commented,  "Intergenerational 
planning  and  working  together  really  does 
work."  Another  said,  "We  discovered  that 
you  have  to  put  energy  into  family  hfe  to 
make  it  a  happy  time.  It  can't  just  be  ig- 
nored or  left  alone  and  then  wonder  why 
the  time  is  kind  of  tense  and  rather  dull." 

What  about  the  local  congregation?  One 
participant  confessed  "I  think  it's  going  to 
help  the  family  more  than  other  kinds  of 
education  that  I  have  seen."  Another  per- 
son seemed  to  sum  it  up  by  her  comment  "I 
can  see  that  we  divide  families  up  too  much 
in  Christian  education.  They  don't  have  the 


Mary    Cline    Detrick   (seated)  leads  family   cluster  trainees  in  songs  and  games,  par 
of  the  group   building /celebration  process,    with   all  ages  participating   in  it  together 


opportunity  to  relate  what  they  learn  in 
their  Sunday  school  work  with  their 
families  because  different  things  are  going 
on.  The  education  really  has  to  take  place 
in  the  family — the  families  really  need 
help.  Christian  education  takes  place  right 
in  our  own  family." 

The  group  at  New  Windsor  was 
ecumenical,  involving  Presbyterians, 
United  Methodists,  Lutherans,  Moravians, 
Catholics,  and  members  of  the  United 
Church  of  Christ  and  the  Kittamaqundi 
community  as  well  as  Brethren. 

More  data  on  the  New  Windsor  trainees 
or  on  family  clustering  itself,  and  future 
training  experiences,  can  be  obtained  by 
contacting  Life  Cycle  Ministries,  1451 
Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120. 

Nigeria  health  effort 
impresses  supporters 

Roger  Ingold,  Africa  representative  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  announced  the 
possibiUty  of  "a  substantial  gift"  from  the 
Central  Service  Agency  for  Development 
Aid  of  the  West  German  Church  for  preven- 
tive health  care  in  Nigeria.  A  representative 
of  that  agency  who  inspected  the  Lafiya 
program  development  in  Nigeria  in 
September  indicated  interest  in  granting  ad- 
ditional monies. 

When  pressed  regarding  the  size  of  the 
gift,  the  World  Ministries  staff  member  in- 
dicated the  grant  could  be  as  much  as  a 
half  million  dollars.  This  is  in  addition  to 
the  $1,050,000  pledge  made  earlier  by  the 
German  agency  to  help  underwrite  the 
hospital  rebuilding  program  at  Garkida, 
Lassa,  and  Virgwi  in  the  Lardin  Gabas 
area  of  Nigeria. 

In  other  Lardin  Gabas  news: 
•  The  Executive  Committee  of  the  General 
Board  in  September  voted  to  go  on  record 
as  willing  to  negotiate  the  turnover  of  all 
Board-held  property  in  Nigeria  except  the 
three  hospital  properties,  which  have  been 


dealt  with  separately. 

Already  last  February  the  World 
Ministries  Commission  had  voted  to 
negotiate  the  turnover  of  five  vacant  mis- 
sion stations  (Chibuk,  Marama,  Mbororo, 
Shafa,  and  Wandali)  to  the  Lardin  Gabas 
church.  The  September  action,  which  in- 
volves property  at  Garkida,  Gulak,  Lassa, 
Mubi,  and  Uba,  was  precipitated  by  a  re- 
quest from  the  Lardin  Gabas  church  and  a 
call  for  a  review  of  the  land  tenure  system  in 
current  use  in  Nigeria's  Northeastern  State. 
The  call  was  issued  by  the  state's  military 
governor  Lt.  Col.  Mohammed  Buhari.  Un- 
der the  present  system  the  Brethren  board 
holds  long-term  leases  ("certificate  of  oc- 
cupancy") to  its  mission  stations.  It  is  un- 
derstood that  these  leases  would  be 
transferred  to  the  Lardin  Gabas  church. 

•  Lardin  Gabas  pastors  recently  agreed 
that  church  membership  there  may  be  con- 
ferred on  the  applicants  upon  their  meeting 
two  basic  criteria — confession  of  sin  and 
confession  of  Jesus  Christ  as  savior.  Im- 
plicit is  the  tacit  understanding  that  confes- 
sion of  sin  in  no  way  means  a  person  needs 
to  confess  the  act  of  polygyny,  or  that  a 
new  male  member  must  cast  out  wives  in 
excess  of  his  first.  Neither  must  wives  in 
polygynous  households  leave  their 
husbands  upon  joining  the  church.  The 
pastors'  action  reverses,  in  effect, 
membership  policy  held  since  the  first  bap- 
tisms in  1927. 

•  Two  Lardin  Gabas  leaders  are  currently 
in  the  US  in  theological  training.  John 
Guli,  noted  for  his  recent  work  in 
translating  the  New  Testament  into  Higi,  is 
studying  for  one  year  at  Fuller  Theological 
Seminary,  Pasadena,  California.  Mamadu 
K.  Mshelbila,  Kulp  Bible  School  Principal- 
on-leave,  and  a  1975  Elizabethtown 
College  graduate,  is  enrolled  at  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary.  His  wife,  Halima, 
and  three  of  their  children  are  with  him  at 
Oak  Brook.  Both  Guli  and  Mshelbila  were 
among  the  four  Lardin  Gabas  church 
leaders  visiting  the  US  in  1973. 


6  MESSENGER  November  1975 


Leona  Row  directing 
Hiroshima  center 

Launching  out  into  what  she  calls  "My 
retirement  adventure,"  Leona  Z.  Row 
began  in  mid-September  a  nine-month 
assignment  as  director  of  the  World 
Friendship  Center  in  Hiroshima,  Japan. 
The  former  public  school  administrator 


Leona  Z.  Row,  new  director  in  Hiroshima 

and  churchwoman  will  serve  as  an  adult 
volunteer,  providing  her  own  living  costs 
by  teaching  English.  In  her  work  she  will 
be  host  for  visitors  to  the  center,  supervise 
its  activities,  and  plan  fellowship  meetings 
and  seminars  for  groups  interested  in  inter- 
national friendship,  understanding,  and 
world  peace. 

The  World  Friendship  Center  was 
formed  in  1964,  envisioned  and  developed 
by  Barbara  Reynolds,  a  Quaker,  and  Dr. 
Tomin  Harada,  an  esteemed  Hiroshima 
physician.  Leland  Wilson,  pastor  of  the  La 
Verne,  Calif.,  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
serves  as  the  American  chairperson  for  the 
center. 

Mrs.  Row  is  the  widow  of  W.  Harold 
Row,  longtime  executive  secretary  of  the 
Brethren  Service  Commission. 

iVIcPherson  to  be  scene 
of  1976  youth  event 

A  mini-National  Youth  Conference  in  July 
1976,  immediately  preceding  Annual  Con- 
ference, is  being  planned  by  a  steering  com- 
mittee of  six  youth  and  four  adults. 

To  be  convened  at  McPherson  College 
in  Kansas  July  23-26,  the  event  is  to  be  a 
study-action  experience  for  approximately 
1,000  youth  having  completed  ninth  grade 
through  the  first  year  of  college. 

"Being  the  first  study-action  conference 
of  its  kind,  only  a  number  from  each  con- 


gregation may  choose  to  attend,"  observed 
Bonnie  Kline,  BVS  assistant  in  Life  Cycle 
Ministries  and  coordinator  for  the  con- 
ference. 

"The  theme,  'Emerging  Brethren — From 
Caterpillars  to  Butterflies,"  is  a  challenge  to 
Brethren  youth  to  look  at  their  heritage — 
the  cocoon  stage — with  the  hope  that  they 
may  develop  into  beautiful  butterflies 
prepared  to  serve  a  world  in  need,"  Ms. 
Kline  explained. 

Working  with  her  in  the  planning  are 
steering  committee  members  Doreen 
Bieber,  Brodbecks,  Pa.;  Ralph  Boaz,  San 
Diego,  Calif.;  Debbie  Gosnell,  Baltimore, 
Md.;  Lyle  Lichty,  Phoenix,  Ariz.;  Barton 
Shively,  Columbia  City,  Ind.;  Kevin 
Wilson,  Valley  Center,  Kans.;  Alan  and 
Nancy  Kieffaber,  Grundy  Center,  la.;  and 
Ralph  and  Mary  Cline  Detrick,  consultants 
for  Life  Cycle  Ministries,  Elgin,  111. 

Annual  Conference  will  follow  the  mini- 
meeting,  July  27 — Aug.  1,  at  Wichita, 
Kansas. 

Brethren  remembered  by 
the  Sudeten  Germans 

Three  million  Sudeten  Germans  were 
driven  from  their  ancestral  homes  in  the 
central  European  area  of  Bohemia  and 
Moravia-Silesia  in  1945  in  the  wake  of 


H.  Lamar  Gibble  accepts  Ehrenbrief  award 

World  War  IL  The  Church  of  the  Brethren 
was  one  of  the  bodies  that  responded  to 
that  tragedy  thirty  years  ago  with  aid  that 
has  been  remembered  ever  since. 

On  this  past  September  12,  the  Sudeten 
Germans  warmly  expressed  their  apprecia- 
tion and  gratitude  to  the  Brethren.  In  a 
ceremony  in  Washington,  D.C.,  Dr.  Fritz 
Wittman,  member  of  the  executive  board 


of  the  Sudeten  German  Landsmannschaft 
and  representative  to  the  German 
Bundestag,  presented  Lamar  Gibble,  Peace 
and  International  affairs  consultant  for  the 
World  Ministries  Commission,  a  citation 
of  honor,  the  "Ehrenbrief  of  the  Sudeten 
German  Landsmannschaft.  The  ceremony 
was  prepared  jointly  by  the 
Landsmannschaft  and  the  West  German 
embassy. 

"Earned  re-entry"  plan 
ended;  had  few  falters 

President  Ford's  limited  clemency  program 
ended  in  mid-September  with  1,000,000 
people  who  protested  the  Indochina  con- 
flict in  one  form  or  the  other  still  in  need  of 
amnesty,  according  to  Warren  Hoover,  ex- 
ecutive director  of  the  National  In- 
terreligious  Service  Board  for  Conscien- 
tious Objectors  (NISBCO). 

TTiose  officially  responsible  for  the 
program  say  they  are  pleased  with  what 
has  been  accomplished,  but  they  concede 
that  the  program  has  not  reached  many 
people  in  legal  trouble  because  of  the  war. 

Hoover  attributes  this  to  the  limited 
scope  of  the  program.  Only  a  fraction  of 
those  in  need  of  amnesty  were  eligible. 

In  addition,  the  punitive  aspect  of  the 
clemency  program,  which  requires  those  in 
need  of  amnesty  to  admit  wrongdoing,  has 
kept  many  of  those  eligible  from  respond- 
ing to  the  program.  Less  than  20  percent  of 
those  who  could  have  received  clemency 
signed  up  for  the  program  and  many  of 
those  dropped  out. 

Hoover  said  that  the  punitive  orientation 
of  Ford's  "earned  re-entry"  program  kept 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
from  responding  to  it. 

"They  refused  because  they  believe  what 
they  did  was  right.  They  could  not  con- 
scientiously sign  up  for  a  punitive 
program,"  Hoover  said. 

There  is  hope  for  some  still  waiting  for 
total  amnesty.  Last  January  the  Depart- 
ment of  Justice  published  a  list  of  4,400 
draft  violators  who  are  still  liable  for  draft 
offenses  committed  during  the  Vietnam 
War.  Information  concerning  who  is  on  the 
list  may  be  obtained  by  calling  the  Clemen- 
cy Information  Center  in  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
(317)  635-8259,  or  call  NISBCO,  (202)  393- 
4868. 

In  addition  an  amnesty  bill  reached  the 
House  Judiciary  Committee  early  this  fall, 
which  outlines  a  plan  for  unconditional, 
but  not  imiversal,  amnesty. 


November  1975  messenger  7 


SHARE  continues  aid 
to  US  disadvantaged 

Last  February's  Messenger  carried  a 
special  feature  on  SHARE,  the  Brethren 
program  for  sharing  financial  and  human 
resources  with  disadvantaged  Afro- 
Americans,  Anglo-Americans,  Asian- 
Americans,  Hispanic-Americans,  and 
Native  Americans.  In  the  feature  were 
listed  the  nineteen  projects  in  thirteen 
states  that  were  receiving  SHARE  funds. 

So  far  in  1975  nine  new  projects  have 
been  added  to  the  list  of  SHARE 
recipients.  These  include,  for  a  total  of 
$121,000: 

Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  Oak 
Brook,  111.  $20,000  per  year  for  four  years 
for  financial  assistance  to  non-white  stu- 
dents. Also  $3,000  toward  cost  of  an  Afro- 


American  faculty  member  for  1975-76. 

Community  Cooperative  of  Sumter 
County.  Americus,  Ga.  $7,500  for  con- 
sumer cooperative.  SHARE  grant  to  be 
used  for  store  equipment  and  food  stock 
and  to  initiate  a  long-term  development 
fund. 

East  Side  Housing  and  Economic 
Development  Corporation,  Decatur,  111. 
$3,000  grant  for  program  of  rehabilitating 
older  homes  and  providing  home 
ownership  and  tenant  counseling  services. 

Green  County  Development  Center, 
Eutaw,  Ala.  $5,000  grant  for  development 
of  small  businesses  by  indigenous  persons 
and/or  attracting  outside  businesses. 

Madison  County  Crafts,  Marshall,  N.C. 
$3,000  grant  enables  organization  to 
purchase  bulk  supplies  of  materials  and 
provides  advance  payment  to  -needy  par- 
ticipants. 

The  spirit  of  SHARE  is  epitomized  in  the 
loving  relationship  between  Emmalita 
Huston,  daughter  of  former  workers 
Ervin  and  Joan  Huston,  and  Rhoda 
Weary,  daughter  of  Dolphus  and  Rosie 
Weary,  all  of  SHARE  project  Voice 
of   Calvary,    based    in    Jackson,    Miss. 


Mashulaville  Community  Dav  Care 
Center  and  United  Totland  Day  Care 
Center.  Mashulaville  and  Indianola,  Miss. 
$2,000  each  for  day  care  programs  in  black 
communities  with  family  incomes  below 
poverty  line. 

Organized  Migrants  in  Community  Ac- 
tion. (OMICA),  Immokalee,  Fla.  $8,000 
for  nutritional  counseling  to  families  on 
planning  and  buying  food  for  healthy  diet. 
Also  provides  emergency  food  and 
clothing. 

Urban  League  of  Flint  Housing  Center, 
Flint,  Mich.  $7,500  to  improve  quality  of 
housing  for  lower  income  persons,  and  to 
help  homeowners  meet  basic  obligations  of 
mortgage  payments  and  maintenance. 

Programs  that  have  previously  received 
SHARE  grants  totaling  $1 17,000  are: 

Family  Services,  Inc.,  Fort  Defiance, 
Ariz.;  Ecumenical  Center  for  Black 
Studies,  Los  Angeles,  Calif.;  National 
Farm  Worker  Ministry.  Los  Angeles,  Calif, 
and  Dayton,  Ohio;  Bethany  Brethren- 
Garfield  Park  Hospital,  Chicago,  111.; 
Community  Health  Improvement  Center, 
Decatur,  111.;  Mother  Goose  Child 
Development  Center.  Elgin,  111.;  Peoples 
Health  Center,  Freeport,  111.;  Community 
Clothing  and  Retailing  Program, 
Waterloo,  Iowa;  Kentucky  Mountain 
Housing  Development  Corporation, 
Manchester,  Ky.;  Human  I  Economic  Ap- 
palachian Development  Corporation 
(HEAD).  Berea,  Ky. 

Also,  Voice  of  Calvary  Cooperative 
Health  Center,  Mendenhall,  Miss.; 
Lybrook  Navajo  Fellowship  and  Com- 
munity Projects,  Cuba,  N.M.;  Third  World 
Consultation,  Princeton,  N.J.;  Hispanos 
Unidos  of  Park  Slope.  Brooklyn,  N.Y.; 
Youth  Screen  Printing.  Dayton,  Ohio; 
Commission  on  Religion  in  Appalachia. 
Knoxville,  Tenn.;  Feeder  Pig  Project,  Elsa, 
Tex.;  Council  of  Southern  Mountains. 
Clintwood,  Va.;  and  Operation  Coal, 
Blacksburg,  Va. 

Of  the  previously  funded  programs,  four 
have  since  received  further  grants.  These 
are  Lybrook  Navajo  Fellowship  and  Com- 
munity Projects,  $18,760;  Kentucky  Moun- 
tain Housing  Development  Corporation, 
$24,000;  Human / Economic  Appalachian 
Development  Corporation  (HEAD),  $2,- 
000;  and  Youth  Screen  Printing,  $4,000 
(also  $1,000  from  Southern  Ohio  District). 

Brethren  who  wish  to  share  through 
SHARE  should  make  checks  payable  to 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board 
and  send  them  to:  SHARE,  1451  Dundee 
Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 


8  MESSENGER  November  1975 


Mart  Y.  Malgv>i 


i/lalgwi  inspector  of 
eligion  in  schools 

l^ari  Y.  Malgwi,  long  a  crusader  for  closer 
Ittention  to  Christian  religious  instruction 
|i  the  public  schools  of  Lardin  Gabas,  may 
low  have  his  chance  to  directly  facilitate 
ine  attainment  of  the  goals  of  that  personal 
irusade.  He  has  recently  been  named  in- 
pector  of  Christian  religious  instruction 
for  all  primary 
and  secondary 
schools,  teachers 
colleges,  and 
technical  schools 
of  Nigeria's 
Northeastern 
State,  which  en- 
compasses the 
Lardin  Gabas 
area. 

Speaking  about 
lis  new  post,  the  young  Bura  tribesman, 
lointed  out  that  the  Northeastern  state, 
iredominantly  Moslem,  is  the  largest  of 
Nigeria's  states.  "I  thank  the  Lord  for  this 
)pportunity,"  he  said,  "not  only  because  it 
s  part  of  what  I  had  been  encouraging 
)eople  to  pay  attention  to,  but  also  that  the 
!overnment  is  encouraging  effective 
caching  of  the  Bible  for  the  few  Christians 
ound  in  each  of  the  schools." 

After  going  through  the  local  schools 
ind  Waka  Teachers'  College,  Mari 
p-aduated  from  the  Theological  College  of 
*Jorthern  Nigeria  (operated  by  the  Church 
)f  the  Brethren  Mission  and  other 
;ooperating  missions)  and  from  Ahmadu 
iello  University,  from  which  he  holds  a 
legree  in  history.  He  was  teaching  in  a 
jovernment  secondary  school  in 
Vlaiduguri,  the  state  capital,  when  he 
eceived  his  present  assignment. 

Bespeaking  the  sincerity  and  devotion 
hat  he  brings  to  his  new  post,  Mari  enjoins 
he  Brethren  in  America  for  their  prayers 
'  . . .  because  this  is  a  new  office  that  re- 
1  aires  a  lot  of  organization.  There  are  not 
eachers  for  Bible  courses  in  most  of  the 
ichools.  And  those  that  have  them  have 
)nly  one  each.  For  the  past  two  years  there 
lave  been  no  permanent  Bible  teachers  at 
:ither  the  teachers'  college  or  secondary 
ichool  at  Waka  (schools  turned  over  to 
government  control  by  the  Brethren  in 
1973)." 

The  new  inspector  is  married  to  Rahila 
Malgwi,  a  nurse  at  the  Maiduguri  branch 
jf  Ahmadu  Hello  University.  The  couple 
lave  five  children. 


[UlDTldlSD^DDDTlS^ 


OVER  THE  TOP   ...  By  mid-September  the  Church  World  Service 
Immigration  and  Refugee  Program  had  resettled  11,000  Indo- 
chinese,  1,000  over  the  original  goal.  Included  were  533 
refugees  placed  by  125  Brethren  sponsors.  A  new  goal  by 
CWS  is  to  place  5,000  additional  refugees  by  mid-December. 


PUERTO  RICO  AID 


Miller  Davis   of  the  Brethren  Service 


Center,  New  Windsor,  Md.,  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the 
churches  of  Puerto  Rico  to  respond  to  hurricane  victims.  As 
part  of  the  program,  $5,000  was  allocated  for  assistance 
from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  Emergency  Disaster  Fund. 


PEOPLE  YOU  KNOW 


Beth  Gliok-Rieman,   Dayton,  Ohio,  an 


ordained  minister,  has  been  named  person  awareness  coordi- 
nator in  the  leadership  development  program  of  Parish  Mini- 
stries. .  .  .  Elder  James  F.   Swallow,   Santa  Rosa,  Calif., 
subject  of  a  July  Messenger  feature,  died  Sept.  7  at  age  91. 
.  .  .  Bea  Thompson,   a  cook  and  longest  term  employee  of  the 
Brethren  Service  Center,  New  Windsor,  Md.,  died  Sept.  4. 

INTERCHURCH  ROLES  ...  McPherson  College  graduate  William 
Phelps  Thompson,  stated  clerk  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church,  was  the  nominating  committee's  choice  for  the  new 
president  of  the  National  Council  of  Churches.  .  .  .  Chair- 
ing the  NCC's  Stewardship  Commission  for  the  next  triennium 
is  Ronald  D.  Retry  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  staff.  He 
is  also  an  NCC  vice  president  and  on  its  Executive  Committee. 

J.  Bentley  Peters   also  of  the  Brotherhood  staff  is  chair- 
person of  the  Church  Career  Development  Council  which  ac- 
credits clergy  career  counseling  centers  across  the  nation. 

Merle  Crouse  has  been  nominated  to  chair  the  successor 
organization  to  the  former  Latin  America  Working  Group,  a 
part  of  the  NCC's  Division  of  Overseas  Ministries. 

Howard  E.  Royer   is  a  vice  president  of  the  Associated 
Church  Press  and  chairs  a  task  force  exploring  joint  pro- 
grams with  the  Catholic  Press  Association. 


THE  BOOK  SCENE 


For  researchers,  complete  indexes  of 


six  Church  of  the  Brethren  district  histories  have  been  com- 
piled and  others  are  in  process.  For  titles  and  cost,  write 
Lela  Eby,   840  Spring  Dr.,  Mill  Valley,  CA  94941.  .  .  .  Per- 
sons with  reminiscences,  tapes,  or  letters  related  to  the 
late  Nathan  Leopold  are  invited  to  share  them  with  Ronald 
Martinetti,   419  East  57th  St.,  New  York,  NY  10022.  Mr. 
Martinetti  and  Trudi  Leopold  are  writing  a  biography  to  be 
published  by  William  Morrow. 

And  newly  issued  by  Judson  Press  are  successor  volumes  to 
two  works  by  Brethren  authors:  "Take  It  From  Here,  Series 
Two,"  by  Glee  Yoder^   building  on  a  creative  activities 
column  introduced  in  Messenger,  and  "Using  Biblical  Simula- 
tions, Volume  2"  by  Donald  E.   Miller,   Gray  don  F.   Snyder,   and 
Robert  w.  Neff.     Copies  are  available  from  Brethren  Press. 

NEW  HOME  UNDERWAY  ...  A  98-bed  nursing  home  is  under  con- 
struction by  the  Brethren  Home,  Girard,  111.,  to  replace  the 
present  70-year-old  facility.  Completion  is  set  for  next 
spring,  according  to  Elmer  L.  Dadisman,   administrator. 

November  1975  messenger  9 


)PS©D®D  \r(Bp(D)\rt 


Kahler  and  Kent  State  revisited 


by  Mary  Sue  H.  Rosenberger 


Dean  Kahler  sits  restlessly  in  his 
wheelchair.  More  than  five  years  after  a 
bullet  fired  at  Kent  State  University  ripped 
through  his  lower  spinal  cord,  he  still  does 
not  seem  entirely  at  home  in  his  necessary 
means  of  transport.  Months  spent  in  a 
rehabilitation  hospital  have  made  this 
member  of  Center  Church  of  the  Brethren 
adept  in  the  use  of  his  wheeled  conveyance, 
however,  and  he  continues  his  studies  at 
Kent  State  where  he  is  now,  at  25,  a  senior 
majoring  in  social  studies  and  secondary 
education. 

Recently  the  Kent  State  shooting  of  May 
4,  1970,  which  left  four  students  dead  and 
nine  students  (including  Dean)  wounded, 
has  again  found  its  way  into  the  nation's 
attention  as  a  news  item.  A  law  suit,  filed 
five  years  ago  by  the  nine  wounded 
students  and  the  families  of  the  four 
students  killed  finally  reached  the  US  Dis- 
trict Court  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  this  past 
May  19.  Filed  against  several  public  of- 
ficials, including  Ohio  Governor  James  A. 
Rhoades,  former  Kent  State  president 
Robert  A.  White,  and  27  Ohio  National 
Guardsmen  and  several  former  Guard  of- 
ficials, the  suit  asked  approximately  $46 
million  in  damages. 

The  students,  as  plaintiffs,  charged 
violation  of  their  constitutional  rights  to 
peaceable  assembly  and  the  denial  of  life 
and  liberty  without  due  process  of  law 
among  other  violations  of  federal  and  state 
laws.  Originally  the  suit  was  blocked  from 
even  coming  to  court  by  the  doctrine  of  the 
absolute  sovereign  immunity  of  the  State 
of  Ohio,  i.e.,  that  neither  the  state  nor  any 
of  its  officials  could  be  sued  for  acts  com- 
mitted in  their  official  capacity.  A  ruling  by 
the  US  Supreme  Court  in  April,  1974, 
however,  declared  that  sovereign  immunity 
is  not  "absolute"  but  is  "qualified,"  thus 
freeing  the  suit  of  the  students  against  state 
officials  to  reach  the  court  docket.  The  case 
sought,  not  criminal  prosecution,  but,  as 
an  attorney  for  the  plaintiffs  stated  in 
his  summary  of  the  case,  "the  fixing  of 
responsibility." 

The  trial  ran  for  fourteen  weeks,  in 
which  testimony  was  given  by  more  than 
100  witnesses,  Kahler  included.  Filled  with 
conflicting  testimony  as  to  whether  or  not 


the  lives  of  the  National  Guardsmen  were 
endangered  by  a  "rush  of  students,"  the 
trial  was  marked  by  threats  received  by  the 
lead  attorney  for  the  students  and  by  one 
juror.  Another  juror  had  to  be  dismissed 
more  than  halfway  through  the  trial  for 
publicly  stating,  "They  (the  students)  are 


NOW  THE  STAIN  IS  PERMANENT 

Copyright  '^  1975  Chicago  Sun-Times.  Reproduced hy 
courtesy  of  Wil-Jo  Associates,   Inc.  and  Bill  Mauldin 

all  a  bunch  of  communists  and  they  won't 
get  a  red  cent  out  of  me." 

After  seven  days  of  deliberation,  on 
August  27  the  jury  of  six  men  and  six 
women,  by  a  vote  of  nine  to  three,  returned 
the  verdict  of  "not  guilty,"  thus  freeing  the 
defendants  from  responsibility  for  paying 
damages.  The  plaintiffs  plan  to  appeal  for, 
as  one  lawyer  for  the  students  stated,  "In 
America  it  just  can't  happen  that  thirteen 
unarmed  people  get  gunned  down  and 
nobody  is  held  responsible  for  it." 

Dean  Kahler  speaks  freely  and  unself- 
consciously of  his  feelings  regarding  the 
trial,  the  judicial  process,  and  the  1970 
shooting  incident  itself.  "On  May  19  (when 
the  trial  opened)  the  whole  thing  was  very 
strange.  It  took  awhile  to  dawn  on  me  that 
here  we  were,  actually  in  trial.  But  about 
noon  of  that  day  it  hit  me — in  the 
stomach,  headache,  all  over — that  finally 


we  were  being  heard  in  court.  I  had  a  hard 
time  coping  with  that  feeling  after  all  these 
years  we've  been  working  on  it." 

He  is  understandably  unhappy  about  the 
jury's  verdict.  He  speaks  with  more  irrita- 
tion, however,  about  the  courtroom  con- 
duct of  the  trial  itself.  He  feels  the  behavior 
of  the  defense  lawyers  and  complicity  by  the 
judge  prevented  testimony  essential  to  the 
students"  case  from  being  heard  by  thejury. 
"Some  photographs  and  bullet  fragments 
taken  from  the  body  of  a  dead  student  and 
the  gun  that  fired  them  were  ruled  'irrele- 
vant evidence'  and  prevented  from  being  in- 
troduced into  the  court  testimony.  By  con- 
tinually raising  'objection'  to  the  line  of 
questioning  by  the  plaintiffs'  lawyers,  the 
defense  lawyers  effectively  blocked  a  lot  of 
important  information  from  being  heard.  It 
was  as  if  they — and  the  judge — were  afraid 
to  let  the  truth  come  out.  It's  a  wonder  I 
didn't  get  an  ulcer!" 

Was  anything  accomplished  by  this  trial? 
"Ever  so  slightly,"  he  replied.  "It's  like  this: 
The  truth  is  kind  of  like  a  pound  of  butter. 
If  you  stick  in  a  knife  and  take  out  a  slice, 
there's  still  a  lot  left.  This  (trial)  hks  been 
the  first  slice — but  there  will  be  more 
slices,  another  trial.  We've  already  begun 
planning. ..." 

An  appeal  will  be  made  on  the  basis  of 
"reversible  error"  of  the  judge  in  this  trial. 
Dean  is  quick  to  say  that,  while  he  is  highly 
critical  of  the  conduct  of  this  specific  trial 
in  this  one  courtroom,  he  retains  his  faith 
in  the  legal  system  of  the  United  States.  "I 
guess  you'd  say  I'm  an  idealist.  I  believe 
that  in  our  legal  system  we  have  all  these 
steps  to  go  through  (appeals  to  higher 
courts)  to  make  sure  the  truth  comes  out. 
You  have  to  have  some  faith  in  our  system 
or  you  shouldn't  be  living  here.  Sure  there 
are  some  dishonest  or  corrupt  people  and 
practices  in  the  system  but  the  system  itself 
is  sound.  You  have  to  continually  keep 
working  to  see  that  the  truth  comes  out. 
The  truth  (in  this  case)  may  not  be  found 
yet  while  I'm  still  alive  but  I  believe  it  will 
continue  to  be  investigated.  Just  look  at 
what  has  recently  been  discovered  about 
the  old  cases  of  Alger  Hiss  and  (Julius  and 
Ethel)  Rosenberg!" 

Dean  speaks  highly  of  the  contribution 
to  the  students'  cause  made  by  Rev.  John 
Adams  of  the  United  Methodist  Board  of 


10  MESSENGER  November  1975 


Church  and  Society  and  Social  Concerns 
and  his  office.  He  has  been  instrumental  in 
assisting  the  case  over  its  rocky  course  on 
its  way  to  trial.  "He  was  with  us 
throughout  almost  the  whole  trial.  He 
helps  us  understand  more  clearly  what's 
going  on — gives  us  a  more  objective  view. 
He  helps  keep  us  (the  plaintiffs)  from  tear- 
ing each  other  up  by  our  different  points  of 
view — builds  us  into  a  family.  He  serves  as 
spiritual  advisor  to  me — I  go  to  him 
whenever  I  have  a  problem  and  he  gives  me 
a  lot  of  guidance.  He  said  to  me,  after  the 
verdict,  'Yes,  Dean,  we  lost  but  we  got  a  lot 
(of  truth)  out.  We  need  to  remember 
that!'" 

John  Adams'  office  also  serves  as  ac- 
countant for  the  nearly  three-quarters  of  a 
million  dollars  contributed  by  over  22,000 
people  to  meet  the  legal  expenses  of  the 
students'  case.  In  the  early  days  of  the  suit, 
his  office  was  assisted  by  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  and  others  who  filed  "friend  of 
the  court"  briefs  in  support  of  the  students. 

How  did  it  feel  to  Dean  to  relive  again  in 
court  his  experiences  of  May  I  to  May  4, 
1970?  "It  didn't  bother  me  except  that  I 
just  kept  thinking  all  the  time,  'Was  I  com- 
mitting a  crime  just  by  being  thereT  No,  it 
doesn't  make  me  angry  or  bitter.  I'm  just 
grateful  to  be  alive.  I  guess  when  I  think 
back  to  that  experience  (the  shooting)  I 
just  feel  sorrow — unhappiness.  Four  kids 
killed — and  these  people  pulled  the  trigger. 
I  guess  it  weighs  on  their  consciences.  All 
we  (students)  wanted  to  do  that  weekend 
was  to  let  somebody  know  we  didn't  like 
what  was  going  on  (the  US  incursion  into 
Cambodia  and  the  calling  out  of  the  Ohio 
National  Guard  to  the  Kent  State  Uni- 
versity campus).  The  KSU  President  and 
others  promised  they  would  come  and  talk 
to  us  about  it  but  we  were  met  with  tear 
gas  instead. .  . .  We  people  must  live  under 
laws  and  learn  to  talk  out  what  is  bother- 
ing us  (without  resorting  to  violence)." 

Dean's  amazing  lack  of  bitterness  or 
anger  is  shared  and  fostered  by  his  family. 
His  fifteen-year-old  brother,  Allen, 
youngest  of  the  four  children  and  the  only 
one  still  at  home  in  the  family's  East  Can- 
ton, Ohio,  residence,  was  present  in  the 
courtroom  for  part  of  the  trial  and  for  the 
returning  of  the  jury's  verdict.  He  spoke 
with  some  amazement  of  the  anger  it  had 
kindled  in  some  of  the  plaintiffs.  His 
father,  Dick,  commented  that  during  their 
seven-day  wait  while  the  jury  deliberated. 


some  of  the  other  plaintiffs  "got  upset  with 
us  for  visiting  with  the  defense  lawyer.  But 
we've  got  nothing  against  him;  he  just  has  a 
job  to  do  and  he's  doing  it  the  best  he  can. 
He  might  have  been  on  our  side — and  we'd 
want  him  to  do  a  good  job  if  he  were.  They 
(the  defendants)  are  entitled  to  the  best 
legal  defense  they  can  get." 

Dean  Kahler  may  be  lacking  in  the  ex- 
pected bitterness  and  cynicism  but  he  is  not 
a  saint  or  a  Pollyanna.  He  struggles  with 
all  the  problems  common  to  his  generation 
as  they  stand  on  the  threshhold  of 
graduating  into  the  work-a-day  society. 
Questions  of  employment,  social 
relationships,  and  life-style  must  all  be 
decided  on  the  basis  of  where  in — or  out- 
side of — the  established  society  a  young 
person  can  live  with  himself  and  with  what 
he  has  learned  about  that  society.  Dean  is 
no  exception  in  this  dilemma,  but  some  of 
the  conflicts  have  been  heightened  for  him 
by  the  shooting  and  the  ensuing  publicity. 
Neither  paralysis  nor  press  coverage  make 
for  the  conduct  of  a  normal  life.  Dean  is 
intent,  however,  on  walking  the  tightrope 
between  the  sympathy  stirred  by  a  wheel 
chair  and  the  notoriety  fostered  by  news 
coverage  to  meet  the  challenges  of  life  and 
employment  on  his  own  merit. 

Dunker- Brethren  teachings  against  "go- 
ing to  court"  made  the  decision  whether  to 
participate  in  the  suit  a  difficult  one. 
Dean's  mother,  Elaine,  raised  a  Catholic, 
has  said,  "We  were  reluctant  to  go  to  court 
because  of  the  teaching  of  the  church 
against  it — but  it's  not  just  my  child.  Other 
people's  children  are  involved,  too.  People 
who  don't  believe  as  we  do.  And  this  seems 
like  the  only  way  to  get  the  truth  to  come 
out.  It's  not  the  money  we  want — it's  the 
truth." 

Her  commitment  to  helping  search  for 
that  truth  left  one  reporter  on  the 
Cleveland  trial  scene  speechless.  "How  do 
you  think  these  poor  defendants  are  going 


Dean  Kalher 


to  be  able  to  come  up  with  $46  million?"  he 
assailed  her.  She  retorted,  "And  how  do 
you  think  these  four  families  are  going  to 
get  their  dead  children  back?  And  how  can 
my  son  get  a  new  pair  of  legs?"  The 
reporter  had  no  answer. 

Etean  is  quick  to  credit  his  Church  of  the 
Brethren  upbringing  as  the  major  factor  in 
his  absence  of  hatred  and  anger.  "We  were 
taught — as  Brethren — to  love  everybody; 
even  those  who  smite  you  or  your  enemies. 
I  just  try  to  keep  remembering  that  all  the 
time.  I  don't  always  go  to  church  right  now 
but  I  spend  a  lot  of  time  thinking  about 
God — and  about  spiritual  things.  At  the 
time  of  the  jury's  verdict,  the  thought  oc- 
curred to  me,  'My  (Brethren)  ancestors 
have  had  problems  with  the  military  since 
the  beginning — and  here  /am!'" 

Dean  is  glad  to  be  able  to  relax  at  home 
now  that  the  tension  of  the  trial  is  over. 
His  schedule  continues  to  be  hectic, 
however,  with  frequent  requests  for  inter- 
views and  personal  appearances  as  well  as 
the  normal  preparations  for  a  new  term  of 
school.  After  ten  days,  I  was  finally  able  to 
reach  him,  late  at  night,  by  telephone.  As  I 
hung  up,  the  wisdom  of  Longfellow  passed 
through  my  mind,  "Though  the  mills  of 
God  grind  slowly,  yet  they  grind  exceeding 
small."  For  Dean  Kahler  and  the  others  of 
the  Kent  State  Thirteen,  they  grind  on.  Q 


PITER 
MEiLlER 


Brethren 


were  there!  Two  hundred  years  ago 
the  Brethren  were  involved  in  the  midst  of 
the  American  Revolution,  a  fact  of  history 
we  cannot  escape.  Much  more  than 
historical  coincidence  is  involved.  We  are  a 
colonial  American  church. 

Children  are  influenced  by  the  social- 
historical  surroundings  of  their  time  of 
growing  up.  Any  group  of  people  also  has 
a  common  weal.  Whether  the  web  of  life  be 
the  common  wealth  of  a  state  or  the  com- 
mon faith  of  a  church,  the  nature  of  our 
life  together  is  influenced  by  the  events  and 
the  thinking  about  the  events  of  the  times 
in  which  we  live. 

America  and  the  Brethren — how  much 
their  formative  years  have  in  common!  The 
birth  of  the  United  States  as  a  separate  na- 
tion and  the  birth  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  as  a  separate  church  share  in 
common  the  same  time/ space  period  in 
human  development.  Each  had  a  gestation 
period  in  the  old  world  of  Europe.  Each 
came  across  the  Atlantic  seeking  new 
freedoms  of  value.  Each  had  a  colonial 
period  of  growth  and  development.  Each 
had  a  birth  into  independent  selfhood  in 
the  new  world  of  America.  We  are  not  one 
or  the  other.  We  are  both 


Brethren 


American 


members 


We  were  a  part  of  the  birth  of  our  na- 
tion. The  national  life  not  only  influenced 
us  but  we  influenced  it  in  its  formation. 
George  Washington  was  confronted  with 
Peter  Miller's  amazing  plea  for  forgiveness 
of  a  personal  enem.y.  The  colonies  had  to 
deal  with  persons  claiming  that  Christian 
conscience  and  biblical  teaching  cannot 
allow  participation  in  war.  Seeds  were 


planted.  Brethren  had  to  learn  to  be 
citizens  in  a  nation  that  went  to  war.  The: 
were  the  growing  pains  for  tolerance  and 
democracy. 

We  are  a  part  of  our  nation  now.  We 
should  be  involved  in  the  Bicentennial 
observances  in  this  era,  lifting  up  the  sair 
values  and  biblical  teachings  as  our 
forebears  did  two  centuries  ago.  The  neec 
for  this  witness  is  even  more  urgent  now 
than  then — we,  the  people  of  nonviolence 
should  be  more  experienced  and  informei 
in  how  to  confront  criminal  violence, 
economic  violence,  and  military  violence. 

Realization  of  the  common  shaping  fao 
tors  which  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
shared  with  colonial  America,  opens  us  t< 
new  insights.  Of  all  the  open,  inviting 
wilderness  of  America,  of  all  the  range  of 
zeal  for  religion  and  freedom  represented 
in  the  thirteen  colonies,  the  Brethren 
settled  in  the  one  colony  that  had  a  uniqu 
characteristic  that  differentiated  it  from  ai 
the  others.  That  singular  aspect  was  not 
only  unique  in  the  American  colonies — it 
was  also  in  striking  contrast  to  any  other 
organized  government  in  the  entire  course 
of  human  history.  That  key  factor — 
nonviolence — made  it  particularly  relevan 
to  the  nature  of  the  Brethren  commitment 
to  applied  biblical  faith.  That  course  whici 
no  other  formal  government  has  ever  beer 
willing  to  follow  offers  the  one  hope  of 
solution  to  America's  most  threatening 
danger  in  the  era  of  its  Bicentennial. 

The  Brethren  settled  in  colonial  Americi 
in  the  one  colony  that  has  been  called  "th( 
holy  experiment" — Pennsylvania.  William 
Penn,  the  devout  Quaker,  had  a  personal 
charter  for  the  colony.  He  applied  his 
Christian  faith  as  the  practical  method  of 
governing.  The  base  of  power  and  force  foi 
the  colony  of  Pennsylvania  was  strictly 
nonviolent.  Penn  beheved  that  killing  and 
war  are  contrary  to  the  will  of  God. 


SlfQirioiaa*  New^ 


3atriots  again! 


Pennsylvania  is  the  only  state  or  govern- 
jtnent  ever  to  set  itself  up  to  rule  without 
'  Ihe  use  of  violence  and  war  as  the  base  of 
its  power.  A  few  tribal  groups  have  had 
some  elements  of  nonviolence.  Some 
movements  for  independence  or  civil  rights 
have  used  nonviolence  but  they  were  not 
governments.  It  is  paradoxically  evident 
ihat  of  all  the  states  or  nations  which  might 
have  called  themselves  "Christian"  or 
["civilized"  in  the  western  sphere  of  "Chris- 
(tian"  influence  there  is  only  this  one  in- 
stance where  a  government  trusted  non- 
I  violence  as  taught  and  lived  by  Jesus,  the 
j  Christ. 

ji   And  the  Brethren  were  there.  It  was 
Imore  than  mere  coincidence.  For  the 
Brethren  we  might  call  it  "The  Penn  Con- 
nection." Persecution  in  Europe  combined 
with  Penn's  invitation  offering  religious 
freedom  to  bring  them  to  Germantown. 
[They  were  aware  that  their  persecution  was 
jfoartly  because  of  their  refusal  to  par- 
Bicipate  in  the  violence  of  war.  They  knew 
[that  Perm  and  the  Quakers  took  the  same 
toosition. 

f    In  Pennsylvania  before  the  revolution 
Plhey  were  not  passive  residents.  Their 
religious  convictions  led  them  into  political 
activity.  In  the  Penn  connection  the 
•Brethren  influence  in  the  Christopher  Saur 
Ipress  publications  became  the  balance  of 
ipower  that  kept  the  Quakers  dominant  for 
la  number  of  years.  The  "holy  experiment" 
In  government  by  nonviolence  had  its  dif- 
[ficulties  in  keeping  its  direction  and  con- 
trol. Not  all  residents  were  pacifists  like  the 
Quakers,  Mennonites,  and  Brethren.  Other 
::olonies  and  nations  did  use  force  in  deal- 
I  ng  with  the  owners  of  the  land,  the 
{original  Americans,  the  "Indians." 
However,  the  Saur  press  editorials  in- 
fluenced the  German-speaking  population 
lincluding  the  nonpacifist  Reformed, 
Lutheran,  and  others.  It  was  because  of 

hy  ^mon  K  Miller 


this  pohtical  power  for  nonviolence  that  by 
the  time  of  the  Revolution  Benjamin 
Franklin,  Henry  Muhlenberg,  and  others 
tried  to  drive  the  Saur  press  out  of 
business.  In  one  sense,  the  "holy  experi- 
ment" did  not  succeed — there  is  no  govern- 
ment in  the  world  today  using  nonviolence 
as  its  power  base.  But,  as  a  developmental 
experiment  it  was  successful.  It  demon- 
strated factors  that  work  and  others  that 
need  development  and  reshaping. 

The  shame  and  regret  for  the  Brethren  is 
that  after  the  colonial  and  revolutionary  in- 
volvement in  experimental  nonviolence, 
and  after  the  destruction  of  the  Saur  Press, 
the  Brethren  withdrew  into  nonparticipa- 
tion.  Recent  decades  have  seen  increased 
involvement.  But  for  two  hundred  years  we 
should  have  been  vigorously  developing  the 
concepts,  techniques,  and  trust  in  non- 
violence as  an  active  political  force  method 
for  human  relationships  in  government. 

Having  made  our  confession,  now  is  the 
time  to  start  research  and  development 
centers  in  every  congregation.  Ours  is  a 
government  of  the  people.  We  can  do  as 
good  a  job  as  any  official  of  government. 
We  are  the  government.  The  Bicentermial 
spirit  of  "government  of  the  people,  by  the 
people,  and  for  the  people"  challenges  us  to 
do  our  part  now.  Violence  is  the  most 
dangerous  illness  threatening  Americans 
and  the  human  race  who  are  all  God's  crea- 
tion. 

Furthermore,  this  is  churchly  work.  Paul 
wrote  that  Christians  are  to  be  Christ's  am- 
bassadors of  reconciliation  in  the  world. 
The  New  Testament  states  that  Jesus  came 
to  bring  peace  on  earth.  He  gave  us  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  to  explain  the 
methods,  he  taught  us  to  pray  "thy  will  be 
done  on  earth  ..." 

And  now  we  are  here!  Even  if  we  did 


have  the  heritage  of  nonviolence  and  the 
call  of  Jesus  to  believe  in  him  and  live  by 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  we  should  still 
be  motivated  to  make  the  continuing 
American  Revolution  a  revolution  based 
on  nonviolence.  It  is  purely  a  matter  of 
survival — fear  may  make  us  obey  where 
love  has  been  inviting  us  all  the  time. 

Nonviolence  is  the  one  solution  to  the 
violence  of  our  time.  We  Brethren  have 
been  sitting  on  this  great  power  like 
everyone  else,  acting  as  if  it  did  not  exist  as 
a  practical  alternative. 

Brethren  hero /martyr  of  peace  John 
Khne  once  pondered  about  national 
celebrations  and  patriotism  and  wrote  in 
his  diary: 

"Hear  the  distant  report  of  cannon  in 
commemoration  of  the  birth  of 
George  Washington,  which  is  said  to 
have  occurred  on  the  twenty-second 
day  of  February,  1732.  It  is 
presumable  that  those  who  find 
pleasure  in  public  demonstrations  of 
this  sort  are  moved  by  what  they 
regard  as  patriotic  feelings  and  prin- 
ciples. Let  their  motives  and  en- 
joyments spring  from  what  they  may, 
they  have  a  lawful  right  to  celebrate 
the  anniversary  of  his  birth  in  any 
civil  way  they  may  choose.  But  I  have 
a  somewhat  higher  conception  of  true 
patriotism  than  can  be  represented  by 
the  firing  of  guns  which  give  forth 
nothing  but  meaningless  sound.  I  am 
glad,  however,  that  these  guns  report 
harmless  sound,  and  nothing  more.  If 
some  public  speakers  would  do  the 


same,  it  might  be  better  for  both  them 
and  their  hearers.  My  highest  concep- 
tion of  patriotism  is  found  in  the  man 
who  loves  the  Lord  his  God  with  all 
his  heart  and  his  neighbor  as  himself. 
Out  of  these  affections  spring  the  sub- 
ordinate love  for  one's  country;  love 
truly  virtuous  for  one's  companion 
and  children,  relatives  and  friends; 
and  in  its  most  comprehensive  sense 
takes  in  the  whole  human  family. 
Were  this  love  universal,  the  word 
patriotism,  and  its  specific  sense, 
meaning  such  a  love  for  one's  country 
as  makes  its  possessors  ready  and 
willing  to  take  up  arms  in  its  defense, 
might  be  appropriately  expunged 


Brethren  patriots  again 

Should  Brethren  participate  in  the 
Bicentennial  observances  of  the  birth 
of  America  as  a  nation?  Are  there 
any  reasons  for  interest  or  in- 
volvement? Do  the  values  of  our 
faith  commitment  to  God  and  the 
biblical  teachings  of  Christ  in  the 
New  Testament  encourage  us  to  keep 
out  of  Bicentennial  involvements? 

In  answer  to  these  valid  questions 
you  are  invited  to  review  more  in- 
tently the  heritage  we  have  in 

•  The  deep  truths  of  biblical 
teachings  with  central  focus  on  Jesus 
as  Lord,  revealer,  exemplar,  and 
Savior. 

•  Tlie  experience  of  our  Brethren 
forebears  in  applying  those  teachings 
to  their  daily  lives. 

•  The  fundamental  concepts  of  the 
American  Revolution  and  the  ex- 
periences of  the  American  people  of 
whom  we  are  a  part. 

These  guidelines  are  the  focus  of  a 
study  book  called  Brethren  Patriots 
Again,  which  is  a  part  of  the 
Brethren  Heritage  curriculum 
materials.  It  will  be  available  to 
churches  January  I,  1976.  The  study 
course,  prepared  by  Vernon  F. 
Miller,  does  not  give  answers,  but 
seeks  to  enlist  Brethren  as  research 
persons  to  develop  the  concepts  and 
feelings  of  a  new  patriotism  consist- 
ent with  the  best  of  "Brethren"  and 
"American."  Divided  into  thirteen 
flexible  sessions,  the  course  is  adapt- 
able for  use  with  adults,  youth,  and 
junior  highs. 


from  every  national  vocabulary." 
(John  Kline's  diary,  February  22, 
1849.) 
With  Brother  Kline  let  us  get  rid  of  the 
concept  of  war  patriotism  as  he  defines  it. 
Let  us  redeem  the  word  patriotism  as  a 
good  label,  when  proper  means  are  used  to 
express  it.  Loyalty  to  the  common  good 
and  our  fellow  citizens  is  a  value  to  lift  up 
by  means  not  only  good  but  also  effective. 
Nonviolence,  the  application  of  the  great 
commandment  can  do  it. 

Our  fellow  patriots  who  use  military 
means  to  achieve  survival,  security,  and 
freedom  believe  that  they  are  giving  their 
energies  and  lives  for  the  same  goals  of 
peace  we  espouse.  So  let  us  identify  with 
them  in  our  common  objectives.  Let  us  in- 
vite them  to  work  with  us  for  the  develop- 
ment of  new  methods  that  will  achieve  the 
end  resuh  desired. 

For  two  hundred  years  there  have  been 
heroes  of  the  military  method  who  have 
been  honest  enough  to  call  for  an  end  of 
violence  and  the  development  of  a  new 
revolution  based  on  nonviolence. 

The  calls  started  with  none  other  than 
the  father  figure  leader  of  the  violent 
American  Revolution,  George  Washington. 
In  a  letter  to  his  friend  and  fellow  soldier, 
Lafayette,  he  expressed  the  hope  that 
"liberal  and  free  commerce"  in  the  world 
would  bring  an  end  to  "the  devastations 
and  horrors  of  war."  In  his  Farewell  Ad- 
dress at  the  end  of  his  presidency  he  called 
on  Americans  to  realize  that  "religion  and 
morality  are  (the)  indispensable  supports" 
to  lead  a  nation  to  prosperity,  justice,  and 
peace  in  its  relations  with  aU  nations. 

He  challenged  America  to  try  an  experi- 
ment and  really  trust  justice  and 
benevolence  as  its  pragmatic  national 
policy.  He  concluded  that  "the  experiment, 
at  least,  is  recommended  by  every  senti- 
ment which  ennobles  human  nature.  Alas! 
Is  it  rendered  impossible  by  its  vices?" 
Are  we  so  slow  to  make  progress?  Is 
human  nature  so  weak  that  two  hundred 
years  later  we  still  can  not  accept  his 
challenges?  Then  listen  to  a  general  of  our 
own  era.  His  personal  experiences  had 
shown  him  the  horrors  that  our  refusal  to 
hear  George  Washington  or  John  Kline 
had  brought  us  to. 

Before  Congress  in  1951,  General 
Douglas  McArthur  spoke  these  words: 
"I  know  war  as  few  other  men  now 
living  know  it,  and  nothing  to  me  is 
more  revolting.  I  have  long  advocated 
its  complete  abolition,  as  its  very 
destructiveness  on  both  friend  and  foe 


has  rendered  it  useless  as  a  means  of 
settling  international  disputes. 
"Indeed,  the  second  day  of 
September,  1945.  just  following  the 
surrender  of  the  Japanese  nation  on 
the  battleship  Missouri,  I  formally 
cautioned  as  follows: 

"'Men  since  the  beginning  of  time 
have  sought  peace.  Various  methods 
through  the  ages  have  been  attempted 
to  devise  an  international  process  to 
prevent  or  settle  disputes  between 
nations.  From  the  very  start  workable 
methods  were  found  insofar  as  in- 
dividual citizens  were  concerned,  but 
the  mechanics  of  an  instrumentality 
of  larger  international  scope  have 
never  been  successful.  Military 
alliances,  balances  of  power,  leagues 
of  nations,  all  in  turn  failed,  leaving 
the  only  path  to  be  by  way  of  the 
crucible  of  war.  The  utter  destruc- 
tiveness of  war  now  blocks  out  this 
alternative.  We  have  had  our  last 
chance.  If  we  will  not  devise  some 
greater  and  more  equitable  system, 
our  Armageddon  will  be  at  our  door. 
The  problem  basically  is  theological 
and  involves  a  spiritual  recrudescence 
and  improvement  of  human  character 
that  will  synchronize  with  our  almost 
matchless  advances  in  science,  art, 
literature  and  all  the  material  and 
cultural  developments  of  the  past 
2,000  years.  It  must  be  of  the  spirit  if 
we  are  to  save  the  flesh.'" 
Take  your  choice.  Respond  to  the  appeal 
of  the  generals  or  the  martyr  of  peace.  Or 
just  re-enlist  your  total  discipleship  to 
Jesus.  It  will  be  a  fitting  Bicentennial 
observance.  The  Bicentennial  era  will  ex- 
tend from  1976  to  1991.  That  is  how  long  it 
took  for  the  founding  of  the  nation.  The 
Constitution  was  not  ratified  until  1789, 
and  The  Bill  of  Rights  not  until  1791.  In 
fifteen  years  we  can  transform  the  patriotic 
defense  of  our  nation  from  the  trust  in  kill- 
ing to  the  power  of  nonviolence  as  political 
force  for  action.  We  can  discover  that 
followers  of  Jesus  must  refrain  from 
violence  but  always  be  involved  in  revolu- 
tion. 

Let  us  join  in  a  worldwide  revolution  for 
human  rights  and  human  dignity.  Let  us 
form  a  network  of  the  people  of  every  con- 
tinent and  nation  joined  together  to 
achieve  justice  and  human  rights  by  non- 
violent power.  It  will  be  the  new  "world 
revolution"  as  a  fitting  celebration  of  the 
inspiration  of  the  "new  world"  revolution 
of  two  hundred  years  ago.  D 


14  MESSENGER  November  1975 


by  Robert  L  Baucher 


Giving  in  but  not  up 


Th, 


here  have  been  numerous  times 
when  I  have  chuckled  with  Tom 
Sawyer  and  his  friends  Huck  and  Joe 
as  they  sat  in  a  church  balcony 
witnessing  to  their  own  "funeral."  The 
townspeople  sincerely  believed  that  the 
three  mischief-makers  had  met  their 
demise  by  drowning  during  an  ill-fated 
river  raft  trip.  I  can  clearly  visualize 
the  tears  that  swelled  in  the  eyes  of 
each  of  the  boys  as  he  listened  to  the 
glowing  words  of  praise  by  the 
minister.  I  thought  how  fortunate 
those  boys  were  to  hear  the  accolades 
of  the  townspeople,  for  the  principals 
in  death  known  to  me  on  such  oc- 
casions never  had  that  opportunity. 


-It  has  often  occurred  to  me  how  un- 
fortunate that  we  reserve  our  kindest 
words  for  people  for  their  memorial 
services.  Admittedly  these  gracious 
words  are  intended  partially  as  in- 
struments of  strength  for  the  family 
and  friends  of  the  departed,  but 
wouldn't  it  be  much  more  exciting  if 
they  were  stated  within  the  hearing  of 
the  subject  before  death? 

It  has  been  interesting  to  me  to 
reflect  back  upon  the  thoughts  that 
flashed  through  my  mind  (sometimes 
incoherently)  during  my  recent  heart 
attack  and  the  intense  chest  pains  that 
followed  upon  my  return  from  the 
hospital  two  and  one-half  weeks  later. 
In  spite  of  my  insatiable  desire  to  live 
(Oh,  how  I  have  enjoyed  life!),  I  knew 
that  thousands  of  men  younger  than  I 
had  died  before  me,  and  their  zeal  for 
life  must  have  been  just  as  great  as 


mine.  In  the  midst  of  what  I  felt  was 
unbearable  pain  and  in  the  middle  of 
nights  I  wondered  "What  will  people 
say  about  me  at  the  memorial  service? 
What  words  will  the  pastor  employ 
during  the  eulogy?  I  do  want  him  to  be 
honest.  And  I  do — /  really  do — hope 
I'm  missed.  Equally,  I  hope  my 
friends — and  especially  my  family — 
will  say  truthfully  'He  was  a  fun  guy, 
he  was  fun  to  be  around;  however,  also 
he  was  a  man  of  depth;  it  was  good  to 
have  known  him.'" 


X-/ven  as  the  above  thoughts  flashed 
through  my  mind  I  was  embarrassed  at 
such  brash  egotism.  And,  strangely 
enough,  a  more  dominant  theme  in- 
troduced itself.  What  people  had  to 
say  about  me  became  secondary  to 
what  I  wanted  to  say  to  them.  I 
wanted  Pastor  John  Hunter  to  know 
how  much  the  church  family  had 
meant  to  me  over  the  years  and  how 
much  I  had  been  dependent  upon  this 
family  for  acceptance,  guidance  and 
support.  And,  of  course  I  wanted  it 
stated  pubUcly  how  much  I  loved  my 
immediate  family.  The  church  family 
usually  saw  me  at  my  Sunday  best  and 
loved  me,  but  my  immediate  family 
saw  me  at  my  very  worst — and  still 
loved  me.  How  like  Christ  can  a  loving 
family  be? 

I  thought  about  calling  John  and 
asking  for  a  time  of  sharing — even 
thought  about  recording  my  feelings 
on  tape.  Part  of  these  concerns  I  did 
share  with  John,  but  even  as  I  talked 
and  felt  the  dynamics  of  his  prayers 


with  me  I  recognized  that  in  reality  I 
had  been  giving  up.  "Giving  in"  to 
God's  will  is  one  thing,  but  "giving  up" 
is  something  else.  Somewhere  in  the 
back  of  my  head  came  the  words 
"prayer  of  relinquishment"  by 
Catherine  Marshall.  I'm  uncertain  as 
to  the  exact  meaning  of  those  words, 
but  they  suggest  to  me  that  I  need 
neither  fight  forgive  up,  but  somehow 
even  in  pain  to  let  go  and  let  healing 
take  place.  Somehow  it  made  sense  to 
me,  both  religiously  and  intellectually. 
It  was  at  that  point  that  I  decided  I 
wasn't  going  to  think  and  write  of  my 
obituary,  but  simply  of  my  own  need 
to  express  thanks.  Suddenly  life 
became  more  certain,  the  songs  of  the 
birds  became  more  melodic,  the  pop- 
pies and  roses  became  more  lovely, 
greetings  of  friends  became  more  per- 
sonal and  meaningful,  and  my  family 
became  more  precious. 


I 


L 


wish  to  say  that  I  affirm  life.  Even 
though  it  is  difficult,  I  am  prepared  to 
rest  for  the  full  three  months,  or 
whatever  time  required.  People  really 
do  care.  The  mailman  delights  me 
every  day  with  cards  and  notes  of  en- 
couragement. Telephone  inquiries  are 
constant.  I  continue  to  thank  the 
members  of  the  Modesto  parish  and 
of  the  Brotherhood.  I  continue  to 
thank  God.  D 

November  1975  messenger  15 


Confrontation 
&  celebration 


by  Philip  A.  Potter 

The  gathering  of  the  World  Council  of 
Churches  in  Nairobi  will  be  the  most 
representative  Assembly  in  the  history  of 


periences  among  the  participants  during 
their  discussions  at  the  Assembly  should 
provide  an  occasion  to  celebrate  the  fact  of 
freedom  and  unity  in  Christ. 

In  drawing  attention  to  this  basic  aspect 
of  the  Assembly,  one  does  not  mean  to 
belittle  the  fact  that  the  participants  are 
coming  from  situations  where  people  are 
deeply  involved  in  vital  struggles  for  libera- 


Kenvalla  Conference  Center,  site  of  the  WCC  Fifth  Assembly,  November  23- December  10 


the  ecumenical  movement.  The  representa- 
tives of  the  churches  will  bring  to  its 
deliberations  all  the  diversities  of  faith  and 
culture  in  our  world  today.  This  is  indeed  a 
daring  undertaking,  and  it  would  not  be 
justified  if  God  through  the  Holy  Spirit 
had  not  given  us  the  assurance  that  in 
Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  there  is  the  promise 
of  being  freed  and  united.  Because  of  this 
promise,  the  sharing  of  the  diversity  of  ex- 


tion  and  in  the  intense  search  for  com- 
munity. It  has  sometimes  appeared  as 
though  the  struggle  for  liberation  was  the 
main  and  exclusive  emphasis  in  the  World 
Council.  But  this  impression  can  only  arise 
when  we  overlook  the  fact  that  the  issue  of 
liberation  comes  up  in  the  context  of  the 
search  for  community.  In  many  parts  of 
the  world  where  the  struggle  for  liberation 
seems  to  be  the  primary  concern,  the  mean- 


ing of  this  struggle  can  only  be  grasped 
when  we  realize  that  it  is  intended  to  leac 
to  a  new  kind  of  community,  whether  thi 
be  spiritual,  political,  or  cultural. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  situations 
particularly  in  the  West,  where  freedom 
seemingly  has  been  attained  but  where  th 
achievement  has  been  accompanied  by  a 
loss  of  meaning  and  of  purpose.  This  loss 
experienced  as  a  new  kind  of  oppression 
and  is  generating  a  renewed  search  for 
community.  In  many  instances,  however, 
this  search  is  dominated  by  fear  and  a 
selfish  need  for  security.  Christians  living 
in  such  situations  are  therefore  challenge( 
to  become  liberated  from  this  false  search 
and  to  seek  community  for  the  sake  of 
liberation. 

Coming  to  the  Assembly  from  such  a 
diversity  of  situations  and  with  greatly 
different  preoccupations,  the  participants 
will  have  an  opportunity  to  come  to  term 
with  the  cries  of  anguish  and  the  harsh 
realities  of  our  world  and  to  discern  the 
"signs  of  the  times"  that  indicate  God's  wi 
for  his  creation.  But  since  it  will  be  an  en 
counter  of  those  who  are  involved  in  the 
conflicts,  the  hatreds,  the  agonies  of  our 
nations,  the  Assembly  will  also  be  a  place 
where  the  ecumenical  fellowship  will  be 
severely  tested.  The  theme  "Jesus  Christ 
frees  and  unites"  will  pose  very  directly  tli 
issue  as  to  the  nature  of  the  fellowship 
which  the  churches  are  seeking  with  one 
another  through  the  World  Council.  Will 
this  be  a  fellowship  in  which  we  shall  all 
experience  the  gift  of  freedom  in  Christ,  c 
will  it  be  weakened  by  the  fear  that 
freedom  in  Christ  might  be  betrayed?  Thi 
the  participants  will  need  to  address  each 
other  just  as  much  as  they  need  to  addres 
the  burning  issues  of  our  time.  Among  th 
factors  that  will  be  crucial  for  this  interac 
tion,  three  can  be  mentioned  here. 

First,  we  shall  have  to  speak  openly  an 
clearly,  out  of  our  experiences,  what  it 
means  to  be  set  free  by  Christ.  Therefore, 
the  Bible  studies  at  Nairobi  must  be  con- 
sidered a  vital  part  of  the  Assembly. 


16  MESSENGER  November  1975 


frwe  confrontation 

F  only  possible 

\^hen  the  partners  are  free, 

nd  where  this  freedom  is  experienced 

here  is  the  need  and  the  opportunity  for  celebration 


oceedings.  When  Paul  tells  us  in  the 
tter  to  the  Romans  that  we  are  freed  from 
e  law  of  sin  and  death  (Rom.  8:2),  he  is 
luding  to  very  specific  manifestations  of 
1  and  death  in  his  time  as  is  obvious  from 
e  early  part  of  the  letter.  In  order  to  give 
imes  to  "sin"  and  "death"  in  our  time  we 
all  need  to  immerse  ourselves  in  the 
blical  testimony  in  order  to  understand 
>th  the  diversity  of  its  expression  as  well 

the  unity  of  its  purpose. 

Secondly,  we  shall  have  to  make  special 
forts  to  listen  to  one  another.  Listening 
lUst  not  be  confused  with  a  sitting  back 
id  taking  on  the  attitude  of  a  passive 
bserver;  otherwise  the  fellowship  is  in 
inger  of  being  broken.  We  must  not  mis- 
ke  a  series  of  monologues  in  which 
ifferent  persons  express  their  positions  for 
lalogue,  much  less  ecumenical  dialogue, 
jod  is  the  Being  that  is  directly,  most 
:arly  and  lastingly,  over  against  us,  that 
lay  properly  only  be  addressed,  not  ex- 
ressed."  These  words  by  Buber  point  to 
le  deepest  level  of  our  existence,  an  ex- 
tence  which  is  one  of  addressing  God  and 
f  responding  to  him.  What  is  true  for  our 
fe  with  God  is  also  true  for  our  life 
)gether,  in  our  communities,  in  our 
ations,  in  our  churches  and  in  the  World 
ouncil  of  Churches.  At  Nairobi  we  must 
Dme  together  seeking  an  attitude  of  ad- 
ress  and  response.  We  must  overcome  the 
imptation  to  defend  our  theological 
ositions. 

Thirdly,  freedom  and  community  will  be 
;alities  when  as  individual  Christians  and 
5  churches  we  learn  to  commit  ourselves 
3  each  other.  There  has  been  a  great 
mount  of  discussion  in  recent  years  about 
le  need  to  join  word  and  action.  The  letter 
3  the  churches  issued  by  the  Central  Com- 
littee  of  the  WCC  in  1972  on  the  theme 
Committed  to  fellowship"  confesses  that 
we  have  not  yet  found  the  way  to  in- 
igrate  our  belief  and  our  action."  This  in- 
jgration  is  vital  not  only  for  the  credibiHty 
f  the  Christian  witness  in  the  world  but 
rimarily  for  the  fellowship  between  the 


churches.  When  the  conflicts  arise  in  our 
midst  in  Nairobi,  as  they  surely  will,  when 
the  dialogue  takes  the  form  of  confronta- 
tion, can  we  seize  this  as  an  opportunity  to 
renew  and  strengthen  our  commitment  to 
one  another  or  will  we  use  it  as  an  excuse 
to  move  away  and  to  stay  aloof?  It  is  at 
this  point  within  the  fellowship  that  belief 
and  action  will  need  to  be  integrated  in 
order  for  the  fellowship  to  become  truly 
liberating.  Such  a  fellowship  will  free  its 
members  for  participation  in  God's  mission 
in  the  world. 

1  have  said  at  the  outset  that  the 
Assembly  should  be  above  all  an  occasion 
for  the  celebration  of  our  freedom  and  uni- 
ty in  Christ.  How,  then,  can  celebration 
and  confrontation  co-exist?  The   answer  is 
that  they  can  not  only  co-exist  but  that 
they  are  complementary.  The  frantic  efforts 
to  avoid  confrontation  and  conflict  in 
many  churches  betrays  a  deep  sense  of  in- 
security, a  bondage  to  concepts  of  either 
orthodoxy  or  of  tolerance  which  are 
foreign  to  the  Gospel.  The  absence  of 
necessary  confrontation  and  the  presence 
of  unnecessary  polarization  in  the  life  of 
the  churches  testifies  to  a  lack  of  freedom. 
For  true  confrontation  is  only  possible 
when  the  partners  are  free,  and  where  this 
freedom  is  experienced  there  is  the  need 
and  the  opportunity  for  celebration.  At  the 
conference  on  "Salvation  today"  in 
Bangkok  two-and-a-half  years  ago,  the 
combination  of  confrontation  and  celebra- 
tion was  one  of  the  most  fruitful  aspects  of 
the  meeting.  It  is  reflected  in  an  "Affirma- 
tion of  faith"  that  was  presented  to  the 
Conference  by  one  of  its  sections: 

We  came  from  almost  too  many 

situations, 
with  the  usual  prejudice,  our  own  ideas, 

our  exaggerated  hopes, 
many  of  us  tired  of  conferences, 
all  of  us  full  of  our  own  preoccupations. 

Then  we  shared  our  biographical 
materials. 


struggling  to  express  our  thoughts, 
groping  for  words  that  might  com- 
municate, hurting  each  other  by  hasty 
reactions,  being  hurt  when  not  heard, 
showing  some  of  the  frustrations  we 
have  in  our  work  back  home,  sharing 
our  fear  for  the  future  of  the  world,  our 
feeble  faith. 

And  in  that  process  we  were  met  by  God 

Himself, 
who  revealed  himself  in  his  Word,  which 

we  studied, 
in  our  friends  around  the  table 
who  questioned  us, 
who  gave  us  new  insights,  comforted  us, 

accepted  our  limitations. 

Not  more  than  a  glimpse  of  God  we  saw, 

a  smile  of  his  grace, 

a  gentle  gesture  of  judgment. 

And  so  we  repented, 

because  we  saw  that  God  is  so  much 
greater  than  we. 

We  experienced  the  meek  force 

of  God's  invitation  to  continuous  con- 
version: 

and  we  accepted  to  be  sent  back  whence 
we  came, 

a  little  better  motivated,  a  little  wiser,  a 
little  sadder, 

a  little  closer  to  Him. 

The  expectations  for  the  Nairobi 
Assembly  are  high  in  many  churches  and 
among  many  Christian  groups.  They  may 
not  all  be  fulfilled.  It  is  my  hope  that  at 
this  Assembly  the  churches,  through  their 
representatives,  will  renew  and  deepen  their 
commitment  to  a  more  sustained 
relationship  in  freedom  and  community. 
By  living  a  credible  fellowship  in  the  face 
of  conflicts  and  diversities  the 
churches  would  render  the  most  effec- 
tive service  to  a  divided  world.  D 


Reprinted  with  permission  from  Ecumenical  Review, 
yol.  XXVII.  No.  3.  July  1975.  World  Council  of 
Churches. 


November  1975  messenger  17 


Kenya  is  a  long  way  to  go  for  a  church 
conference.  Bui  then  the  World  Council  of 
Churches  Assembly  met  last  in  1968  — 
quite  a  time  differential  in  terms  of  our 
yearly  Brethren  Conference.  The  Nairobi 
gathering  will  be  the  Fifth  Assembly  of  the 
WCC,  including  the  1948  constituting  con- 
vention at  Amsterdam. 

Even  though  membership  has  doubled 
since  the  formation  of  the  Council,  the 
basis  of  membership  remains  as  stated  in 
1948:  "The  World  Council  of  Churches  is  a 
fellowship  of  churches  which  confess  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  God  and  Savior  ac- 
cording to  the  Scriptures  and  therefore 
seek  to  fulfill  together  their  common  call- 
ing to  the  glory  of  the  one  God,  Father, 
Son,  and  Holy  Spirit."  The  Council  has 
pointed  to  the  centrality  of  this  confession 
in  its  successive  assembly  themes:  Christ, 
The  Hope  of  the  World  ( 1954):  Christ,  The 
Light  of  the  World  (1961);  Christ  Makes 
All  Things  New  ( 1968);  Jesus  Christ  Frees 
and  Unites  (1975). 

Who  will  be  there:  Some  2500  persons 
will  be  there  from  more  than  90  countries. 
750  of  these  will  be  voting  delegates  from 
the  267  member  communions,  with  150  of 
these  being  North  Americans.  For  80  per- 
cent of  the  delegates,  Nairobi  will  be  their 
first  Assembly. 

The  total  mix  of  the  Fifth  Assembly  will 
be  different:  forty-five  churches  have  been 
added  to  WCC  membership  since  1968  — 

18  MESSENGER  November  1975 


Looking 
toward 
Nairobi 


Renowned  African  artist 
Elimu  Njau  has  organized 
an  exhibition  of  African  arts 
for  the  WCC  Assembly 

thirty-four  as  full  members  and  eleven  as 
associate  members:  a  new  formula  for 
selection  of  1975  delegates  will  result  in  a 
new  balance  between  church  officials, 
parish  ministers,  men,  women,  and  youth; 
and,  for  the  first  time  in  its  history,  the 
voting  strength  of  the  churches  of  Africa, 
Asia,  and  Oceanic  countries  will  be  greater 
than  the  combined  strength  of  Western  Eu- 
rope and  North  America.  In  the  preceding 
article  Dr.  Potter  points  to  some  of  the 
challenges  and  the  potential  gifts  of  this 
new  mix  in  the  WCC. 

From  our  church,  Wanda  Will  Button 
will  join  me  as  voting  delegates.  Wanda 
replaces  Bethany  Seminary  president 
Warren  F.  Groff,  who  voluntarily 
withdrew  in  order  for  us  to  meet  the  re- 
quirement of  one  lay  person  in  our  delega- 
tion. Howard  Royer  will  be  there  from  our 
Communications  Team  and  will  share  news 
of  this  significant  world  event. 

What  will  be  done  there:  A  lot  of  talking 
will  go  on  during  the  eighteen  days  at 
Nairobi:  some  of  it  will  be  by  speakers, 
some  in  small  groups,  some  in  business 
sessions,  and  a  great  deal  in  informal 
groups  or  in  one-to-one  conversations. 

The  Assembly  theme  will  be  explored  in 
three  major  settings.  Bible  study  groups 
will  explore  in  depth  the  ways  in  which 
Jesus  Christ  frees  and  unites  us  as 
Christians.  Six  major  sections  will  search 
for  ways  to  express  the  theme  around  these 


by  S.  Loren  Bowman 

topics:  Confessing  Christ  Today,  What  Uni- 
ty Requires,  Seeking  Community,  Educa- 
tion for  Liberation  and  Community.  Struc- 
tures of  Injustice  and  Struggles  for  Justice; 
and  Human  Development — the  Am- 
biguities of  Power,  Technology,  and  Quali- 
ty of  Life.  Eight  general  sessions  will 
engage  speakers  to  lift  up  how  the  churches 
may  respond  faithfully  to  specific  aspects 
of  the  Assembly  theme  in  the  present  world 
situation. 

Of  course,  there  will  be  business  sessions. 
There  will  be  proposals  for  revising  the 
constitution  and  bylaws;  program  priorities 
for  the  years  ahead  will  be  established;  the 
size  of  the  program  in  terms  of  budget  will 
need  to  be  determined.  The  decisions  on 
the  level  of  financial  support  will  be  crucial 
for  the  future  of  the  Council.  Loss  of 
purchasing  power  has  been  experienced  in 
recent  years  as  a  result  of  Swiss  inflation 
and  shifts  in  exchange  rates.  For  example, 
since  1968  there  has  been  a  20  percent  loss 
as  a  result  of  changes  in  exchange  rates  and 
a  37.6  percent  loss  from  inflation.  The 
greatly  expanded  membership  places  new 
demands  upon  the  Council  for  balanced 
financing,  and  a  formula  has  emerged 
which  calls  for  US  member  churches  and 
the  German  churches  to  increase  their  1973 
giving  by  one-third  by  1976  and  for  all 
other  member  churches  to  increase  by  50 
percent.  If  these  goals  are  achieved,  the 
1976  support  of  the  Council's  General 


Budget  would  be  37.5  percent  from  US 
churches,  35  percent  from  Evangelical 
Church  of  Germany  and  27.5  percent  from 
all  other  members.  This  would  represent  a 
major  shift  from  25  years  ago  when  the  US 
made  up  30  percent  of  the  membership  and 
provided  83  percent  of  the  general  budget. 

The  preparatory  materials  and  the  con- 
versations in  recent  meetings  of  the  WCC 
Central  Committee  suggest  that  other 
dominant  issues  may  include  the  future  of 
missions,  evangelism,  the  role  of  women  in 
the  church,  the  world  crisis  in  food  and 
energy,  and  the  role  of  the  church  in  socie- 
ty. These  issues  are  likely  to  surface  in  all 
the  major  assembly  settings  and  are  sure  to 
constitute  the  basis  for  a  great  deal  of  off- 
the-record  conversation. 

What  the  Brethren  role  will  be:  Our  first 
responsibility  as  your  representatives  isjust 
to  be  there — to  personalize  our  member- 
ship in  "the  larger  body  of  Christ."  Although 
the  Assembly  will  not  achieve  the  full  mean- 
ing of  ecumenical  (the  universal  hu- 
man community),  it  will  be  the  most  repre- 
sentative ecumenical  gatheri  ng  of  Chris- 
tians in  this  modern  era.  As  one  branch 
of  the  church  we  are  there  to  witness  to  our 
unity  in  Christ  and  to  point  to  the  inclusive 
nature  of  God's  love  that  prompts 


the  church's  mission  (John  3:16-17). 

More  specifically  we  will  be  there  to 
share  our  heritage  of  peace  and  non- 
violence as  expressions  of  our  response  to 
God's  love  for  the  world  as  pictured  in 
Jesus  Christ.  In  these  days  this  witness 
needs  to  include  the  dimensions  of  justice 
and  wholeness  in  human  relationships  and 
community  endeavors.  For  months  Lamar 
Gibble  has  served  as  coordinator  of  a  small 
group  from  the  historic  peace  churches  that 
has  searched  for  ways  to  encourage  the 
WCC  to  keep  alive  nonviolence  as  a 
method  of  social  change  in  its  basic 
program  around  the  world.  Some  success 
has  resulted  from  these  efforts  but  the 
challenge  will  be  to  extend  this  concern  in 
the  program  priorities  which  are  approved 
for  action  after  Nairobi.  Working  with 
representatives  of  the  Friends  and  Men- 
nonites,  we  will  enlist  other  interested  per- 
sons and  witness  to  our  convictions  about 
peace  and  justice. 

As  the  Assembly  engages  in  Bible  study 
and  explores  practical  responses  to  the 
various  aspects  of  the  theme  in  the  sec- 
tional meetings,  we  will  witness  to  values  of 
our  heritage  that  gather  around  personal 
integrity  and  simplicity  of  life  as  needed 
elements  in  reshaping  our  institutions  to 


serve  basic  human  needs  of  our  times. 

We  will  also  do  a  lot  of  listening  at 
Nairobi — as  a  few  among  many,  we  will 
have  no  other  choice!  But  we  need  to  listen 
...  to  listen  carefully  and  sensitively  ...  for 
our  sakes  and  for  your  sakes. 

As  members  of  "the  body  of  Christ"  in 
the  world,  we  need  a  deeper  understanding 
of  the  feelings  and  insights  of  Christians 
whose  experiences  of  the  church  have  been 
very  different  from  our  own.  We  will  try  to 
keep  clearly  in  mind  the  reminder  of  our 
Annual  Conference  that  "all  creation 
awaits"  (Romans  8:19),  that  we  are  depen- 
dent upon  each  other  as  we  grow  in  Christ 
(Ephesians  4:1 1-1'3;  Hebrews  11:39),  and 
that  our  witness  is  grounded  in  God's  love 
for  the  world  (John  3:16-17). 

You  may  join  us  there  as  you  pray  for 
the  Assembly,  and  for  us,  as  Christians 
from  around  the  world  gather  at  Nairobi 
for  eighteen  days  between  November  23 
and  December  10.    □ 


Left:  S.  Loren  Bowman;  Wanda  W.  Button 


"The  Last  Supper,"  by  Sadao 
Watanabe.  Reprinted  by 
permission  from  RISK,  Vol.  11, 
No.  2-3.  1975 


Km 

Sing:  Someone's  crying  Lord,  Kumba  yah 

ibayah 

To  fight  death  surrounding  us. 

To  wrestle  with  the  evils  with  which  we  crucify  each  other. 

Leader:  Someone's  crying  Lord,  somewhere. 

Some  is  millions,  somewhere  is  many  places. 

Someone's  shouting  Lord,  redeem  the  times. 

There  are  tears  of  suffering. 

There  are  tears  of  weakness  and  disappointment. 

Sing:  Someone's  praying  Lord,  Kumba  yah 

There  are  tears  of  strength  and  resistance. 

There  are  the  tears  of  the  rich,  and  the  tears  of  the  poor. 

L:  Someone's  praying  Lord. 

We  are  praying  in  tears  and  anger. 

Someone's  crying  Lord,  redeem  the  times. 

In  frustration  and  weakness. 

In  strength  and  endurance. 

Sing:  Someone's  dying  Lord.  Kumba  yah 

We  are  shouting  and  wrestling. 

As  Jacob  wrestled  with  the  angel. 

L:  Some  are  dying  of  hunger  and  thirst. 

And  was  touched. 

Someone  is  dying  because  somebody  else  is  enjoying 

And  was  marked 

Too  many  unnecessary  and  superfluous  things. 

And  became  a  blessing. 

Someone  is  dying  because  people  go  on  exploiting  one 

another. 

We  are  praying  Lord. 

Some  are  dying  because  there  are  structures  and  systems. 

Spur  our  imagination. 

Which  crush  the  poor  and  alienate  the  rich. 

Sharpen  our  political  will. 

Someone's  dying  Lord 

Because  we  are  still  not  prepared  to  take  sides. 

Through  Jesus  Christ  you  have  let  us  know  where  you  want 

To  make  a  choice,  to  be  a  witness. 

us  to  be. 

Help  us  to  be  there  now. 

Someone's  dying  Lord,  redeem  the  times. 

Be  with  us,  touch  us,  mark  us,  let  us  be  a  blessing. 

Let  your  power  be  present  in  our  weakness. 

Sing:  Someone's  shouting  Lord,  Kumba  yah 

Someone's  praying  Lord,  redeem  the  times. 

L:  Someone's  shouting  out  loudly  and  clearly. 

Someone  has  made  a  choice. 

Sing:  Someone's  praying  Lord,  Kumba  yah 

Someone  is  ready  to  stand  up  against  the  times. 

Someone  is  shouting  out. 

Reprinted  wiih  permission  from  RISK.   Vol.  11.  No.  2-3.  1975.   World  Council  of 

Offering  his  very  existence  in  love  and  anger 

Churches. 

MESSENGER  November  1975 

anies 

hope 


B&nediction 


.eader:  May  the  God  of  hope  .  . . 

'eople:  who  has  the  whole  wide  world  in  his  hand,  who  is 
constantly  making  all  things  new,  who  has  promised  to  recon- 
cile all  things  to  himself,  and  who  has  called  us  to  place  our 
hope  in  h'im: 

.:  May  the  God  of  hope  fill  us  with  all  joy  and  peace  in 
believing  .  .  . 

*;  the  joy  of  new  beginnings  and  new  opportunities,  the  joy  of 
being  welcomed  into  the  community  of  saints,  the  peace  which 
mysteriously  quiets  our  complaints  and  our  accusations,  the 
peace  which  levels  the  walls  which  we  have  built  between 
ourselves,  the  believing  in  the  firm  promises  of  God  and  in  the 
life  everlasting; 

.:  May  the  God  of  hope  fill  us  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believ- 
ing, so  that  we  may  abound  in  hope  .  .  . 

';  the  hope  that  belongs  to  our  vocation,  the  hope  for  all  whom 
God  loves,  the  hope  that  enables  us  to  rejoice  in  our  suf- 
ferings, the  hope  in  the  final  victory  of  good  over  evil; 

.:  May  the  God  of  hope  fill  us  with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believ- 
ing, so  that  we  may  abound  in  hope  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  . .  . 

';  the  Spirit  which  God  has  poured  with  his  love  into  our  hearts, 
the  Spirit  which  enables  us  to  hope  all  things  and  endure  all 
things,  the  Spirit  which  is  now  at  work  in  all  creation,  freeing 
it  from  its  bondage  to  decay,  the  Spirit  which  groans  within 
us  as  we  wait  for  the  redemption  of  God's  sons,  the  Spirit 
which  enables  tus  to  say  "yes"  to  God. 

.  and  P:  The  kingdom  of  the  world  has  become  the  kingdom  of 
our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ,  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and 
ever. 


Xeprinled  with  permission  from  Giving  Account  of  the  Hope;  copyright  1975. 
Vorld  Council  of  Churches. 


Confessing  Christ  today 

Leader:  Who  are  we.  Lord,  that  we  should  confess  you? 
We  can  hardly  speak  for  ourselves;  how  could  we  speak  in 
your  name? 

We  believe  in  your  word  but  our  minds  are  often  full  of 
doubt. 

We  trust  your  promises  but  our  hearts  are  often  fearful. 
Captivate  our  minds.  Lord,  and  let  your  Spirit  dwell  in  our 
hearts  that  we  may  feel  and  taste  your  love. 

People;  For  necessity  is  laid  upon  us;  woe  to  us  if  we  do  not 
preach  the  Gospel. 

L:  How  can  we  call  new  disciples  for  you.  Lord,  while  our  com- 
munity, your  church,  is  divided  and  all  too  conformed  to  the 
pattern  of  this  world? 

We  preach  your  power  of  love  while  we  succumb,  like  all 
others,  to  the  love  of  power. 

We  proclaim  your  justice  while  we  remain  caught  up  in  struc- 
tures of  injustice. 

Awaken  in  us  the  spirit  of  unity  that  we  may  feel  the  pain  of 
your  body  divided,  and  yearn  and  reach  out  for  fuller  union 
with  you  and  among  ourselves. 

Inflame  us  with  the  power  of  your  love,  that  it  may  consume 
the  vanity  of  power. 

Make  us  hunger  and  thirst  for  justice,  that  our  words  may  be 
given  authority  as  signs  of  your  justice. 

P;  For  necessity  is  laid  upon  us;  woe  to  us  if  we  do  not  preach 
the  Gospel. 

L:  How  can  we  sing  your  song,  O  Lord,  in  a  strange  land? 
How  can  we  witness  to  your  all-embracing  love  with  lives  full 
of  painful  contradictions? 

How  can  we  be  ambassadors  of  reconciliation  in  a  world 
enslaved  by  sin  and  death,  where  children  suffer  and  starve, 
and  many  labour  in  vain  while  a  few  live  in  luxury;  where  in 
the  midst  of  our  lives  we  dwell  under  the  shadow  of  death? 
What  answer  shall  we  give  to  the  suffering  (what  shall  we  say 
to  our  own  hearts)  when  they  cry  from  the  depths: 
"Where  is  now  your  God?" 

P;  For  necessity  is  laid  upon  us;  woe  to  us  if  we  do  not  preach 
the  Gospel. 

L:  God,  mysterious  and  hidden,  you  keep  us  captive  while  you 
are  the  open  door,  you  make  us  suffer  while  your  suffering 
heals  us,  you  lead  us  into  the  depths  of  despair  while  the 
morning  star  of  hope  is  shining  above  us. 
Lord  crucified.  Lord  risen:  come,  transform  the  necessities 
that  are  laid  upon  us  into  freedom,  joy  and  praise  everlasting. 
Lord,  we  believe — help  our  unbelief. 

P;  For  necessity  is  laid  upon  us;  woe  to  us  if  we  do  not  preach 
the  Gospel. 

Reprinted  with  permission  from  RISK,   Vol.  II.  No.  2-3.  1975,   World  Council  of 
Churches 


November  1975  messenger  21 


\esus  Chdsi  ficcs  one 

v7/y-  Artt  dl7-  I  Cnr   QI6-  Mntt    I?I-  PiTinpl    inrarnate  in  a  rarnpnter  who  died  hecome  "rebel  nowers."  "structures  of  sin."        ' 


Read:  Acts  4:12;  1  Cor.  9:16;  Matt.  1:21 
John  8:36;  Rom.  8:2;  2  Cor.  3:17 

To  say  that  Jesus  Christ  frees  and  unites  is 
a  tremendous  affirmation  of  faith.  What 
more  can  be  said?  The  whole  of  Christian 
faith  is  summed  up  in  these  five  words, 
which  translate  the  old  affirmation  "Jesus 
Christ  is  Lord,"  or  Peter's  confession  of 
faith,  which  became  the  foundation  stone 
of  the  Christian  Church:  "You  are  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God." 

Here  too,  is  the  raison  d'etre  of  the 
Christian  church:  to  declare  and  announce 
to  the  world  that  in  Jesus  Christ  there  is 
liberation  and  reconciliation.  It  is  the  cen- 
tral thrust  of  the  mission  of  the  church, 
and  the  main  bone  of  contention  for  those 
who  do  not  believe.  Despite  its  peaceful 
tone,  it  is  polemical  in  its  effect  because  of 
its  clear  and  universal  claim.  To  affirm  that 
Jesus  Christ  frees  and  unites  is  to  echo  the 
faith  of  the  apostles:  "For  there  is  no  other 
name  under  heaven  given  among  men  by 
which  we  must  be  saved"  (Acts  4:12). 

And  as  if  that  were  not  enough,  to  affirm 
that  Jesus  Christ  frees  and  unites  is  to 
touch  the  very  heart  but  also  the  living, 
open  wounds  of  the  world.  For  what  need 
is  more  radical  and  universal  than  libera- 
tion and  reconciliation  in  the  midst  of  an 
oppressed  and  divided  world?  The  theme  is 
relevant  and  daring.  For  that  very  reason  it 
could  well  be  greeted  by  cynicism  or 
mockery.  Can  Christ  liberate  and  unite  this 
oppressed,  divided  world?  And  if  so,  why 
doesn't  he?  How  can  you  make  these  words 
real?  What  proof  is  there?  The  Christian 
churches  are  divided,  either  identified  with 
oppressive  regimes  or  silent  in  the  face  of 
evil — helpless  to  do  anything  about  the  op- 
pression of  the  poor  or  the  "slavery  of 
riches." 

But  at  the  same  time  the  theme  has 
tremendous  potential!  Despite  our  faults 
and  weakness,  the  gospel  makes  a  bold  af- 
firmation about  Jesus  Christ  and  provides 
a  courageous  hope  which  reaches  to  the 
very  corners  of  the  earth  and  beyond.  The 
early  Christians  who  announced  this 


gospel,  incarnate  in  a  carpenter  who  died 
at  the  hands  of  the  Romans,  were  no  less 
courageous.  Faithfulness  to  that  gospel  of 
universal  salvation  forces  us  to  make  what 
sounds  like  a  crazy  announcement:  Jesus 
Christ  frees  and  unites.  To  do  so  takes  us 
beyond  our  familiar  certainties  and  makes 
us  uncomfortable.  But  we  cannot  do 
otherwise:  "For  necessity  is  laid  upon  me. 
Woe  to  me  if  1  do  not  preach  the  gospel!" 
(1  Cor.  9:16). 


To 


.  o  say  that  Jesus  frees  is  to  echo  the 
words  of  the  Bible.  But  it  is  also  a  repeti- 
tion: Jesus  =Joshua  =God  frees.  "And  you 
shall  call  his  name  Jesus,  for  he  will  save 
his  people  from  their  sins"  (Matt.  1:21). 
Jesus  appears  to  the  world  identifying 
himself  with  the  liberating  hopes  of  the 
prophets  who  long  for  the  Messiah.  His 
words  in  Luke's  Gospel,  "The  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  is  upon  me;  because  he  has  anointed 
me  ...  to  set  at  liberty  those  who  are  op- 
pressed" are  not  the  announcement  of 
ideals  or  future  plans  but  the  proclamation 
of  an  event  which  is  already  taking  place. 
"Today  this  scripture  has  been  fulfilled  in 
your  hearing."  "The  Kingdom  of  God  has 
come  to  you."  His  healing,  his  preaching  to 
the  poor,  his  signs  of  liberation  in  the  lives 
of  those  who  drew  near  to  him,  are  the 
proof  that  the  liberator  has  arrived.  It  is 
true  liberation,  which  only  Christ  could 
bring  about:  "So  if  the  Son  makes  you  free, 
you  will  be  free  indeed"  (John  8:36). 

The  New  Testament  witnesses  again  and 
again  to  the  fact  that  liberation  has  come 
in  Christ — a  many-sided  liberation  from 
sin,  the  law,  and  death  (Romans  8:2).  Is 
there  any  generation  that  does  not  need  to 
be  freed  from  these  three  great  enemies? 
Sin  and  death — the  root  and  shadow  of 
human  life  until  the  final  liberation.  And 
the  law,  always  threatenting  us  through  our 
own  creations,  our  ideals  and  ideologies, 
our  own  protective  structures.  It  is  precise- 
ly these  human  structures — economic, 
social,  political  or  cultural,  symbolized  by 
"the  law"  in  the  New  Testament — which 


become  "rebel  powers,"  "structures  of  sin," 
and  prevent  us  from  living  in  freedom  as 
the  children  of  God. 

"Where  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is 
freedom"  (2  Cor.  3:17).  But  the  fact  that 
the  freedom  Christ  brought  is  not  limited 
to  what  we  usually  call  "spiritual"  is  clear 
from  the  proclamation  made  in  Nazareth, 
where  the  oppressed  who  are  to  be  freed 
are  described  as  "poor,"  "blind,"  "broken- 
hearted," "captive."  "The  acceptable  year 
of  the  Lord"  is  none  other  than  the  order 
of  God,  the  "new  earth,"  the  integrating, 
total  shalom.  Jesus  rejected  the  Messianic 
expectations  of  a  triumphant  kind,  who 
would  not  know  suffering,  but  not  the  ac- 
tual content  of  the  Messianic  hope  centered 
on  shalom.  the  peace  of  God  which  means 
harmony  among  people,  with  nature  and 
with  God — health,  well-being,  liberty,  and 
wholeness. 


T. 


.he  Christian  church  is  rediscovering  the 
totality  of  the  biblical  message  in  its  search 
for  an  evangelism  which  is  relevant  to  our 
time.  The  Methodist  Evangelical  Church  in 
Bolivia  has  tried  to  articulate  its 
understanding  of  the  liberation  promised  in 
the  message  of  Jesus  and  the  mission  of  the 
church: 

"Evangelization  is  the  announcement  of 
total  liberation  in  Jesus  Christ.  Evangeliza- 
tion is  preached  to  a  whole  being:  in- 
dividual and  social,  physical  and  spiritual, 
historical  and  eternal.  Evangelization  sets 
in  motion  the  forces  of  liberation.  The 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  aims  to  free  people 
from  all  the  forces  that  oppress  them, 
whether  internal  or  external,  individual  or 
impersonal.  To  announce  this  gospel 
means  denouncing  all  idols  or  powers  that 
hinder  God's  liberating  purpose  for  people. 
Consequently,  action  for  justice  and  par- 
ticipation in  liberating  tasks  are  part  and 
parcel  of  preaching  the  gospel."  (From 
Bolivian  thesis  on  evangelization  in  Latin 
America  today) 

To  claim  that  "Jesus  Christ  frees"  is  to 
touch  a  sensitive  spot  in  Latin  America  to- 


22  MESSENGER  November  1975 


ay  irmaoon  or  a  ujounaOT  ujora 


mkes 


day.  It  is  not  by  chance  that  it  was  this  part 
of  the  oppressed  Third  World  that  gave 
birth  to  the  so-called  "theology  of  libera- 
tion," inspired  by  the  liberating  action  of 
committed  Christians  and  by  the 
rediscovery  of  the  liberating  God  and  the 
gospel  of  liberation.  But  the  affirmation 
"Jesus  unites"  must  also  speak  to  Latin 
American  Christians.  We  are  a  divided 
continent,  despite  our  common  tradition 
and  cultural  heritage.  The  division  between 
Christians  has  sometimes  taken  the  most 
scandalous  forms  in  our  countries, 
although  it  is  a  problem  that  has  been  im- 
ported from  outside  rather  than  one  born 
of  our  own  problems  as  God's  people  in 
Latin  America. 

It  is  perhaps  true  to  say  that  today,  as 
never  before,  we  sense  the  possibilities 
offered  by  Christ  and  the  gospel  to  unite 
our  peoples,  and  to  do  so  precisely  in  the 
liberating  struggles  of  our  nations.  Latin 
American  revolutionaries  have  said:  "The 
Latin  American  revolution  cannot  be  ac- 
complished without  the  Christians."  It  is 
on  the  frontier  of  human  commitment  to 
the  liberation  of  our  oppressed  peoples  that 
Christians  and  non-Christians  discover 
together  the  Christ  who  frees  and  unites. 

Two  kinds  of  ecumenism  have  emerged 
in  Latin  America:  the  charismatic  move- 
ment and  the  liberation  movement.  Both 
cut  across  confessional  barriers,  creating  a 
unity  previously  unknown  and  which  has 
nothing  to  do  with  official  or  church 
ecumenism.  Both  are  rooted  in  the  Bible 
and  in  Christian  experience.  One  is  more 
private,  individual  and  emotional,  while 
the  other  is  more  social,  activist  and  com- 
mitted. They  follow  different  roads. 


B. 


►ut  both  are  a  gift  from  God  in  our 
present  historical  situation  in  Latin 
America.  Will  we  be  able  to  discover  them, 
to  recognize  and  accept  them?  Above  all, 
can  we  be  open  to  cross-fertilization,  since 
both  offer  us  the  dialectical  richness  of  the 
Christ  who  frees  and  unites?  "The  Spirit  ol 
the  Lord  (the  charismatic  dimension)  is 


upon  me,  because  he  has  anointed  me  to 
...  set  at  liberty  those  who  are  oppressed" 
(the  dimension  of  liberation).  What  Christ 
has  joined  together,  we  try  to  separate. 
Isn't  Christ's  teaching  valid  here  too — 
"what  God  has  joined  together,  let  no  man 
put  asunder?" 

Without  a  doubt,  this  Assembly  theme 
is  a  clarion  call  that  must  resound 


"Jesus  Christ,  Liberator."  bv  Willis  S.  Wheatle 


throughout  the  world.  It  commits  us  to 
join  ranks  in  the  task  of  liberating  and 
reconciling  in  the  name  and  power  of  the 
Christ  who  frees  and  unites.  What  a 
privilege  and  what  a  responsibility!  For 
while  only  Christ  frees  and  unites  he  will 
not  do  it  alone,  without  us.    D 

Reprinted  with  permission  from  One  World,  No.  4. 
March  1975.  World  Council  of  Churches.  Geneva. 


November  1975  messenger  23 


by  Barry  J.  Weber 

During  the  presentation  of  a  paper  on  "The 
ministry:  ordination  and  family  life"  at  An- 
nual Conference  this  year,  a  very  in- 
teresting thing  took  place.  One  section  of 
the  proposed  paper  dealing  with  counseling 
and  discipline  was  deleted  before  there  was 
even  any  floor  debate.  The  deleted  section 
was  regarded  as  controversial  to  many 
because  it  set  a  "double  standard"  of  con- 
duct for  the  professional  and  non- 
professional ministry. 

The  interesting  thing  is  that  the  deleted 
section  is  already  an  instituted  and  accept- 
ed part  of  our  church's  procedures.  The  sec- 
tion was  a  word-for-word  copy  from  the 
1970  Manual  of  Brotherhood  Organization 
and  Polity.  This  manual  is  our  fundamental 
reference  book  (next  to  the  Bible)  on  "how 
things  ought  to  be  done"  in  our  Brother- 
hood. Several  persons  were  amused 
and  shocked  that  so  very,  very  few  even 
recognized  the  section  under  question  as  be- 
ing an  accepted  part  of  our  polity. 

24  MESSENGER  November  1975 


The  leaders  and  the  delegate  body  did 
not  rest  content  simply  having  torn  the 
questionable  section  out  of  our  new 
"ministry"  paper.  The  final  result  was  that 
a  new  study  committee  was  formed  to 
review  the  entire  question  of  "counseling 
and  discipline,"  along  the  lines  of  the  New 
Testament  thinkings  and  our  current  prac- 
tices. They  are  to  suggest  revisions  to  our 
present  statements  and  procedures,  if  they 
think  them  necessary,  and  to  report  back 
to  our  next  Conference.  The  1976  Con- 
ference will  then  presumably  deliberate  on 
the  issue  and  adopt  some  stance. 

Perhaps  my  concern  begins  here.  I  am 
afraid  that  our  study  committee,  our  An- 
nual Conference  and  even  our  Brotherhood 
will  focus  on  the  wrong  issue.  My  fear  is 
that  we  will  direct  our  attention  alone  to 
the  questions  concerning  the  whys  and 
hows  of  counseling  and  discipline.  I  am 
certain  that  the  committee  will  deeply 
consider  the  biblical  understanding  of 
these  issues.  I  am  also  sure  that  they 
will  carefully  consider  the  "human  rela- 


Lefs  strive  for. 

alovini 


tions  side"  of  the  issue. 

Yet  1  am  afraid  that  they,  and  then  later, 
we,  will  neglect  something  far  more  de- 
serving of  our  attention  at  this  point  in  the 
lifeof  our  Christian  community.  1  am  speak- 
ing of  the  "lesson"  of  the  conference  events. 

The  real  lesson  of  the  conference  events  I 
have  described  above  is  simply  this: 
regardless  of  the  words,  we  are  simply  not 
practicing  our  discipline. 

I  take  that  to  be  the  reason  that  no  one 
recognized  the  section  from  our  manual. 
You  see,  if  people  were  involved  in 
counseling  and  discipline,  the  path  to  those 
pages  would  be  well-worn.  We  would  have 
turned  there  many  times  for  guidance, 
counsel,  and  procedural  advice.  It  is  my 
contention  that  even  if  we  did  not  like  what 
the  section  said,  we  would  be  famihar  with 
it.  People  are  not  ignorant  of,  or  neutral 
about,  things  they  think  are  wrong  or 
things  they  dislike.  In  fact,  it  is  often  a 
great  dislike  for  something  that  will 
produce  the  strongest  and  most  searching 
study  of  it.  If  we  really  preferred  a  different 
way  of  counseling  and  discipline,  we  still 
would  have  turned  countless  times  to  our 
manual's  procedure,  to  see  how  our  new 
preferred  way  could  be  reconciled  with  or 
stood  against  the  institutional  method. 

The  comments  then  would  have  been, 
"Oh,  ugh,  there's  that  crummy  section  on 
counseling  and  discipline.  You  know,  I  just 
hate  it.  It's  written  all  wrong.  And  have 
you  ever  seen  that  item  B  under  section  IV? 
You  know,  the  one  about  the  special  causes 
for  discipline  of  an  ordained  minister. 
That's  the  one  that  drives  me  up  a  wall. 

But  we  didn't  hear  that.  Instead  we 
witnessed  a  wide  absence  of  recognition  of 
the  item.  Some  people  didn't  like  it,  but 
very,  very  few  recognized  it.  Had  people 
liked  the  section  or  disliked  it,  they  would 
have  known  it. 

Again,  it  is  my  contention  that  the  lack 
of  recognition  means  lack  of  usage.  We 
saw  neither  love  nor  hate  which  would  im^ 
ply  some  sort  of  living,  working 
relationship  with  the  document.  We  saw  ig- 
norance of  it,  a  type  of  indifference  that 
implies  no  working  relationship  at  all.  This 
is  our  major  crisis.  The  issue  is  not  so 


iiscipline 


luch  that  we  need  "the  right  words  to 
ascribe  proper  Christian  counseling  and 
iscipline."  The  present  wording  is  not 
ally  that  bad,  even  with  its  weaknesses, 
he  real  issue  is:  can  we  get  ourselves  to 
■actice  any  "counseling  and  discipline." 

If  we  do  not  face  this  issue,  there  is  a 
)od  chance  that  the  study  committee  will 
3  an  in-depth  study,  come  back  with  an 
[cellent  report,  which  will  be  appreciated, 
abated  and  finally  adopted,  and  then 
irgotten,  just  like  our  present  statement. 

seems  a  shame  to  so  poorly  use  such 
ireful,  concerned,  and  intelligent  thinking, 
gain,  I  say,  the  present  crisis  is  not  so 
uch  in  the  theory  or  even  the  outlined 
"ocedures  although  there  are  problems 
lere,  but  rather,  no  matter  what  the 
ords,  we  fail  to  practice  them. 


I  his  brings  me  to  a  second  concern  that  I 
ive  concerning  our  actions.  I  am  not  old, 
:t  as  I  survey  the  historical  accounts  of 
rethren  from  the  19th  Century  on,  it 
)pears  that,  relative  to  church  discipline, 
lere  has  been  a  gradual  elimination  of  it. 
t  the  same  time,  in  recent  years,  there  has 
:en  the  gradual  buildup  of  "counsehng" 
actices  such  as  conflict  resolution,  non- 
dgmental  listening,  understanding  of 
irental  and  cultural  influences  in  produc- 
g  human  evil,  and  the  exercise  of  a  warm, 
xepting,  brotherly/ sisterly  heart. 
I  applaud  the  growth  of  the  "counseling" 
easures.  The  church  should  be  there  to 
■fer  healing,  support  and  guidance  to  its 
embers.  Yet  I  am  deeply  concerned  about 
le  erosion  of  the  discipline  in  our  church. 
To  bring  the  matters  more  to  a  point,  it 
my  fear  that  the  new  report  adopted  by 
le  delegate  body  will  continue  this  trend.  I 
ar  that  we  will  continue  the  trend  begun 
,  the  19th  Century,  watering  down  and 
eakening  any  discipline  we  might  have. 
Back  in  the  19th  Century,  such  weaken- 
ig  (or  might  it  better  be  called  "humaniz- 
g"  of  discipline)  was  probably  most  ap- 
'opriate.  We  all  have  our  stories  about 
Dw  Grandma  Miller  was  "churched" 
:cause  whe  wore  a  red  dress  to  church  on 
unday  or  how  Great-grandpa  Zuck  was 


"thrown  out"  of  the  fellowship  because  he 
had  the  temerity  to  purchase  life  insurance 
on  himself. 

We  all  tremble  at  such  stories  of  seeming 
pettiness  and  self-righteousness.  No  one 
wants  a  return  to  such  practices,  be  it  to  an 
old  petty  code  or  even  a  new  list  of  pet- 
tiness. 

Yet  such  stories  are  only  half  of  the  pic- 
ture. Indeed,  if  we  continue  to  base  our 
present  church  decisions  on  these  past 
events,  we  are  acting  like  an  America  that 
wants  to  arm  itself  against  Spain  because 
the  Spanish  might  blow  up  the  Maine 
again  or  wants  to  rebuild  the  Marne  line  in 
France,  in  case  the  Kaiser  should  try  to  at- 
tack. The  truth  is,  the  Kaiser  and  the 
Maine  are  both  gone,  and  so  are  the  days 
of  throwing  Grandma  out  for  a  red  dress 
or  really  of  throwing  Grandpa  out  for 
anything.  Not  that  I  would  encourage  a 
new  rash  of  "disfellowshipping,"  but  con- 
sider, when  was  the  last  time  you  saw 
someone  being  disfellowshipped?  It's  an 
unusual  person  that  remembers  such  an 
event  in  recent  history.  Unless,  of  course, 
we  are  talking  about  pastors.  They  are  still 
asked  to  leave  regularly,  often  for  petty 
reasons.  A  layperson,  though,  is  virtually 
never  disfellowshipped.  Now  "churching"  is 
only  the  most  extreme  case  of  discipline,  to 
be  used  only  after  all  other  remedies  fail. 
Yet  I  think  it  serves  as  a  good  example. 

I  think  instead,  the  situation  has  come 
full  circle.  In  the  year  2000,  church 
members  will  be  telling  similar  "horror 
stories"about  how  we  tolerated  and  failed 
to  counsel  or  discipline  even  the  most  basic 
sins.  We  can't  see  that  yet  because  we're 
still  standing  on  our  pedestal  looking  into 
the  past,  thinking  that  we  have  "improved" 
the  situation. 

Actually,  our  fears  of  discipline  are 
based  on  a  misconception  of  its  purpose. 
The  real  purpose  of  disciphne  is  reconcilia- 
tion and  growth.  This  is  exactly  what  the 
famous  "excommunication"  passages  of  1 
Cor.  5  and  2  Cor.  2:5-11  show.  The  real 
purpose  of  discipline  is  the  extension  of 
genuine  love. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  story  that  Dale 
Brown  told  me  of  a  young  Brethren  girl 


who  became  pregnant  out  of  wedlock  at 
the  turn  of  the  century.  Upon  learning  this, 
the  church  leaders  declared  her  out  of 
fellowship  with  the  church  because  the 
church  did  not  believe  in  sexual  relations 
outside  of  marriage  and  so  her  behavior  in- 
dicated that  she  had  set  herself  outside  the 
fellowship  that  so  believed.  However,  as 
was  common,  the  church  informed  her  that 
if  she  confessed  her  sin,  repented  and  asked 
for  forgiveness,  she  could  be  restored  to 
fellowship.  This  particular  young  woman 
tearfully  did  that.  Immediately  thereupon, 
she  was  reinstated  as  a  member,  completely 
forgiven,  and  a  recipient  of  the  con- 
gregation's sympathy,  love  and  support.  In 
fact,  the  congregation  "adopted"  the 
husbandless  woman  and  her  fatherless 
child  as  their  own,  making  sure  that  both 
mother  and  child  were  weU  cared  for, 
financially,  emotionally,  and  otherwise. 
Beyond  that,  there  was  no  judgment  and 
no  recrimination.  She  was  forgiven, 
reinstated  and  once  again  the  recipient  of 
unconditional  love. 


Cc 


compare  this  example  with  what  would 
happen  in  our  modern  "progressive" 
churches.  The  girl  would  become  pregnant 
and  everything  would  be  hushed  up.  She 
would  be  carefully  and  quietly  avoided  so 
as  "not  to  embarrass."  No  one  would  say 
anything,  because  they  would  be  "accept- 
ing" and  "non-judgmental."  Behind  her 
back  all  sorts  of  gossip  would  circulate. 
She  would  be  branded  for  life.  She  might 
as  well  sew  a  scarlet  Aon  her  blouse  for 
the  reputation  and  treatment  she  would 
receive  from  then  on.  She  would  receive  no 
financial  support  from  her  "brothers  and 
sisters  in  Christ." 

You  see,  we  have  "thrown  the  baby  out 
with  the  bath."  We  have  "strained  out  the 
gnat  and  swallowed  the  camel." 

The  real  purpose  of  discipline  is  for 
three  things.  First,  it  is  for  the  restoration 
of  relations.  In  the  example  I  gave,  it 
was  only  the  group  that  faced  the  dis- 
cretion head-on  that  could  restore  the 
relations.  The  pretended  liberals  could 
not.  We  cannot  either  because  we  are 


November  1975  messenger  25 


like  the  pretended  liberals. 

Second,  it  is  for  growth.  The  real  object 
of  a  Christian  community  is  that  stated  in 
Ephesians  4:13-20,  so  that  "...  we  all  at- 
tain to  the  unity  of  the  faith  and  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  to  mature 
manhood,  to  the  measure  of  the  stature  of 
the  fullness  of  Christ;  so  that  we  may  no 
longer  be  children,  tossed  to  and  fro  and 
carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine, 
by  the  cunning  of  men,  by  their  craftiness 
in  deceitful  wiles.  Rather,  speaking  the 
truth  in  love,  we  are  to  grow  up  in  every 
way  into  him  who  is  the  head,  into  Christ, 
from  whom  the  whole  body,  joined  and 
knit  together  by  every  joint  with  which  it  is 
supplied,  when  each  part  is  working 
properly,  makes  bodily  growth  and  up- 
builds itself  in  love." 


The  real  object  of  Christian  community 
is  so  that  we  all,  individually  and  collec- 
tively, may  mature  to  be  like  Christ,  having 
his  gifts,  beauty,  strength  and  loving  per- 
sonality. In  the  example  I  gave,  the  19th 
Century  congregation  and  most  certainly 
the  woman  herself,  did  grow  to  become 
more  loving,  forgiving,  mature,  and 
therefore  Christ-like.  The  discipline  helped 
them  all  to  face  the  issues  and  profit 
thereby.  In  our  modern  churches  such 
"growth  into  Christ"  is  forgotten  by  all  but 
a  few  as  our  objective.  Instead,  we  are 
pulled  willy-nilly  by  different  forces  (that 
we  fail  to  challenge)  to  "grow"  in  a  thou- 
sand different  directions.  We  fail  to 
challenge  lust  for  wealth,  lust  for  power, 
grudge-holding,  war-making  and  so  on, 
"growing"  greedy,  inhumanely  ambitious, 
bitter,  murderous  as  a  result. 

The  goal  of  discipline  in  the  church  is  to 
be  like  the  goal  of  disciphne  that  a  master 
carpenter  has  with  an  apprentice.  If  the 
master  sets  no  limits  for  his  apprentice, 
never  telling  him  how  to  swing  the  hammer 
and  how  not  to  swing  it,  never  showing 
him  how  to  saw  a  mitered  joint  and  cor- 
recting him  when  he  saws  it  badly  he  ap- 
parently does  not  care  for  his  apprentice. 
The  goal  of  the  discipline  is  to  produce  a 
new  master  carpenter  out  of  the  apprentice, 

26  MESSENGER  November  1975 


just  as  knowledgeable  and  skilled  as  the 
first  master.  How  else  can  the  apprentice 
learn  this  except  by  his  master's  discipline? 
In  this  way,  the  skill,  art,  and  tradition  of 
carpentry  is  passed  through  the  years. 
Therefore,  the  master  who  fails  to  dis- 
cipline his  apprentice,  fails  to  care  enough 
about  him  to  allow  him  to  become  a 
master,  too. 

It  is  exactly  the  same  story  in  the  church. 
The  goal  of  discipline  is  to  help  new  per- 
sons become  as  skilled  and  knowledgeable 
as  the  original  "masters"  in  the  faith.  By 
showing  each  other  the  way  and  correcting 
each  other  when  we  are  wrong,  we  can  pass 
on  the  skill,  art,  and  tradition  of  the 
Christ-life  through  the  years.  If  we  fail  to 
discipline,  we  pass  on  nothing.  Yet  we  are 
not  called  to  pass  on  nothing.  We  are  sup- 


literally.  He  personally  visited  the  man.  He 
asked  and  got  other  board  members  to 
visit. 

Other  church  members  sought  the  man 
out  and  tried  to  reconcile  him.  Members 
prayed  to  God  for  reconciliation.  The 
matter  was  brought  up  before  the  whole 
church  and  all  were  urged  to  attend.  In  all 
these  matters,  the  board  member  refused  to 
cooperate,  to  try  to  discuss  or  reconcile  the 
issue,  or  even  to  be  present  at  the  church 
meeting.  The. others  involved  in  the  con- 
troversey  reached  a  compromise  that 
successfully  reconciled  them.  The  one 
man  still  could  not  or  would  not  be  recon- 
ciled. He  still  wanted  to  be  a  member, 
though. 

What  the  church  should  have  done  is 
finish  Matthew  18,  at  this  point,  and  "treat 


Whenever  a  person  encourages  others  in  their  strengths 
or  challenges  others  in  their  apparent  wrongs  so  that 
loving  concern  may  be  made  visible  and  so  that  Christian 
maturity    may    be    nurtured,   discipline   is   taking   place 


posed  to  be  sharing  our  "treasure  in 
earthen  vessels,"  the  treasured  life-style 
that  we  received  ourselves.  We  are  sup- 
posed to  "go  everywhere  .  . .  making 
disciples  (to  be  a  disciple,  you  must  have 
discipline)  of  all  nations." 

In  fact,  it  is  just  because  we  fail  to  dis- 
cipline that  we  are  so  weak  as  a  church.  1 
think  Matthew  18  clearly  states  that  a  third 
purpose  of  discipline  is  to  give  us  power  as 
Christians.  "Whatever  you  ask  for"; 
"whatever  you  bind  .  . .  ,"  it  says. 

In  a  church  I  was  recently  in,  the  pastor 
and  a  board  member  saw  differently  on  a 
rather  controversial  issue — an  issue,  suffice 
to  say,  that  Brethren  would  line  up  on  two 
sides  of. 

When  the  issue  was  first  raised  by  an  ac- 
tion taken,  the  pastor  asked  the  board 
member  if  they  could  get  together  with 
some  others  on  the  board  and  discuss  the 
issue,  since  several  disagreed  with  the  ac- 
tion. However,  the  board  member  was  so 
incensed  that  his  action  would  even  be 
questioned  that  he  refused  to  discuss  it 
with  anyone  and  angrily  stomped  out.  A 
week  later  he  gave  his  resignation  from  the 
board.  He  also  stopped  coming  to  church. 
The  pastor  was  alarmed  and  upset  so  he 
began  to  do  everything  he  could  to  recon- 
cile the  brother.  He  followed  Matthew  18 


him  as  a  heathen  or  a  Gentile."  I  think  this 
means  to  state  that  his  behavior  is  setting 
him  outside  the  confines  of  a  fellowship 
that  believes  in  reconciliation  and  con- 
demns grudge-holding. 

However,  the  church  wouldn't  go  that 
far.  Some  identified  with  the  board 
member  on  the  issue  and  so  supported  his 
behavior  regardless.  Others  were  afraid  to 
lose  another  member  and  his  pledge  (it  was 
later  learned  he  had  stopped  paying  on  it  a 
week  after  the  first  controversy).  Yet  others 
responded  sympathetically  to  the  man's 
plaintive  cries  that  he  was  wounded  and 
that  he  really  didn't  want  to  be  away  from 
"his  church."  Still  others  seemed  to  think  it 
easier  to  put  pressure  on  the  pastor  (he 
could  lose  his  job)  than  on  the  member  (a 
layperson  can't  be  "fired").  As  a  result,  the 
issue  was  never  fully  reconciled.  The  "ab- 
sent man"  retained  his  power.  Had  his 
behavior  been  declared  wrong  by  the 
church,  and  if  he  still  refused  to  repent, 
declared  out  of  fellowship,  the  demonic 
power  of  his  not  being  there  would  have 
been  broken.  Tlie  church  could  have  still 
loved  him  but  gotten  on  with  its  business. 
What's  more,  the  nature  of  the  church  as  a 
fellowship  that  believes  in  Matthew  18 
would  have  been  further  declared  for  all  to 
see.  The  church  would  have  regained  and 


Jeveloped  the  power  promised  it.  As  it 
ivas.  the  church  was  fragmented  by  the 
issue  and  it  isn't  quite  sure  what  it  believes. 
In  fact,  the  church  was  relatively  im- 
mobilized by  the  issue. 

We  need  a  return  to  discipline.  I  do  not 
desire  a  return  to  harshness  and  judgmen- 
;alism.  I  am  a  psychologist  and  appreciate 
;he  human  relations  advances  we  have 
made  in  the  last  century.  Yet  we  need  a 
■eturn  to  honesty,  to  "calling  a  spade  a 
spade,"  to  realism,  to  a  loving  discipline. 
\s  Christians,  we  are  weary  of  our  wishy- 
Aiashiness,  we  are  confused  about  "who  we 
ire,"  we  are  beset  with  factions  and  we  are 
inslaved  to  a  clergy-laity  split  that  forgets 
;hat  our  real  purpose  is  for  each  of  us  to 
become  like  Christ. 

We  need  the  gifts  of  honesty,  boldness, 
dentity,  reconciliation,  peace,  power,  and 
growth  towards  Christ's  personality.  These 
ire  exactly  the  gifts  that  discipline  can 
JFOvide.  Let  us  therefore  not  turn  our 
jacks  to  discipline's  promise.  Let  us  in- 
stead see  if  we  can,  through  Christ  who 
limself  suggests  the  disciphne,  make  the 
ajfts  our  own.  What  better  witness  could 
ive  make?  What  better  love  could  we  have, 
;han  to  share  a  disciplined  love  with  a 
messed  up  world? 

Now  again,  let  me  point  out  that  I  have 
ised  as  an  example  only  the  most  extreme 
:ase  of  discipline;  disfellowshipping.  Ac- 
;uaUy,  discipline  begins  with  Matthew 
18:15  or  Hebrews  3:13  or  the  behavior  of 
Peter  and  Paul  on  the  topic  of  racism  in 
Galatians  2.  Discipline  begins  with  a  simple 
dedication  to  Christ,  a  willingness  to 
'speak  the  truth  in  love"  to  whomever,  and 
1  desire  to  reconcile.  Whenever  a  person 
jncourages  others  in  their  strengths, 
whenever  a  person  challenges  others  in 
their  apparent  wrongs,  SO  THAT  loving 
concern  may  be  made  visible  and  so  that 
Christian  maturity  may  be  nurtured,  dis- 
cipline is  taking  place. 

Actually,  disfellowshipping  is  only  the 
last  remedy,  when  all  else  have  failed.  It 
should  never  be  rushed  into.  Yet  neither 
should  it  be  pretended  that  no  one  will  ever 
be  disfellowshipped.  We  are  not  to  dedicate 
ourselves  to  looking  like  "nice  guys," 
easygoing  and  tolerant.  We  are  to  dedicate 
ourselves  to  the  sharing  and  development 
of  real  love.  Sometimes  that  "real  love"  re- 
quires lines  drawn,  as  well  as  acceptance 
communicated. 

You  see,  there  is  a  vision  associated  with 
discipline.  Its  like  the  vision  of  the  com- 


pleted house  that  the  architect  holds  when 
the  work  is  only  beginning.  If  the  architect 
has  disciplined  workers,  it  is  very  likely 
that  all  will  see  that  vision  come  true.  If  the 
carpenters  are  lazy,  sloppy,  or  undisci- 
plined, however,  the  house  will  never  be 
built  or,  if  it  is  built,  its  quality  will  be  so 
disappointing  that  it  would  have  been 
better  not  to  have  built  it.  We  need  to  do 
more  than  just  sing  or  say  words  about  be- 
ing like  Christ.  We  need  to  do  all  we  can  to 
build  our  building.  New  Jerusalem;  that  is 
a  community  like  Christ,  full  of  love, 
peace,  justice,  caring,  joy  and  service.  This 
vision  has  been  set  before  us  by  our 
Architect.  It  will  be  his  work,  just  as  any 
home  is  any  architect's  work.  He  will 
produce  it,  yet  he  plans  to  work  through 
us.  It  will  not  just  pop  up  on  us  someday. 
We  are  not  waiting  for  God  to  act.  He  has 
acted.  The  possibilities  are  there  for  us, 
through  Christ,  to  have.  We  are  waiting  for 
us  to  respond.  This  beautiful  goal  of  a 
purely  loving  humanity,  like  any  beautiful 
goal  requires  discipline  to  achieve.  When 
we  deny  the  discipline,  whether  we  know  it 
or  not,  we  are  also  denying  the  goal. 

Xherefore,  let  us  pick  up  the  challenge. 
Let  us  not  "weed  out"  of  the  gospel  those 
parts  we  don't  like.  Let  us  practice  dis- 
cipline as  well  as  forgiveness,  they  are  not 
opposed.  Let  us  not  accept  evil  in  persons, 
as  well  as  accept  them  in  all  their  humanity 
and  potential.  Let  us  practice  confronta- 
tion as  well  as  confer  freedom.  This  is 
closer  to  the  full  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
as  such  will  bring  us  closer,  I  believe,  to  the 
fullness  of  His  promises. 

I  suggest  that  the  new  study  committee 
for  the  ministry  paper  begin  with  a  focus 
on  the  "lack  of  practice  of  discipline"  and 
that  they  issue  a  questionnaire  to 
Brotherhood  churches  to  establish  or  dis- 
establish this  fact  with  data.  I  am  thinking 
of  a  questionnaire  that  might  reprint  our 
present  counseling  and  discipline  section, 
item  by  item  and  ask  persons  how  often 
each  itemized  part  is  used  in  their  church. 
The  questionnnaire  might  also  ask  why  the 
measures  are  or  are  not  used  and  if  alter- 
native measures  are  used.  Such  a  question- 
naire would  establish  the  scope  of  the 
problem. 

Further,  I  suggest  that  the  study  com- 
mittee spend  a  considerable  amount  of  its 
time  addressing  the  question,  "How  can  we 
get  congregations  to  practice  whatever 


counseling  and  discipline  we  do  have?  We 
need  more  than  just  to  pass  another  An- 
nual Conference  paper;  we  need  concrete 
steps  to  help  us  to  get  going. 

Finally,  I  suggest  that  congregations  ex- 
amine their  own  situations  with  respect  to 
counseling  and  discipline  and  to  study  the 
entire  issue  themselves.  Such  questions  as 
the  following  might  be  asked: 

1.  In  what  areas  of  church  life  and  con- 
cerning what  human  behavior  do  we  prac- 
tice counseling  or  discipline? 

2.  What  methods  do  we  use?  Are  gossip- 
ing about  or  avoiding  another  person  types 
of  discipline?  Is  asking  the  pastor  to  leave 
the  parish  a  type  of  "discipline"?  Is  advice- 
giving  or  censure  a  type  of  counseling? 
What  methods  do  we  already  use? 

3.  How  do  our  methods  of  counseling  or 
discipline  compare  with  the  Bible's  prac- 
tices and  recommendations?  Do  we  follow 
Matthew  18?  When,  who  does  it,  and  how 
far  do  we  take  Matthew  18? 

4.  How  do  our  methods  compare  with 
those  in  the  Brotherhood  "Manual"? 

5.  Where  might  we  recommend  changes 
in  our  manual's  outline  of  thoughts  and 
procedures? 

6.  Where  should  we  change  our  own 
practices?  What  concrete  steps  should  we 
take  to  make  such  changes? 

7.  Where,  in  our  local  church  life,  do  we 
need  discipline  and  counseling?  How  could 
we  set  about  applying  discipline  and 
counseling  to  these  areas  of  our  life? 

Let  us  all  grapple  with  the  idea  of  a  lov- 
ing discipline,  of  a  discipline  whose  object 
is  to  produce  growth  in  Christ  and  to 
restore.  I  am  certain  this  is  what  the  Bible 
preaches.  The  danger  on  the  one  side  is 
negligent  permissivism.  The  danger  on  the 
other  side  is  a  harsh  legahsm.  Yet  what 
would  a  discipline  of  love  look  like?  I 
suggest  creative  thinking,  consideration  of 
insights  from  other  fields  (such  as  teaching, 
psychology,  management,  and  child- 
rearing)  and  study  of  the  Bible  to  answer 
this  question. 

If  we  are  to  genuinely  address  the 
problem  of  discipline  in  this  church  era,  we 
will  need  to  face  the  fact  that  discipline 
currently  is  not  practiced,  we  will  need  to 
discover  bibhcally  sound  concepts  of  loving 
discipline,  and  then  to  consider  how  we  can 
get  the  discipline  to  actually  be  practiced. 
If  we  can  do  that,  God  just  might  bless  us 
with  the  power,  love,  fellowship,  and  fruit- 
ful service  that  rightfully  is  our  heritage  as 
the  church  of  Christ.  □ 


November  1975  messenger  27 


On  peace,  guns,  KJV,  past,  women 


Dale  Ott 

No  way  to  peace; 
peace  is  the  way 

Thanks  to  Nina  Bazouzi  Cullers  for  her 
very  timely  thoughts  ("Shalom  and  Salaam 
in  Palestine")  in  the  August  Messenger.  If, 
as  has  been  said,  "being  informed  is  a 
Christian  duty,"  then  we  in  the  West,  es- 
pecially, have  a  duty  for  more  complete 
and  better-balanced  information  about  the 
Middle  East.  Nina  Bazouzi  Cullers  has 
contributed  much  to  our  understanding. 

I  would  add  just  a  couple  additional 
thoughts  to  what  sister  Cullers  has  said. 
When  she  spoke  of  "the  Arab  religion."  she 
very  naturally  went  on  to  spell  out  some 
basic  beliefs  of  Islam,  the  predominate 
religion.  This  was  helpful.  But  she  also 
might  have  emphasized  more  strongly  that 
among  the  Arabs,  and  Palestinians  in  par- 
ticular, there  is  a  significant  Christian 
minority  (in  fact,  she  does  mention  this  in 
reference  to  her  own  family).  We  must  not 
forget  this  in  our  search  for  Christian  unity 
and  in  our  prayers  for  all  brothers  and 
sisters  who  are  bound  together  with  us  in  a 
"special  oneness"  through  Christ. 

In  another  regard,  we  hear  much  about 
the  scattered  Jews  of  the  earth.  It  is  well  to 
remember  how  scattered  some  other 
peoples  are  as  well.  For  example,  just 
among  the  estimated  three  million 
Palestinians  in  the  world,  7,000  are  in  the 
US.  Some  15,000  are  in  West  Germany  and 
other  Western  European  countries.  While 
the  majority  are  in  the  various  Arab  coun- 
tries (and  occupied  areas)  of  the  Middle 
East,  it  is  significant  that  some  340,000 
(1972  estimate)  are  in  Israel  (all  figures 
taken  from  New  Outlook,  May-June  1975 


To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those  in 
the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or  disagree 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation  of  this 
value,  and  to  an  open  and  probing  forum, 
that  "Here  I  Stand"  responses  are  invited. 


28  MESSENGER  November  1975 


issue.)  Thus,  even  in  America  some  of  you 
may  well  have  Palestinian  neighbors 
without  being  aware  of  it.  Learn  to  know 
them! 

As  for  the  use  of  "terrorist  tactics"  by 
some  Palestinians,  there  has  been  enough 
terror  on  both  sides  (all  sides)  of  this  con- 
flict to  go  around.  Sister  Cullers  does  well 
to  remind  us  that  the  majority  of 
Palestinians  are  peace-loving  people  who 
have  hoped  and  worked  for  a  peaceful 
settlement  in  the  Middle  East.  This  is  a 
hard  position  to  maintain  for  those  who 
have  lost  homes  (sometimes  more  than 
once)  to  which  they  cannot  return. 

But  there  is  still  hope.  Words  like  these 
by  Dr.  M.  T,  Mehdi  (Secretary-General, 
Action  Committee  on  American-Arab 
Relations — Middle  East  International, 
July  1975)  are  encouraging: 

"The  goal  of  establishing  peace  and 
democracy  in  Palestine  can  be  attained 
through  the  use  of  peaceful  means — 
economic  and  political  power — faster, 
more  easily,  and  with  less  toU  in  life  and 
destruction  of  property  than  if  the  Arabs 
wanted  to  use  the  traditional,  inhumane 
device  of  war,  applying  military  force  to 
regain  their  rights.  For  these  reasons,  we 
call  upon  the  Arab  world  to  renounce 
publicly  and  unilaterally  the  use  of  military 
force  and  apply  instead  their  economic  and 
political  power  to  regain  their  rights  in 
Palestine  and  establish  peace  in  the  Middle 
East."  (full  text  of  Dr.  Mehdi's  proposals 
available  from  M.E.I.). 

Thank  God,  there  are  similar  voices  on 
the  Israeli  side  too.  In  closing,  let  us  con- 
template these  words:  "There  is  no  way  to 
peace.  Peace  is  the  way."  D 

Edwin  D.  Sell 

Too  many  gun 
laws  already 

Many  of  us  who  are  Brethren  and  also 
sportsmen  or  gun  hobbyists  were  disap- 
pointed and  somewhat  ashamed  to  learn  of 
the  General  Board's  stand  on  gun  control 


in  the  August  Messenger. 

While  we  can  certainly  understand  that  a 
peace  church  such  as  ours  and  all 
Christians  everywhere  are  deeply  con- 
cerned over  the  vast  numbers  of  murders 
and  general  crime  committed  with 
handguns,  we  believe  that  the  Board's  ac- 
tions in  no  way  represents  the  majority  of 
the  membership. 

Registering  long  guns  and  outlawing 
handguns,  will  give  the  government  ad- 
ditional power,  place  a  financial  burden  on 
those  who  would  comply  with  the  law,  es- 
tablish a  new  lucrative  market  for  the  un- 
derworld in  black  market  guns,  and  in 
general  do  nothing  for  the  underlying 
causes  of  the  crime  problem.  In  reality, 
there  are  more  than  enough  gun  laws 
already  in  existence.  The  courts  have  been 
extra  lenient  with  violators,  which  is  one 
of  the  reasons  the  use  of  guns  in  crime  is 
so  attractive.  The  1968  Gun  Control 
Law,  for  example,  is  actually  a  registration 
law,  since  each  prospective  purchaser 
is  required  to  complete  quite  a  de- 
tailed form,  which  becomes  a  permanent 
record. 

Known  persons  with  a  criminal  record 
are  prohibited  from  purchasing  firearms 
under  the  provisions  of  this  law.  Many 
cities  have  existing  additional  laws,  such 
as  the  Sullivan  Law  of  New  York  City. 
This  control  is  so  strict  that  private  legal 
ownership  is  virtually  impossible,  yet 
"fun  city"  has  one  of  the  highest  crime 
rates  known  with  many  many  "repeat" 
cases  on  record.  Spot  checks  show  that  in 
the  vast  majority  of  gun  crimes,  most  of 
the  guns  were  illegal  under  present  day 
laws,  which  leads  us  to  believe  any  addi- 
tional law  would  also  be  ignored.  Penn- 
sylvania and  some  other  states  require 
a  waiting  period  before  purchasing  a 
handgun.  This  law  was  inacted  in  the 
thirties  along  with  the  banning  of  machine 
guns,  and  gives  local,  state,  and  federal 
authorities  a  chance  to  check  out  the  ap- 
plicant. This  is  a  fairly  practical  law,  with 
a  minimum  of  inconvenience  to  all.  If  any- 
thing, this  is  all  that  would  be  needed  in 
the  southern  states  and  other  areas  with  a 
high  concentration  of  handguns. 


Pastor  Zunkel's  testimony  not  only  con- 
ained  inaccuracies,  but  also  is  almost  an 
xact  duplicate  of  presentations  of  those 
iberal  politicians  who  have  been  seeking 
lublicity  and  advancement  of  their 
lolitical  careers  for  many  years  by  ex- 
lounding  on  guns  and  their  relation  to 
rime.  One  would  almost  believe  them 
incere  except  for  the  fact  that  they 
re  also  the  same  gentlemen  who  write  in 
uch  publications  as  Playboy  and  recom- 
nend  and  support  the  legalization  of  mari- 
uana,  group  sex,  vast  welfare  programs, 
imiting  of  our  police  forces,  and  other 
issorted  subjects.  We  believe  the  Church's 
nission  is  much  more  important  than  to 
lecome  involved  in  controversial  politics 
uch  as  this. 

Dr.  Donald  Lunde,  a  Stanford  Uni- 
'ersity  psychiatrist  has  just  completed  a 
tudy  of  murder  for  the  past  five  years  and 
las  published  his  results  in  Murder  and 
Wadness.  While  he  also  echoes  the 
propaganda  concerning  "too  much  gun 
iwnership,"  the  study  concludes  that  most 
nurders  in  the  US  are  committed  by  men 
n  their  twenties  who  blame  the  system  for 
ailing  to  provide  them  with  certain 
naterial  things.  When  society  doesn't 
irovide  them,  people  vent  their  anger, 
rustration  and  dissatisfaction  on  others. 
Dr.  Lunde  also  found  that  in  the  majority 
if  homicides,  the  murderer  has  been  drink- 
ng  prior  to  the  murder  and  states  that 
ilcohol  and  murder  are  closely  linked.  In 
iddition,  black  men  are  ten  times  more 
oilnerable  than  white  men  to  murder, 
)lack  women  five  times  more  than  white 
vomen.  In  more  than  ninety  percent  of  all 
lomicides,  killer  and  victim  belong  to  the 
ame  race. 

It  seems  to  us,  that  rather  than  the 
)roliferation  of  handguns  "causing  crime," 
he  real  cause  is  the  overall  deterioration  of 
)ur  moral  and  spiritual  values  and  the 
iecline  of  the  church  in  providing  real 
;:uidelines  and  principles  for  Christian  liv- 
ng,  especially  in  the  large  cities.  If  the 
;hurch  were  fulfilling  its  mission,  there 
vould  be  no  need  for  gun  controls  or  even 
iiscussing  them.  Perhaps  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  could  be  much  more  effective  and 
»ain  more  respect  and  support  if  we  would 
indertake  a  massive  home  mission 
jrogram,  possibly  patterned  after  the 


"Teen  Challenge"  idea. 

In  any  event,  by  continuing  the  drive  to 
ban  handguns  and  aligning  ourselves  with 
programs  more  political  than  Christian  is 
one  sure  way  to  guarantee  alienation  of  the 
membership,  resulting  in  even  more  stagna- 
tion and  declining  membership  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.     D 


Lonnie  R.  Lutz 

Did  Shakespeare 
help  the  king? 

Did  William  Shakespeare  (1564-1616) 
assist  in  the  preparation  of  the  King  James 
Bible,  and  conceal  his  name  in  the  text  of 
that  book?  Rumor  and  circumstantial 
evidence  suggest  he  did. 

A  few  years  ago  at  Marion  College  a  girl 
related  to  me  a  rumor  associating 
Shakespeare  with  the  1611  translation  of 
the  Bible. 

She  explained  that  in  the  46th  Psalm,  the 
46th  word  from  the  beginning  is  "shake" 
and  the  46th  word  from  the  end  is 
"spear."  For  this  reason  some  connect 
Shakespieare  with  the  preparation  of  the 
King  James  Bible. 

Immediately  I  consulted  the  nearest  copy 
of  the  1611  Bible.  What  I  heard  of  the  46th 
Psalm  was  true,  numerically. 

I  was  somewhat  impressed,  but  not  near- 
ly so  much  so  as  later  after  I  did  some  in- 
vestigation of  the  era  surrounding  the  King 
James  Bible  project  and  William 
Shakespeare.  Several  very  interesting 
pieces  of  information  emerged. 

King  James  I  of  England  commissioned 
the  translation  of  the  scriptures  in  1607. 
The  final  product  appeared  to  the 
pubUc  in  1611. 

Records  from  the  time,  although  in- 
complete, tell  us  that  scholars  from  all 
England  were  summoned  to  participate, 
and  that  the  work  was  divided  among  the 
universities.  Part  of  the  translation  was 
done  at  Cambridge,  part  at  Oxford,  and 
part  in  London. 

After  the  translating  was  completed  by 
the  scholars,  linguistic  artists  were  sum- 
moned to  assist  in  transliterating,  that  is: 
making  the  scholarly  translation  readable 


clear  thinking 
about  suffering 

by  Paul  F.  Andrus 
Everyone  wonders  why  we  must 
endure  pain  and  suffering.  How  does 
this   relate   to   a   just   and   loving 
God?  Although  these  are  questions 
for  which   there  are  no   pat 
answers,  Paul   Andrus  does  offer 
his  feelings  in   this  very  thought- 
provoking  book.  Common-sense  ad- 
vice is  interlaced  with  pastoral 
compassion   and   a   strong  belief   in 
the  power  and  love  of  God. 

Paper,  $2.95 


I  LIGHT 


As  our  natural  resources  dwindle, 
our  air  becomes  more  polluted,  and 
our  homes  become  the  materialistic 
showcases  thai  the  advertising 
agencies  glorify,  we  become,  hope- 
fully, aware  of  the  fact  that  we 
'need  to  change  it  all!  Pat  McGeachy 
wants   us  to   become   better 
stewards  of  God's  gifts,  informed, 
concerned  citizens  and  more  in  tune 
with  our  universe  than  the  tv 
screen!  Paper,  $3.25 


how  to  keep  the  things 
you  own  from 
owning  you 

by  Pat  McGeachy 

at  your  local  bookstore 

Qbingdon 


November  1975  messenger  29 


BUTTON 

ESTHER  PENCE  GARBER 

Is  a  story  lived  in  the  early  1  900's 
on  a  Dutch  farm  community  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  of  Virginia.  A 
story  of  11  children  who,  with  their 
pappy  and  mother,  formed  a  social 
and  economic  entity. 

"Most  of  the  events  and 
happenings  herein  are  true;  or  could 
have  been  true.  I  relied  mostly  on 
memories,  which  are  not  always 
reliable.  Many  of  the  old  ballads  and 
hymns  are  also  a  product  of 
memories;  thus  I  cannot  attest  to 
their  total  accuracy.' 


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churches 

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Florida 

and 

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are 

your 

warmest 

friends 


ARCADIA,  N.  Mills  Ave.  at  Hickory  St.,  Arcadia 
33821;  Joseph  S.  Rittenhouse,  pastor. 
CASTANER,  Box  34,  Castaner,  Puerto  Rico 
00631;  Guilliermo  Encarnacion,  pastor. 
CLAY  COUNTY,  P.O.  Box  185,  Middleburg 
32068;  A.  E.  Lanier,  pastor.  FORT  MYERS, 
Pacific  &  San  Bernadine  Sts.,  Palmona 
Park,  North  Fort  Myers  33903;  Robert  C. 
Sipe,  pastor.  JACKSONVILLE,  4554  Prunty 
Ave.,  Jacksonville  32210;  Charles  McGuckin, 
pastor.  LORIDA,  in  Lorida  33857;  Ira  S.  Petre, 
pastor.  MIAMI  COMMUNITY,  10855  S.W.  26th 
St.,  Miami  33155;  Rodney  Busard,  pastor. 
MIAMI  FIRST,  18200  N.W.  22nd  Ave.,  Opa  Locka 
33054;  Paul  Henz,  pastor.  MORNING  STAR,  665 
N.E.  40th  St.,  Pompano  Beach  33064;  Sam  W 
Longenecker,  pastor.  ORLANDO,  3839  S.  Fern 
creek  Ave.,  Orlando  32806;  Wilbur  A.  Martin 
pastor.  ST.  PETERSBURG,  7040  38th  Ave. 
North,  St.  Petersburg  33710;  Edgar  S.  Martin 
pastor.  SEBRING,  Oak  Ave.  &  Pine  St.,  Se 
bring  33870;  John  C.  Middlekauff,  pastor 
TAMPA,  18th  Ave.  &  48th  St.,  Tampa  33605 
Don  Julian,  chairperson.  WINTER  PARK,  1721 
Harmon,  Winter  Park  32789;  Guy  R.  Buch, 
pastor.  DISTRICT  OFFICE,  Box 
296,  St.  Cloud  32769,  tele 
phone  305  892-6550;  Merle 
Crouse,     district     executive 


Box 


Church  of  the  Brethren/ District  of  Florida  and  Puerto  Rico 


30  MtssENGER  November  1975 


for  the  commoners. 

Authors  including  their  own  names  in 
the  texts  of  their  writings  was  a  common 
practice  during  the  time  of  Shakespeare. 
Very  subtle  authors  concealed  their  names 
well.  Others  did  not. 

Shakespeare  was  born  in  1564.  1610,  thi 
year  before  the  new  translation  of  the  Bibli 
was  published,  would  have  been  his  46th 
year.  By  this  age  he  was  well  established 
among  the  literary  greats  of  the  day.  He 
had  retired  to  live  at  Stratford,  about  80 
kilometers  from  Cambridge. 

Little  imagination  is  required  to  suspect 
such  a  recognized  literary  genius,  who  was 
closely  associated  with  King  James  via  the 
stage,  to  be  among  those  called  to  assist 
with  the  transliteration. 

Are  we,  then,  greeted  by  the  subtle 
genius,  Shakespeare,  where  we  least  expec 
it,  in  our  own  Bible? 

Or  is  there  merely  a  coincidence  of  peo- 
ple, times,  and  places?  Tantalizing  as  the 
circumstantial  evidence  is,  it  remains  just 
that:  circumstantial.    D 


Garry  L.  Loucks 

The  obscenities  in 
America's  past 

Over  the  past  few  years  I  have  been  reading 
reports  coming  from  China  on  how  the 
present  government  is  responsible  for 
greatly  reducing  extra-marital  sex,  venereal 
disease,  and  all  forms  of  crime.  When  con- 
sidering America's  statistics  in  these  areas  I 
feel  it  might  not  hurt  us  to  take  a  closer 
look.  But  Carolyn  Denlinger  (Letters,  July) 
suggests  that  we  not  pay  too  close  attention 
to  these  statistics  because  the  beginnings  of 
China's  present  government  was  neither 
Christian  nor  Brethren. 

On  July  4th,  1975,  we  as  a  nation  of- 
ficially began  our  Bicentennial 
celebrations.  If  Carolyn's  observations  are 
correct  concerning  China's  beginnings  then 
I  feel  that  Christians  and  Brethren  across 
the  nation  should  enter  into  a  period  of 
mourning  instead  of  celebration  since  our 
beginnings  also  were  neither  Christian  nor 
Brethren. 

Archaeological  evidence  shows  that 
humankind  inhabited  North  America  for 
thousands  of  years  prior  to  our  coming 
here.  These  first  Americans  took  from  the 
land  only  what  they  needed  and  lived  in 
harmony  with  land  and  nature.  Yet  in  a 
very  short  time  the  white  man  has  placed 
many  animals  on  the  verge  of  extinction; 


we  have  contaminated  water  and  air  with 
pollutants;  we  have  ruined  the  soil  with 
archaic  agricultural  methods. 

Our  dealings  with  these  first  Americans 
has  been  even  more  obscene.  We've  made  a 
nation  of  alcoholics  of  the  American  In- 
dians by  ridiculing  their  religious  practices, 
stealing  their  land  and  robbing  them  of 
their  ability  to  provide  for  themselves, 
forcing  them  to  live  on  patches  of  un- 
wanted land  and  completely  destroying 
their  identity. 

We  signed  treaties  with  the  Indians  but 
took  back  our  pieces  of  paper  and  ignored 
our  word  when  it  served  our  purpose.  We 
looked  on  Indian  men  as  savage  while  rap- 
ing Indian  women.  We  committed  mass 
murder  in  its  most  horrendous  form. 

To  put  an  insertion  in  Carolyn's  words: 
'The  present  (American)  way  of  life  has 
been  arrived  at  at  the  cost  of  millions  of 
lives.  Whole  classes  were  exterminated  so 
that  only  those  who  were  willing  to 
:ooperate  could  live.  Does  this  sound 
Christian?  Is  this  the  way  God  works  in 
history?" 

Jesus  gave  us  a  warning  that  it  is  pure 
folly  to  attempt  to  remove  the  speck  from 
3ur  brother's  eye  when  we  have  a  plank 
n  our  own.  When  it  comes  to  analyzing 
ntemational  situations  we  Americans 
jften  have  a  barge  full  of  logs  in  our 
;yes. 

The  point  is,  we  Americans  have  blood 
an  our  hands  too.    D 


Judy  Hubbell 

No  rash  notions 
on  woman's  role 

When  we  think  of  the  person  called 
'woman,"  immediately  certain  images 
;ome  to  mind — wife,  mother,  daughter, 
lomemaker  and  perhaps  business  person 
3r  professional.  That  person  is  also  an  in- 
dividual. 

Along  with  these  images  go  certain  roles 
which  greatly  elaborate  what  she  does. 
Scripturally  we  find  in  Proverbs  31  that  a 
virtuous  woman  has  many  varied  roles, 
some  of  which  we,  as  Christians,  have 
taken  away  from  her.  Of  course,  the 
traditional  role  of  homemaker  includes  the 
care  of  her  family's  food  and  clothing 
needs,  and  the  home  itself.  But  if  we  look 
closely  we  find  this  woman  also  has  an  im- 
portant role  as  a  business  person  who  is 
given  the  right  to  make  certain  decisions. 

Verse  16:  "She  considers  a  field  and  buys 


it;  from  her  earnings  she  plants  a 
vineyard."  Notice  the  woman  is  the  one 
who  considers  and  buys  the  field.  Obvious- 
ly then,  she  must  be  wise  in  the  way  of  the 
world,  decisive,  and  a  manager.  Too  often 
we  have  taken  this  type  of  task  away  from 
a  woman  saying  it  does  not  fit  into  the 
"ideal  woman  image." 

Many  have  taken  Peter's  admonishment 
for  wives  to  be  submissive  to  their 
husbands  as  relegating  them  to  an  inferior 
position.  But  as  we  can  see  in  Proverbs  31, 
a  woman  has  an  extremely  powerful  and 
certainly  not  inferior  position.  Unfor- 
tunately it  took  something  like  the 
Women's  Liberation  Movement  to 
reawaken  many  of  us  to  the  capabilities 
and  rights  a  woman  has  within  herself  and 
society. 

God  has  set  certain  guidelines  within  the 
boundaries  of  which  we  are  given  freedom 
to  act  out  desires.  Otherwise  all  the 
demands  for  time,  energy,  and  abilities 
would  create  chaos  within  each  individual 
woman's  life.  If  we  put  Christ  in  the  center 
of  our  lives  everything  will  have  order  and 
life's  dimensions  will  be  deeper  and  richer. 
In  seeking  to  do  what  the  Lord  would  have 
us  do,  there  is  an  infinite  variety  of  direc- 
tions our  lives  as  women  can  go.  In  the 
Lord,  we  are  given  many  more  role  options 
and  certainly  more  freedom. 

Attempting  to  be  in  the  Lord's  will 
affects  our  attitudes.  Each  mundane  task 
can  somehow  be  used  to  glorify  God  in  our 
lives  and  as  a  result  the  time  devoted  to 
those  tasks  diminishes.  As  an  example:  A 
friend  of  ours  hated  housework  with  a  pas- 
sion, particularly  because  it  took  time  from 
the  thing  she  enjoyed  doing  most — sewing. 
As  a  result,  she  could  spend  the  whole  day 
cleaning  with  few  visible  results.  After  a 
class  study  on  Proverbs  31,  she  turned  her 
attitude  and  her  housecleaning  over  to 
the  Lord.  Now  she  has  reorganized  her 
home  for  greater  efficiency  and  cleaning 
only  takes  a  couple  of  hours.  In  turn, 
the  Lord  gave  her  more  time  for  the 
things  she  enjoys.  Cleaning  is  no  longer 
hateful. 

To  me,  then,  a  woman's  primary  role  is 
to  be  where  the  Lord  wants  her  at  that  time 
in  her  life.  It  may  be  at  home  taking  care  of 
her  husband,  her  children  or  home.  Or  it 
might  be  in  the  business  world  as  the 
Lord's  emissary.  There  can  be  no  rash 
generalizations  about  every  woman  staying 
at  home  and  not  working.  However,  every 
woman  should  seek  God's  will  before  mak- 
ing any  decision.  Much  of  what  we  as 
women  do  is  in  a  supportive  role,  but 
imagine  what  would  happen  to  a  build- 
ing if  its  support  pillars  were  removed.  D 


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TRAVEL— with  the  Richard  Wengers  on  a  Bi- 
ble Lands  Journey  to  "the  cradle  and  people 
of  our  faith."  10-day  tour  to  Jordan,  Israel 
and  Egypt  departs  March  1,  1976  from  New 
York  $899.  Discounts  negotiable  for  con- 
gregations paying  pastors  and  wives  tour. 
Write:  Richard  Wenger,  805  Stanford  Ave., 
Johnstown,  Pa.  15905  or  call  collect  814- 
255-3657. 

INVITATION  — If  you  are  planning  a  trip  to 
Florida,  why  not  worship  with  us?  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  7040-38th  Ave.  No., 
St.  Petersburg,  Fla.  33710.  Phone  341-3561. 
Sunday  School  9:15  A.M.  Morning  Worship 
10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor. 


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And  Unger's  Bible  Handbook  is  only 
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November  1975  messenger  31 


it^\rmin\(n\ 


Licensing/ 
Ordination 

Mark  B.  Bowser,  licensed 
Aug.  17.  1975,  Union  Bridge. 
Mid-Allantic 

Ronald  Cassell.  licensed  July 
13.  1975.  Cloverdale,  Virlina 

Gary  Frantz,  licensed  June  8. 
1975.  South  Beatrice,  Western 
Plains 

Bernard  Fuska,  ordained 
July  6.  1975.  Pleasant  Hill. 
Western  Pennsylvania 

Daniel  G.  Gersler.  licensed 
Aug.  3,  1975,  Pittsburgh. 
Western  Pennsylvania 

Dale  Goldsmith,  licensed 
May  14,  1975.  McPherson. 
Western  Plains 

Lynn  M.  Hagginbothom, 
licensed  July  13.  1975.  First 
Church.  York,  Southern  Penn- 
sylvania 

Joel  N.  Hershey,  licensed 
June  29,  1975,  Mt.  Olivet, 
Southern  Pennsylvania 

Chris  Holmen.  licensed  June 
15.  1975,  Fresno.  Pacific 
Southwest 

Grant  Holsinger,  licensed 
Aug.  3,  1975,  Somerset, 
Western  Pennsylvania 

Calvin  Lee  Lawyer,  ordained 
June  22.  1975.  Thurmont,  Mid- 
Atlantic 

Peter  J.  Leddy.  ordained  July 
6,  1975,  Winter  Park. 
Florida/ Puerto  Rico 

Luther  R.  Patches,  licensed 
July  6.  1975.  White  Oak.  Atlan- 
tic Northeast 

Joseph  Wayne  Pence,  li- 
censed July  6,  1975.  Mill  Creek, 
Shenandoah 

Orville  Penny,  licensed  June 
15,  1975,  Mountain  Grove. 
Missouri,  Southern,  and 
Arkansas 

Carl  Reed  Jr.,  licensed, 
Colorado  Springs.  Western 
Plains 

Richard  F.  Shreckhise,  or- 
dained July  20,  1975,  Pleasant 
Valley.  Shenandoah 

Richard  T.  West,  licensed 
Aug.  3,  1975,  Pittsburgh, 
Western  Pennsylvania 

Pastoral 
Placements 

Paul  W.  Allen,  from  Bethel, 
Western  Plains,  to  graduate 
school,  Sacramento  area. 
Pacific  Southwest 

Ralph  Berg,  to  interim  Old 
Furnace.  West  Marva 

James  C.  Boitnott,  from 
Middlebury,  Northern  Indiana, 
to  Monroeville.  Western  Penn- 
sylvania 

Richard  Bright,  from  other 
denomination,  to  Altoona,  28th 
Street,  Middle  Pennsylvania 

Claron  Brown,  to  retirement, 
from  Shelby  County,  Northern 
Plains 

McKinley  Coffman,  to 
Grossnickle  as  interim,  Mid- 
Atlantic 

Earl  Crissman,  from  other 
denomination,       to       Berkey, 


Western  Pennsylvania 

Gary  Dill.  from  other 
denomination,  to  Prince  of 
Peace.  South  Bend.  Northern 
Indiana 

Lerry  Fogle,  to  Rocky 
Spring,  Mid-Atlantic 

Wayne  L.  Fesler,  from 
Adrian- Fairview,  Northern 

Ohio,        to        Fredericksburg, 
Northern  Plains 

K.  Dwight  Hargett.  from 
Anderson.  South/ Central  In- 
diana, to  Pleasant  Dale. 
South/Central  Indiana 

Ramsumair  K.  Harry,  from 
Mennonite  Seminary,  to  Gar- 
bers  Church.  Shenandoah 

Leroy  Hulvey.  continues  at 
Miner,  plus  Valley  Bethel. 
Shenandoah 

Kenneth  O.  Holderread, 
from  Empire.  Pacific 

Southwest,  to  Manchester.  2nd 
Staff,  South/Central  Indiana 

K.  Dean  Huntley,  from 
secular,  to  Black  River, 
Northern  Ohio 

Clyde  E.  Hyllon.  from 
Grossnickle,  Mid- Atlantic,  to 
Maple  Grove,  Northern  Ohio 

Sam  Keller,  resigned  from 
Bachelor  Run,  South/ Central 
Indiana 

Richard  W.  Kidwell.  from 
secular,  to  Canton.  Maple  Ave.. 
Northern  Ohio 

Russell  Kiester.  from  Hax- 
tun.  Western  Plains,  to 
Lybrook.  Western  Plains 

John  Kreps,  to  Spring  Creek. 
South/ Central  Indiana 

Harvey  C.  Lehman,  to  in- 
terim. Lybrook.  Western  Plains 

Leonard  Lowe,  retired  Par- 
sons. Western  Plains 

Stephen  G,  Margush,  from 
Tyrone,  Middle  Pennsylvania, 
to  Second.  York,  Southern 
Pennsylvania 

James  S.  Mitchell  Jr..  from 
Woodland.  Illinois/  Wisconsin, 
to  Fosloria,  Northern  Ohio 

Frank  Nies.  to  retirement. 
Colorado  Springs,  Western 
Plains 

Howard  Ogburn,  from  Kulp 
Bible  School  faculty.  Nigeria, 
to  Kingsport-Liberty,  South- 
eastern (interim) 

Jerald  R.  Posey,  from  other 
denomination.  to  Antioch. 
South/Central  Indiana 

Donald  H.  Shank,  from 
Highland  Avenue,  Elgin.  Il- 
linois/Wisconsin, to  Cape  Cor- 
al. Florida/ Puerto  Rico 

Eldon  Shingleton.  from 
Champaign.  Illinois/ Wisconsin, 
to  Garden  City.  Western  Plains 
W.  Warren  Shoemaker,  from 
Green  Tree.  Atlantic  Northeast, 
to  Piqua.  Southern  Ohio 

Jonas  Sines,  to  Laurel  Glen. 
West  Marva 

A.  Harrison  Smith,  from 
Garden  City.  Western  Plains,  to 
Center  Hill,  Western  Penn- 
sylvania 

Leonard  Stark,  from  Nap- 
panee.  Northern  Indiana,  to 
Lima,  Ohio  United  Church  of 
Christ. 


Fred  Van  Tatenhove,  from 
Cedar.  Northern  Plains,  Mis- 
souri, and  Southern  Missouri- 
Arkansas,  to  Asbury  Seminary, 
Kentucky 

Robert  Walters,  resigned 
Phoenix  First,  Pacific 

Southwest 

Charles  Webb,  terminating  at 
Verdigris.  Western  Plains 

Allen  Weldy,  resigned 
Wakarusa,  Northern  Indiana 

Wedding 
Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clifford 
Allman,  Scottsdale,  Ariz.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beverly  Bacon, 
Scottsdale,  Ariz.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Bechtel, 
Roaring  Spring,  Pa..  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  Courtney 
Bolger,  Martinsburg,  Pa.,  54 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Boyer, 
Hutchinson,  Kans.,  65 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tobias  Corle, 
Martinsburg,  Pa.,  51 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Otis  Edwards, 
Harrisonburg,  Va.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Fralin, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  E. 
Green,  Kokomo,  Ind..  50 

Mr,  and  Mrs.  Paul 
Holsmger,  Martinsburg,  Pa,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marvin 
Hombeck,  Marion,  Ohio,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  L. 
Metzler,  Columbia  City,  Ind., 
60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Meyers, 
Fresno,  Calif.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard  D. 
Michael,  Bryan,  Ohio,  65 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Floyd  Miller, 
Mt.  Morris,  111.,  55 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  F. 
Morris,  Churubusco,  Ind.,  55 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Ober, 
Ashley,  Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norman 
Schmidt,  Modesto,  Calif.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  Shaffer, 
Akron,  Ohio,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Slocum, 
Troutville,  Va.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Irvin 
Wareham,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa., 
52 

Deaths 

Ella  Allison,  93,  Johnstown, 
Pa.,  May  15,  1975 

Icy  Atkins,  Bridgewater,  Va., 
June  27,  1975 

Wilfred  James  Barnhart.  58, 
Springfield,  Ohio,  June  26. 
1975 

Clara  Beach,  82,  Clarence, 
Mo.,  July  23,  1975 

Earl  Bennett,  84,  Akron, 
Ohio,  June  13,  1975 

Dorsey  Berkebile,  87, 
Johnstown,  Pa..  May  1,  1975 

Edna  Detter  Boaz,  84.  La 
Verne,  Calif.,  July  10.  1975 

L.  Courtney  Bolger,  79,  Mar- 
tinsburg. Pa..  June  17,  1975 

Helen  Frances  Via  Bower, 
61,  Pulaski,  Va.  June  1975 

Catherine   Wampler  Bowers, 


63,   Bridgewater,  Va.,   April  7, 
1975 

Grace  Rebecca  Cline  Bow- 
man, 78,  Harrisonburg,  Va., 
June  1,  1975 

Helen  Boxler,  61,  Johnston. 
Pa.,  June  22,  1975 

Frank  S.  Carper.  82, 
Palmyra,  Pa.,  May  26,  1975 

Gladys  M.  Carper,  61,  Mar- 
tinsburg. Pa.,  March  4,  1975 

Mae  Charters,  75,  Peru,  Ind., 
June  9,  1975 

Ida  Kate  Clemens,  91,  Rich- 
mond, Mo.,  July  20,  1975 

John  Corbett,  60,  Mt. 
Morris,  111..  July  14.  1975 

Ida  C.  Compton,  79, 
Manassas,  Va..  June  16,  1975 

Andrew  W.  Cordier,  74, 
Great  Neck,  N.  Y.,  July  II, 
1975 

Mildred  Crane,  64,  Peru, 
Ind.,  May  19,  1975 

Nora  Miller  Craun,  95, 
Bridgewater,  Va..  July  6,  1975 

Elizabeth  Davis,  64,  Canton, 
Ohio,  June  27,  1975 

Katherine  Davis,  Harrison- 
burg, Va,  June9.  1975 

Earl  Domer,  75,  Hartville, 
Ohio,  May  31,  1975 

Clarence  G.  Erbaugh,  92, 
Greenville,  Ohio,  May  27. 
1975 

Clara  Fisher.  85.  Mexico, 
Ind.,  July  18,  1975 

Earl  Fisher,  89,  Mexico.  Ind., 
July  9,  1975 

Sara  Fitz,  69.  York.  Pa..  July 
5.  1975 

Anna  Little  Fritz,  78.  West- 
minster, Md.,  May  23,  1975 

John  Good,  80,  Greenville. 
Ohio,  June  30,  1975 

Vera  Hoch,  59,  Huntington 
Ind.,  Jan.  24,  1975 

Gertrude  HoUinger,  81 
York.  Pa..  June  14.  1975 

Freeda  Holsinger,  67 
McPherson,  Kans.,  July  17. 
1975 

Fred  Hoover,  60.  Akron, 
Ohio.  June  20.  1975 

David  Hummel.  19.  West- 
minster, Md.,  April  7,  1975 

Doug  Hummel.  15,  West- 
minster. Md..  April  7,  1975 

Reba  F.  Isenberg,  88,  Mar- 
tinsburg, Pa.,  July  16,  1975 

Nellie  Kidwell,  87,  Leonard. 
Mo.  July  13,  1975 

George  P.  Kirst,  74, 
Fredericksburg,  Pa.,  March  17, 
1975 

Grace  Kline,  Norwitch, 
Conn..  May  15,  1975 

Ethel  W.  Kurtz,  93,  U 
Verne,  Calif.,  July  19,  1975 

Ruth  Laprad,  63,  Delphi 
Ind..  July  2.  1975 

Miriam  Lee,  59,  Trotwood 
Ohio,  May  29,  1975 

George  Liddle.  68 

Carrington.     N.D..     May     24, 
1975 

Pauline  Stover  McKinney 
75,  Westminster,  Md.,  June  30. 
1975 

Mary  Thomas  Miller,  t 
Staunton,  Va.,  June  28.  1975 

Addison  P.  Musselman,  93. 
Sebring,  Fla.,  July  5,  1975 


Daniel  R.  Myer,  83,  Leola, 
Pa,  July  I,  1975 

Karen  H.  Neumann,  32, 
Silver  Spring,  Md..  June  9, 
1975 

John  S.  Nicodemus,  93,  Mar- 
tinsburg, Pa.,  July  8,  1975 

Lowell  Noffsinger,  56, 
Warren,  Ind.,  June  19,  1975 

Ira  Ratlief.  76,  Bethel,  Pa.. 
March  31,  1975 

Steve  Reed,  18,  Cloverdale, 
Va.,  May  27,  1975 

Alice  Renninger,  89, 

McVeytown.  Pa.,  June  13,  1975 
Catherine  Replogle,  82,  Mar- 
tinsburg, Pa.,  June  27,  1975 

Clarence     B.      Rhodes,     89, 

Martinsburg,  Pa.,  Feb.  28,  1975 

Francis         Robcette,         56, 

Cumberland,     Md.,    June     14, 

1975 

Hunter  Rogers,  63.  Port 
Republic,  Va.,  Dec.  2.  1974 

Charles  Alton  Rohrbach,  65, 
Parker  Ford,  Pa..  June  1 1,  1975 
Raymond  Royer,         77, 

Lebanon,  Pa.,  July  17,  1975 

Gertrude  Whipple  Schlot- 
man,  89,  Carrington,  N.D., 
June  16.  1975 

Fannie  Scott,  76,  Ashland, 
Ohio,  June  14,  1975 

Bula  Seitz,  Nickerson,  Kans., 
July  17,  1975 

Mabelle  K.  Sell,  74,  Mar- 
tinsburg, Pa.,  May  4,  1975 

Maggie  V.  Shaffer,  83. 
Friedens,  Pa.,  June  7,  1975 

Mildred  Shaffer,  61,  York, 
Pa.,  Aug.  5,  1975 

Ruth  Shaffer,  64,  Akron. 
Ohio,  June  1975 

Vance  Shaver.  40,  Bahimore, 
Md..  May  5.  1975 

Marvin  O.  Showalter,  80, 
Harrisonburg,  Va.,  June  27, 
1975 

Irene  Smith,  61.  Mentor, 
Ohio,  June  2,  1975 

Laurence  Spotts,  New 
Madison,  Ohio,  July  27,  1975 

Elizabeth         Stanley,         85, 
Cloverdale,  Va.,  June  27.  1975 
Keith    Stanley,    42.    Marion, 
Ohio,  July  10,  1975 

Harry  Stokes,  51,  Ambler, 
Pa..  March  21.  1975 

Clarence  Stout,  74, 

Hagerstown,     Ind.,    Aug.     17, 
1975 

James  F.  Swallow,  91,  Santa 
Rosa,  Calif..  Sept.7.  1975 

Callie  Tibbs.  70.  Cloverdale, 
Va.,  July  4,  1975 

Lelah  Trail,  70,  Cumberland, 
Md.,  July  2,  1975 

Edgar  Turner.  Klamath 
Falls,  Ore.,  July  22.  1975 

Marjorie  Via.  54. 

HoUansburg,    Ohio,    July    21. 
1975 

Delia  Belle  Wagner,  99, 
Clarksburg,  W.  Va..  Aug.  7. 
1975 

Royd      R.      Wagoner,      80, 
Greenville,  Ohio,  July  19.  1975 
Florence    Wallace.    92.    New 
Brighton,  Pa.,  July  6,  1975 

Theodore    E.    Whitacre,    42, 
Woodbridge,  Va.,  July  29,  1975 
Flossie   Neff  Whitehead,   76, 
New  Paris,  Ind.,  Aug.  3.  1975 


32  MESSENGER  November  1975 


Ability 
M^quires 
¥iiirWil1 


Response  is  action.  It  is  move- 
ment.    It's     a     get-up-and-act 
word. 


Ability   is  a  great  deal   more  than 
having  special  talents  and  skills.  It  in- 
cludes being  able  to  act  mentally,  finan- 
cially, legally. 

Both  of  these  words  sum  up  the  mean- 
ing of  will  or  the  decision  for  a  particular 
course  of  action. 

Making  a  will  is  just  that.  "Why  bother?" 
we  may  ask.  The  most  compelling  reason 
may  be  because  we  love. 

Love  people  close  to  us.  Love  Christ  and 
feel  the  need  to  care  for  those  He  loves. 

Making  a  will  is  to  plan  reflecting  my 
sense  of  stewardship.  Indecision  or  no 
decision  means  we  accept  the  will  of  im- 
personal court  or  counsel,  applying  the 
law  in  ways  devoid  of  the  benefit  of  our 
values,  hopes,  and  dreams. 


To    make   a 
will    is,    there- 
fore,   an     important    act    for 
each  of  us. 


Ask  yourself:  What  are  my  values?  Can 
these  values  be  reflected  without  my 
personal  will?  Who  most  deserves  the 
fruits  of  my  labors?  Can  impersonal  legal 
disposition  of  my  estate  deliver  the 
greatest  benefits  to  these  people?  Who 
will  be  the  guardian  of  my  minor 
children?  Can  a  court  automatically 
know  those  who  must  truly  reflect  my 
personal  values?  Can  causes  and  in- 
stitutions in  which  I  have  faith  and  to 
which  I  feel  indebted  receive  benefit? 
How  could  a  court  know  this? 

Making  a  will  is  for  people  who  are 
responsible  and  able.  It  is  a 
humanitarian  act.  It  can  be  a  Christian 
stewardship  response.  It  should  reflect 
our  highest  values  and  the  basic  beliefs 
we  hold. 
Responsibility    Requires    Your    Will 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 

General  Board 

Office  of  Stewardship  Enlistment 

1451  Dundee  Avenue 

Elgin.  Illinois  60120 

Sirs: 

Please  send  me  without  obligation  tlie 

following  booklets: 

D  Making  Your  Will 

n  A  Record  of  Personal  Affairs 

Name 


Address. 
City  


State 
#33 


Zip- 


11/75 
November  1975  messenger  33 


wcoirdl  iProirira  m7®g[hD[rQ(gift®ini 


Congress  and  criminal  justice  reform 


by  Sylvia  Eller 

In  light  of  the  recent  Annual  Conference 
statement  on  criminal  justice  reform,  it  will 
be  helpful  for  Brethren  to  know  about 
some  of  the  important  criminal  justice 
issues  facing  Congress  in  the  coming 
months.  Although  many  bills  on  criminal 
justice  are  considered  by  Congress  each 
year,  there  are  three  that  we  believe  to  be 
especially  important:  codification  of  the 
federal  criminal  code,  grand  jury  reform, 
and  gun  control.  All  three  are  expected  to 
come  before  the  Congress  this  fall. 
Codification  of  the  Federal  Criminal 


Code.  The  need  to  codify  and  revise  our 
federal  criminal  laws  has  long  been  recog- 
nized in  all  branches  of  government.  As 
it  now  stands,  the  US  criminal  code  em- 
bodies some  200  years  of  laws,  many  of 
which  are  redundant  or  outmoded.  To  be- 
gin the  arduous  process  of  revision.  Pres- 
ident Johnson  in  1966  appointed  a  com- 
mission headed  by  former  Governor  Pat 
Brown  of  California  to  make  recommen- 
dations to  the  President  and  Congress  re- 
garding codification  and  revision  of  the 
code.  The  report  of  the  Brown  Commis- 
sion in  1970  represented  some  of  the  best 
thinking  in  the  field  of  crjminal  law  and 


Holding  the  flag 
in  one  hand  and 
a  gun  in  the  other, 
this  four-year-old 
seems  to  epitomize 
the  attitude  of  many 
of  his  elders  toward 
the  issue  of  gun  control. 


was  considered  quite  progressive. 

Unfortunately,  the  recommendations  of 
the  Brown  Commission  were  never  in- 
troduced in  the  form  of  legislation.  Instead, 
the  minority  members  of  the  Brown  Com- 
mission, Senators  McClellan,  Hruska,  and 
Ervin,  introduced  a  codification  bill  repre- 
senting their  point  of  view — a  generally 
restrictive,  punitive,  and  antiquated  form 
of  criminal  law,  which  reinstated  the  death 
penalty,  kept  sentences  harsh  and  in- 
definite, imposed  heavy  penalties  for  so- 
called  "victimless"  crimes  such  as  gam- 
bling, prostitution,  and  marijuana  use,  and 
favored  incarceration  over  the  use  of  alter- 
natives such  as  probation  and  community- 
based  correction  centers. 

Meanwhile,  attorneys  in  the  Justice 
Department  under  the  supervision  of 
Attorney-General  John  Mitchell  and  Presi- 
dent Ni.xon  were  busy  writing  their  own 
codification  and  revision  bill,  one  which 
reflected  the  repressive  civil  liberties  view 
of  the  Nixon  administration.  At  the  end  of 
the  93rd  Congress,  the  two  bills  were  com- 
bined into  one  and  reintroduced  in  the 
present  94th  Congress  as  Senate  bill 
number  one,  or  S.  I,  as  it  is  commonly 
called. 

Because  of  its  origins  in  these  two 
camps,  S.  I  is  rife  with  dangers.  Not  only 
does  it  threaten  some  of  our  basic  civil 
liberties  set  forth  in  the  Bill  of  Rights,  but 
it  maintains  some  of  the  worst  features  of 
our  current  system  of  criminal  justice  — 
those  very  features  which  sow  the  seeds  of 
unrest  that  result  in  prison  riots  and  which 
fail  to  offer  significant  protection  from 
crime  to  the  American  public. 

Since  the  provisions  of  S.  I  are  so  con- 
trary to  the  point  of  view  expressed  in  the 
Annual  Conference  statement  on  criminal 
justice  reform,  the  Washington  Office  is  ac- 
tively opposing  its  passage  on  the  Senate 
floor  when  it  is  considered  this  fall  and  is 
encouraging  our  church  members  to  do  the 
same.  It  is  our  hope  that  a  better  bill  will 
be  introduced  in  Congress  in  the  near 
future,  one  which  preserves  American  civil 
liberties  and  moves  our  country  forward  in 
the  field  of  criminal  law  rather  than  main- 
taining or  worsening  present  practice. 

Grand  Jury  Reform.  When  originally  in- 
cluded in  the  fifth  amendment  of  the  Bill  of 
Rights,  grand  juries  were  intended  for  the 
simple  purpose  of  protecting  citizens 


against  the  abuse  of  government  power. 
Before  persons  could  be  brought  to  trial, 
they  would  have  to  be  indicted  by  a  grand 
jury  composed  of  peers.  The  grand  jury 
was  to  independently  e.xamine  the  evidence 
to  see  if  there  was  sufficient  reason  to  bring 
the  person  to  trial,  thereby  providing  a 
shield  for  the  citizen  against  the  personal 
or  political  whims  of  prosecutors.  Because 
of  the  need  for  independence  on  the  part  of 
grand  juries,  they  were  allowed  wide 
latitude  in  their  proceedings  and  were  not 
subject  to  the  usual  rules  of  evidence  re- 
quired in  a  court  of  law. 

Unfortunately,  this  same  lack  of  restric- 
tion has  also  made  the  grand  jury  open  to 
abuse  by  prosecutors  or  government  of- 
ficials who  wished  to  manipulate  the  grand 
jury  to  their  own  ends.  Most  Americans 
are  not  aware  of  the  purpose  of  functioning 
of  grand  juries;  consequently,  citizens  who 
serve  on  them  often  end  up  rubber- 
stamping  the  wishes  of  the  prosecutor 
rather  than  conducting  independent  in- 
vestigations of  the  facts. 

This  potential  for  abuse  was  exploited  to 
a  great  extent  under  the  Nixon  administra- 
tion, as  federal  prosecutors  used  grand 
juries  to  investigate  and  harass  dissident 
groups  unfriendly  to  the  President  and  his 
views.  Although  this  pattern  of  exploita- 
tion has  subsided  somewhat  since  the 
resignation  of  President  Nixon  and  a 
general  cooling  off  of  the  unrest  of  the 
1960s,  the  loopholes  that  allow  for  such 
abuse  still  remain.  The  most  recent  victims 
of  this  harassment  are  feminist  groups, 
whom  the  FBI  suspects  of  sheltering  cer- 
tain wanted  fugitives  such  as  recently  cap- 
tured Patricia  Hearst. 

The  Subcommittee  on  Immigration, 
Citizenship,  and  International  Law  and  the 
House  Judiciary  Committee  will  be  con- 
sidering several  bills  to  reform  the 
operations  of  the  grand  jury  with  a  view  to 
ending  abuses.  The  product  of  their 
deliberations  will  reach  the  House  floor 
sometime  this  fall.  For  further  information 
contact  the  Coalition  to  End  Grand  Jury 
Abuse,  300  Atlantic  Building,  930  F  St., 
N.W.,  Washington,  D.C.  20004.  The 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is  a  member  of  this 
coalition. 

Gun  Control.  Also  coming  before  the 
House  of  Representatves  this  fall  will  be 
the  issue  of  gun  control.  The  Subcom- 
mittee on  Crime  of  the  House  Judiciary 
Committee  has  held  extensive  hearings  on 
the  subject,  during  which  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Board  submitted  testi- 


mony. (See  August  Messenger,  page  5.) 
The  issue  of  gun  control  first  reached 
prominent  national  attention  in  the  late 
1960s  following  the  assassinations  of 
several  American  leaders,  most  notably 
John  and  Robert  Kennedy  and  Martin 
Luther  King  Jr.  In  1968  the  General  Board 
adopted  a  statement  on  firearms  control 
that  cited  these  assassinations  and  the  ma- 
jor riots  that  had  occurred  in  several 
American  cities  as  reasons  to  place  some 
restrictions  on  the  ownership  and  use  of 
firearms.  In  that  same  year  Congress 
passed  the  National  Gun  Control  Act, 
which  limited  imports  of  firearms  and  the 
use  of  mail-order  sales. 

Unfortunately,  the  restrictions  of  the 
1960  law  and  the  few  state  or  local  laws 
pertaining  to  gun  control  have  done  little 
to  stem  the  tide  of  increasing  gun  sales  and 
an  increasing  number  of  deaths  and  in- 
juries due  to  guns.  Handguns  are  an  es- 
pecially important  part  of  the  problem 
since  they  are  so  cheap  and  easily  con- 
cealable.  Many  people  buy  handguns  on 
the  premise  that  they  can  protect 
themselves,  their  families,  and  their  proper- 
ty from  criminal  attacks,  but  more  often 
than  not  the  gun  ends  up  harming  friends 
or  family  members  in  quarrels,  suicides,  or 
accidents. 

The  US  is  now  the  only  industrialized 
Western  nation  that  doesn't  have  strict  gun 
control  laws — and  our  murder  rates  show 
it.  In  England,  where  a  certificate  from  the 
police  is  required  to  buy  or  own  a  gun, 
there  were  27  gun  murders  in  1966.  In  the 
city  of  Houston,  Texas,  there  were  150  gun 
murders  that  same  year.  In  1968  the  gun 
homicide  rate  in  the  US  was  221  times 
higher  than  that  of  Japan,  where  the 
private  ownership  of  handguns  is 
prohibited. 

Because  of  the  value  we  place  on  human 
life  and  the  role  that  handguns  play  in  the 
taking  of  life,  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  is 
advocating  legislation  to  ban  handguns  and 
to  require  registration  and  controls  on  all 
other  firearms.  The  August  Messenger 
contains  an  excellent  editorial  on  this  sub- 
ject. As  mentioned  there,  the  Washington 
Office  is  a  member  of  the  National  Coali- 
tion to  Ban  Handguns,  100  Maryland  Ave., 
N.E..  Washington,  D.C.  20002. 

Please  contact  the  Washington  Office  or 
the  above-named  coalitions  for  additional 
information  on  these  issues.  Letters  to 
members  of  Congress  are  always  welcome 
and  serve  as  an  important  backup  to  the 
work  of  the  Washington  Office.    D 


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November  1975  messenger  35 


D^ss(Q)[U][r©s^ 


CHRISTMAS 
AT  HOME 


A  family's  Christmas  celebration  can  begin 
with  Thanksgiving.  Advent  begins  on  the 
Sunday  after  that.  The  two  days  between 
Thanksgiving  and  Advent  can  be  used  to 
plan  for  how  the  family  prepares  itself  for 
Christmas. 

Consider  together  as  a  family  how  to 
celebrate  Christmas  this  year.  What  has 
been  done  in  the  past  that  should  be  con- 
tinued? What  new  experiences  might  be 
tried?  How  can  the  Christmas  celebration 
express  the  family's  deep  beliefs  about 
what  is  important?  What  ways  of 
celebrating  Christmas  are  consistent  with 
the  spirit  of  the  Christ? 

Some  of  the  following  resources  might 
provide  ideas  for  both  your  planning  for 
and  your  celebration  of  Advent  and  Christ- 
mas. 

Advent  daily  devotions 

The  Christian  Family  Prepares  for  Christ- 
mas (Charles  Mueller,  $1.75)  provides  dai- 
ly devotions  for  the  Advent  Season.  The 
book  follows  a  seven-day  devotional  plan. 
Each  day  has  a  different  emphasis. 

The  hymn  introduced  on  Sunday  can  be 
used  throughout  the  week.  Appropriate  Bi- 
ble readings  are  also  suggested. 

An  Advent  calendar 

Beautiful  Advent  calendars  with  a  win- 
dow to  open  for  each  day  till  Christmas 
with  a  Christmas  story  or  Bible  verses  in 
each  window  are  available  from 
Morehouse-Barlow  Co.,  Inc.,  14  East  41st 
Street,  New  York,  N.Y.  10017  (212)  532- 
4350.  For  $1.95  apiece  are  some  that  show 
how  a  town  like  Nazareth  might  have 
looked  with  houses,  trees,  people,  and 
animals  involved  together.  Those  with  an 
episode  of  a  Christmas  story  or  a  Bible 
verse  on  the  back  of  each  window  you 
open  are:  A-544:  King's  Arrival.  A-545: 
The  Manger.  A-508:  Bethlehem. 


Homemade  crafts 

"Many  Christmas  traditions  have  sur- 
vived the  centuries  almost  without  change. 
One  of  the  most  enjoyable  is  the  obser- 
vance of  Advent.  Another  is  the  pleasure  of 
making  things  by  hand  for  the  enjoyment 
of  your  family,  your  friends,  and  yourself. 
This  book  is  a  collection  of  traditional 
holiday  decorations,  foods,  and  other  proj- 
ects, one  for  each  day  in  Advent,  to  keep 
or  to  give  away."  Christmas  Crafts — A 
Book  of  Things  to  Make  the  24  Days 
Before  Christmas  (Carolyn  Meyer,  $4.95). 

Directions  are  provided  for  making 
things  like  an  Advent  banner  and  wreath. 


Things  to  mojce  the  24  day%  be/ore  Chnjtmos 


Pictures  hy  \naa  Lobd 


St.  Nicholas'  Day  stocking,  God's  eyes, 
Christmas  eggs,  St.  Lucia  buns,  the  birds' 
tree  and  a  Christmas  manger  of  bread- 
dough  among  other  things. 

Every  page  has  illustrations  that  are 
clear  and  charming.  On  the  cover  of  the 
book  in  the  illustration  are  shown  ginger- 
bread sculpture  which  can  decorate  the  tree 
or  be  eaten. 

Gifts  from  SERRV 

Gifts  ordered  from  the  SERRV  catalog 
give  in  many  ways.  SERRV  is  the  Sales 
E.xchange  for  Refugee  Rehabilitation 
Vocations — "through  self-help  handicrafts 
a  better  life."  Your  pastor  received  a 
SERRV  catalog  in  an  Agenda  mailing 
recently.  Ask  to  use  it  for  ordering. 

Stories  to  read  and  hear 

Arch  Books  Aloud  provide  exciting  and 
colorful  Bible  story  books  along  with  a 
record  on  which  a  professional  story-teller 


reads  the  story.  Those  who  listen  can 
follow  along  with  the  pictures  in  the  books. 
Some  of  the  stories  are  in  poetry: 

To  Jerusalem  city  they  jolted  and 
bounced. 

"We've  come  on  a  trip  from  East,"  they 
announced. 

"for  we  saw  there  a  star  that  proclaimed 
the  news 

that  a  baby  was  born  King  of  the  Jews." 
That  excerpt  is  taken  from  The  Happiest 
Search,  which  is  packaged  with  The  Inn- 
keeper's Daughter  and  a  record  in  Set  #29. 

Other  books  and  records  are  packaged  in 
the  following  sets  ($1.98  for  each  set  of  2 
books  and  a  7-inch  record):  #5:  The  Baby 
Born  in  a  Stable  and  The  Secret  Journey. 
#6:  Little  Mouse's  Wonderful  Journey  and 
Mary's  Story.  Ul?,:  Little  Benjamin  and  the 
First  Christmas  and  Simeon's  Secret.  #30: 
Clem  the  Clumsy  Camel  and  Donkey 
Daniel  in  Bethlehem 

Each  of  these  books  is  also  available  in- 
dividually for  49c  apiece. 


How  to  order 

TIte  Christian  Family  Prepares  for 
Christmas  $1.95  (30(i),  Arch  Books  49e 
(20c).  Arch  Books  Aloud  S\.9S  (40c).  and 
Christmas  Crafts  $4.95  (40c)  are  available 
from  The  Brethren  Press.  1451  Dundee 
Ave..  Elgin.  III..  60120.  Postage  and  han- 
dling charges  are  given  in  parentheses.  For 
orders  less  than  $5.00,  send  the  amounts 
for  the  cost  plus  the  postage  and  handling 
for  each  item  ordered.  Order  the  Advent 
calendars  from  the  address  listed,  not  The 
Brethren  Press. — Shirley  J.  Heckman 


36  MESSENGER  November  1975 


Chri/tmor 
Giving 


^>y_^~ 


^\i5^** 


F^vr,.^ 


'^m 


r 


ABINGDON  BIBLE  HANDBOOK  by   Edward   P.   Blair.  The 
religious  publishing  event  of  1975!  This   up-to-the-minute   re- 
source book  lets  you  be  your  own  interpreter.  Includes 
a  16-page  color   insert.  Special   introductory   price,  $13.95, 
until  Dec.  31.  $15.95  thereafter. 

MOCKINGBIRDS  AND  ANGEL  SONGS  &  OTHER  PRAYERS 
by  Jo  Carr  and  Imogene  Sorley.  A  collection  of  conversational 
prayers  by  the  authors  of  Bless  This  Mess.  They  relate 
to  every  homemaker's  problems  and  private  thoughts.  $3.50 
A  trio  of  popular  large-print  books  for  gift-giving.  Choose  THE 
PRACTICE  OF  THE  PRESENCE  OF  GOD  by  Brother  Lawrence, 
($5  95),   I'VE  GOT  TO  TALK  TO  SOMEBODY,  GOD   by 
Marjorie  Holmes,  ($8.95),  or  A  DIARY  OF  PRIVATE  PRAYER  by 
John  Baillie,  ($8.95). 

BRAVE  lOURNEY:  Launching  of  the  United  States  compiled  by 
Mildred  Corell  Luckhardt,  illustrated  by  Tom  Armstrong. 
An  anthology  of  poetry  and  prose  including  Dorothy  Canfield 
Fisher,  Rosemary  and  Stephen  Vincent  Benet  and  others,  honor- 
ing the  Bicentennial.  Ages  8-12.  $7.95 

THE    INTERPRETER'S    ONE-VOLUME    COMMENTARY    ON    THE 
BIBLE  Including  the  Apocrypha,  with  General   Articles 
edited  by  Charles  M.  Laymon.  Prepared  by  70  scholars  (Roman 
Catholic,  Protestant,  and  Jewish),  it  stresses  new  interpreta- 
tions for  a  broad  readership.  Regular  edition,  $17.50;  thumb- 
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YOUNG  READERS  BIBLE.  A  handsome  study  Bible  in  easy- 
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(Revised  Standard  Version)  is  outlined.  Over  600  illustrations. 
All  ages.  Boxed.  $4.95 

THE  GOOD  TIMES  SONGBOOK  by  James  Leisy.  A  collection 
of  160  songs  for  every  occasion  with  vocal  and  accompanist's 
scores.  Leader's  edition,  cloth,  $14.95.  Singer's  edition, 
paper,  $1.50 

ARMED  WITH  LOVE:  Stories  of  the  Disciples  by  Gerald  N. 
Battle.  Vivid  portraits  of  12  very  different  but  very  special  men 
chosen  by  Jesus.  Ages  12  up.  $4.95 

BIBLE  STORIES:  God  at  Work  with  Man  by  Mary  Alice  Jones^ 
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THE  WILL  OF  GOD  by  Leslie  D.  Weatherhead.  Handsome  gift 
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THE  DIVINE  YES  by  E.  Stanley  Jones,  in  his  last  book,  an 
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LETTERS  TO  KAREN  by  Charlie  W.  Shedd.  New  gift  edition. 
An   achievement   in   prose — unforgettable   letters   written   by  a 
father  to    his   newly  engaged   daughter.    Condensed    in 
Readers'  Digest  Beautifully  bound  and  gift  boxed,  $8.95. 


at  youf  local  bookstore 

Qbingdon 


November  1975  messenger  37 


by  Esther  Pence  Garber 

The  goldenrod  and  Queen  Anne's  lace 
had  replaced  the  dandelions  and  the  daisies 
in  the  fields  and  meadows.  Weeds  and 
grasses  had  completed  their  blooming  cycle 
and  were  turning  dry  and  seedy.  Only  a 
scattering  of  "strawberry  red"  and 
"longstem"  apples  hung  here  and  there  on 
the  trees,  but  the  "maiden's  blush"  and 
"smokehouse"  were  ripening  and  inviting 
us  to  pluck  them.  Mother  and  Pappy 
decided  it  was  time  to  accept  this  challenge 
and  thus  it  was  we  soon  found  ourselves  in 
the  middle  of  applebutter-boiling. 

Pappy  at  the  back  porch,  "Daughters, 
get  your  buckets  and  come  on  now,  1  am 
ready  to  get  down  the  apples  for  cider." 
The  ones  to  which  he  was  referring  were 
two  trees  of  small  sweet  apples  called 
"agates"  that  were  excellent  for  producing 
good  cider,  a  major  ingredient  of 
applebutter. 

Wilbur,  Jake,  Mary,  Frances,  and  I 
made  a  sort  of  distant  ring  around  the  trees 
as  Pappy  grasped  each  limb  with  a  firm 
hold  and  gave  it  a  vigorous  shake.  The 
apples  raiqed  from  the  tree  and  covered  the 
ground.  As  Pappy  moved  to  the  second 
tree  to  repeat  the  operation,  our  work 
began. 

Mary  to  Frances,  who  had  plopped  on 
the  ground  beside  her  bucket  and  was  try- 
ing to  fill  it  from  a  sitting  position,  "Get  up 
and  get  to  work,  Frances!" 

"1  am  working!  You  do  something 
yourself!" 

"Ow,  ow,  ow!  1  stepped  on  a  bee  and  he 
stung  me!  Ow,  ow!"  1  squawked  as  I 
hopped  around  on  one  foot. 

Wilbur  fussed,  "Gee  whiz!  You  two  girls 
aren't  worth  nuthin'!"  as  I,  half  running, 
half  hopping,  started  to  the  house  for 
Mother's  medication  and  consolation. 

But  while  our  usual  jawing  back  and 
forth  took  place,  we  somehow  proceeded 
to  get  the  job  done,  and  Pappy  tied  the  fat 
sacks  readying  them  to  load  on  the  wagon. 

The  morning  seemed  still  yesterday  when 
we  arose.  At  the  breakfast  table  Mother 
made  a  proposal.  I  am  sure  it  was  her  ef- 


"These  h'itini^s  are  ^reat  i 


valley."  by  G.   H\  Peters.  Scribner'.s  Magazine.  \'(>y 


applebutter-making,  which  would  last  for 
the  next  two  full  days.  As  she  passed  a 
sheet  of  tablet  paper  around  the  table,  she 
said,  "Each  of  you  sign  your  name  on  this 
paper,  and  beside  it  write  down  the  number 


make.  The  one  who  gues.ses  the  nearest  to 
the  correct  amount  will  get  a  prize." 

"Hot  diggidy!  What's  the  prize?" 

"What's  the  prize?" 

"What  will  we  get?" 

"Quick,  tell  us!" 


fort  to  add  interest  to  the  mundane  task  of        of  gallons  of  applebutter  you  think  we  will 

Making  applebutter 


For  the  Brethren  farmers  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
everything — including  applebutter — had  its  season 


38  MESSENGER  November  1975 


"Monday  is  court  day  in  town  and  Pap- 
py will  be  going  in.  Whoever  wins  can  go 
along  with  him  and  buy  a  book  of  their 
choice,"  Mother  announced. 

"Whoopee!  I  hope  I  win!" 

"I  hope  I  do!" 

"Me  too!  Me  too!" 

"I  wanta'  get  the  book!" 

With  the  scarcity  of  storybooks  or  other 
interesting  reading  material  at  our  house 
and  no  available  libraries.  Mother  could 
not  have  suggested  an  award  that  would 
have  been  more  welcome.  So  we  quickly 
complied  by  putting  our  names  on  the 
paper  and  our  estimates  by  them. 

Mother  continued,  "Now  whoever  wins 
ought  to  try  and  pick  a  book  that  everyone 
can  enjoy  as  far  as  this  is  possible." 

"We  will!" 

"We  will,  we  will!" 

Going  to  Harrisonburg  on  Court  Day, 
or  any  day  for  that  matter,  was  a  privilege 
in  itself.  This  was  the  Monday  that  court 
convened,  and  usually  the  farmers  from  the 
surrounding  areas  would  drive  into  town. 
Here  they  bought  and  traded,  talked  about 
the  weather  and  their  crops,  and  discussed 
the  economy  of  the  country  and  its  politics. 

For  Jake  and  Wilbur,  and  Frances  and 
me  the  anticipation  of  a  trip  to  town  and 
buying  a  new  book  took  some  of  the 
drudgery  out  of  the  chore  of  picking  up  the 
"smokehouse"  and  "maiden's  blush"  apples 
for  schnitzing. 

"I  hope  1  can  be  the  winner.  I  know  what 
kinda'  book  I'm  goin"  to  choose,"  ex- 
claimed Wilbur. 

Knowing  Wilbur's  taste  in  reading 
material,  I  interrupted,  "Yeah,  I  bet  you'll 
choose  something  about  history." 

"You're  right,  Esther,  history  is  my 
favorite  subject." 

"I'd  choose  a  good  story  book  or  a 
novel;  that's  what  I  like." 

Frances,  who  was  still  a  very  young 
reader,  "I  think  I'll  get  The  Three  Bears,  or 
the  Three  Little  Pigs,  or  maybe  just  a  pic- 
ture book." 

Wilbur  scolded,  "Aw,  Frances,  you  can't 
do  that.  Mother  said  that  it  must  be 
something  that  most  of  us  can  enjoy. 
Who'd  wanta'  read  those  silly  baby 
stories?" 

As  we  chatted  buckets  were  being  filled 
and  borne  to  the  house,  where  Mother  and 
the  older  girls  were  already  assembling 
with  pans,  knives,  and  tubs  into  which  to 
throw  the  schnitz  as  they  were  cut.  The 
preparing  of  the  apples  extended  from  ear- 
ly in  the  morning  into  the  night,  when  we 
finished  by  lamplight.  In  the  meantime. 


Jasper,  with  the  help  of  Wilbur  and  Jake, 
loaded  the  cider  apples  into  the  wagon 
along  with  two  empty  barrels  and  drove  off 
to  the  one  and  only  cider  press  in  the  com- 
munity. Late  in  the  afternoon  when  they 
returned,  we  were  more  than  ready  for  a 
break  and  some  refreshment.  With  a  tin 
cup  we  lined  up  by  the  newly-filled  barrels. 
Pappy  slowly  and  carefully  pulled  the  bung 
part  way  from  the  bung  hole  letting  the 
sweet  fresh  cider  trickle  into  our  cups.  No 
rule  of  modern  sanitation  governed  our 
lives  enough  to  diminish  our  enjoyment  of 
the  sweet  juice  of  the  apple  in  drinking 
from  a  common  cup. 

Pappy  arose  the  next  morning  ahead  of 
the  rest  of  the  family  and  made  a  fire  under 
the  big,  shiny,  copper  kettle  to  boil  down 
the  cider,  the  first  step  in  making  the 
applebutter.  At  the  proper  minute  the  tubs 
of  apples  were  poured  into  this  and  their 
cooking  was  underway.  At  that  point  our 
work  began,  for  this  mixture  had  to  be 
stirred  constantly.  Back  and  forth,  and 
'round  and  "round,  all  the  way  to  the  bot- 
tom by  means  of  a  great  long-handled 
stirrer  with  an  immense,  wooden  paddle  on 
the  end — shaped  like  a  giant's  long  foot 
with  holes  at  the  toe  part.  Turns  to  stir 
came  and  went  on  through  the  morning 
hours,  lunch  time,  and  afternoon.  Little 
tremors  of  excitement  sparked  our 
thoughts  and  conversations  as  we 
wondered  and  speculated  about  the 
number  of  gallons  that  would  be  produced. 

This  was  expressed  by  the  constant 
queries: 

"Isn't  it  done  yet.  Mother?" 

"When  will  we  dip  it  up?" 

"Don't  you  think  it's  thick  enough?" 

And  Mother,  with  the  patience  and 
perseverance  we  so  lacked,  would  reply, 
"Not  quite  yet.  We'll  have  to  let  it  get  a  lit- 
tle thicker.  It  won't  be  too  much  longer." 

In  time  the  long  handle  was  passed  to 
me.  1  grasped  it  with  both  hands,  stirring  in 
circles,  squares,  and  isosceles  triangles,  as 
my  thoughts,  too,  patterned  themselves 
about  in  my  head — thoughts  of  going  away 
to  school  one  day;  thoughts  of  what  I 
wanted  to  be  when  I  grew  up — movie  ac- 
tress, missionary,  school  teacher,  nurse. 
Somewhere  in  the  misty  future  there 
appeared  a  faceless  formless  figure  of  the 
proverbial  Prince  Charming.  The  only  cer- 
tainties about  this  nebulous  being  were  that 
he  would  provide  me  with  an  easier  life  and 
he  would  not  be  a  "Dutchman."  No  big 
kettle  of  deep  red  applebutter  appeared  in 
my  future. 

The  time  came  at  last  when  Mother 


dumped  in  the  sugar  and  spices  that  gave  it 
that  special  fragrance;  and  we  knew  that 
the  time  for  dipping  it  into  the  crocks  was 
shortly  at  hand. 

"You  children  will  have  to  stay  out  of 
the  way,  or  I'll  never  get  it  dipped  into  the 
crocks,  and  you  are  liable  to  get  burnt," 
cautioned  Mother. 

But  as  she  ladled  it  into  the  containers, 
her  warning  was  scarcely  sufficient  to  keep 
us  from  shoving  each  other  in  the  door  in 
our  efforts  to  watch  and  count.  Finally,  she 
closed  us  out,  while  Jasper  and  Pappy  set 
the  filled  crocks  aside  to  cool.  We  were  as 
nervous  and  fidgety  as  boys  with  wheat 
chaff  in  their  britches  from  this  Mother- 
inflicted  suspense.  At  the  point  where  we 
thought  we  could  endure  it  no  longer,  the 
door  opened  again. 

"Are  you  ready?"  called  Pappy. 

Mother,  teasingly,  "Are  you  sure  you 
want  to  know?" 

Pappy  with  a  twinkle  in  his  blue  eyes, 
"Mother,  maybe  we  ought  to  wait  until 
bedtime  to  reveal  the  winner." 

"Aw  come  on,  tell  us!" 

"Please  tell  us!" 

Pappy  laughing,  "We  made  twenty-three 
and  one  half  gallons.  Very  good,  very 
good!" 

"Oh  boy.  oh  boy!  I  guessed  twenty-three! 
I  won!  I  won!"  shouted  Wilbur,  bouncing 
up  and  down  in  rhythm  with  his  words. 

Bertha  whose  arithmetic  skill  was  more 
advanced  than  Wilbur's,  "I  guessed  twenty- 
four  and  that  is  just  as  close!" 

A  little  argument  over  that  statement  en- 
sued among  us  with  little  knowledge  of 
fractions,  but  was  quickly  resolved  by 
Mother  and  Pappy,  who  often  seemed  to 
have  Solomon-like  resources  for  finding 
just  solutions. 

"Bertha  is  correct,  so  this  is  what  we'll 
do;  since  we  have  so  many  nice  apples, 
we'll  take  several  bushels  to  town  with  us.  I 
think  we  can  sell  enough  so  that  both 
Wilbur  and  Bertha  can  each  select  a  book." 

That  took  much  of  the  disappointment 
from  the  rest  of  us  losers  in  the  contest. 

Applebutter-making  for  the  fall  was 
completed  on  the  following  morning  when 
Mother  tied  newspapers  across  the  top  of 
each  crock  with  twine,  and  the  boys  carried 
them  to  the  washhouse  loft  for  the  hun- 
dreds of  future  applebutter  sandwiches  that 
would  be  found  in  our  school  lunch 
buckets  all  winter  long.  D 


"Making  applehuner"  is  excerpted  from  Esther  Pence 
Carter's  forthcoming  hook.  Button  Shoes,  being 
published  next  month  hy  Pyramid  Publications  for 
Brethren  Press. 


November  1975  messenger  39 


©dlDtoFDSD 


It's  time  for  a  better  idea 


Flogging,  maiming,  exile,  death:  These  once  were 
the  "cures"  for  criminal  offenders.  Believing 
human  nature  to  be  redeemable,  Quakers  and 
other  concerned  Christians  late  in  the  18th  Cen- 
tury began  pressing  for  another  alternative  — 
imprisonment.  Thus  a  vast  prison  network 
was  evolved,  ostensibly  as  a  more  humane  ap- 
proach. 

Two  centuries  later,  many  persons  inside  and 
outside  the  penal  system  no  longer  regard  prison 
as  an  instrument  of  rehabilitation.  The  rate  of 
repeated  offenses — up  to  70  or  80  percent  — 
suggests  rather  than  curing  criminals,  confinement 
in  the  "convict  subculture"  of  institutions  tends  to 
breed  criminals  and  to  harden  them.  Rather  than 
teaching  responsibility  and  self-esteem,  prolonged 
detention  deprives  and  dehumanizes.  Rather  than 
rehabilitating,  imprisonment  ruins. 

A  no  less  critical  assessment  of  the  present 
system  is  set  forth  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren's 
1975  Annual  Conference  Statement  on  Criminal 
Justice.  "Jails,  prisons  and  lockups  are  at  best 
human  warehouses  and  at  worst  brutal  unsanitary 
dens,"  the  statement  declares.  "Incarceration  itself 
is  dehumanizing  and  takes  away  from  persons 
their  economic  base,  breaks  down  their  family 
ties,  and  separates  them  from  helpful  community 
resources." 

In  search  of  a  better  idea,  there  is  in  some 
areas  a  movement  away  from  large  correctional 
institutions  to  smaller  community-based  recon- 
ciliation programs.  The  intent  is  to  channel  a  vast- 
ly greater  proportion  of  dollars  into  human  serv- 
ices rather  than  into  buildings  and  custodial  care. 
It  also  is  to  divert  the  offender  to  the  community 
where  ultimately  the  adjustment  to  society  is  to 
occur.  And  it  is  to  hold  the  community — all 
segments,  not  merely  the  police  or  the  courts  or 
the  corrections  officers — responsible  for  helping 
persons  in  trouble. 

The  diversion  of  convicted  offenders — selected 


ones,  to  be  sure — to  places  outside  of  prison  takes 
many  forms.  Among  them  are  halfway  houses, 
detoxification  centers  for  the  care  of  alcohol  and 
drug  abusers,  and  pre-trial  intervention  in  which 
the  defendant  is  put  on  probation  before  standing 
trial.  For  those  already  in  prison,  work  release 
programs,  furloughs,  and  study  centers  are  ap- 
proaches that  bring  the  offender  and  the  com- 
munity together  on  a  phased  basis. 

The  future  of  such  alternative  ventures  rests 
heavily  on  how  the  local  community  accepts  them 
and  works  to  help  them  succeed.  Only  through 
massive  education  will  taxpayers  realize  that  in 
supporting  and  expanding  the  conventional  prison 
system,  their  money  is  being  used  against  their 
own  best  interests. 

If  really  significant  change  in  the  penal  system 
is  to  come,  the  intervention  of  the  church  is 
crucial  in  every  community.  No  longer  just  to  visit 
prisoners  or  to  launch  chaplaincy  services,  but  to 
study  who  is  imprisoned  and  why  and  what 
happens  to  the  individual  in  the  long  haul.  To 
challenge  the  vindictive  who  seek  to  abandon 
delinquents  or  offenders  of  whatever  age.  To  help 
the  community  weigh  societal  factors  as  well  as  in- 
dividual responsibility  in  crime.  To  press  for  a 
moratorium  on  building  bigger  and  costlier 
prisons  until  more  productive  options  are  con- 
sidered and  tested. 


A, 


.nd,  most  profoundly,  to  examine  what  the 
Christian  ethic  means  in  terms  of  criminal  justice. 
To  bring  theological  insight  to  bear  not  only  on 
punishment  of  the  wrongdoer,  and  on  the  protec- 
tion of  society,  but  on  healing  and  education  and 
reconciliation  of  the  offender  as  well. 

Two  hundred  years  ago  Christian  insight 
sparked  a  turnaround  in  society's  treatment  of  the 
criminal.  In  light  of  the  evidence,  it  is  time  to  do  it 
again. — h.e.r. 


40  MESSENGER  November  1975 


Two  books  from  the  Brethren  Press  to  help  you  become  more 
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SENSITIVITY  TO  WHAT?  Anna  Mow— Specifically  geared  for 
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Anna  Mow  explains  that  there  are  some  important  things  to  be  gained 
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sitivity groups  rather  than  to  the  church.  Price  $4.95  plus  p&h. 


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Sense  Out  of  Revelation.  Ver- 
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that  is  often  regarded  as 
mysterious  and  confusing.  What 
Revelation  is  intended  to  reveal, 
according  to  Eller,  is  "the  gospel, 
the  good  news  of  who  Jesus 
Christ  is  and  what  he  ac- 
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the  meaning  of  the  book  as  a 
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THE  BRETHREN  PRESS 
1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 

I I 


CONSIDER  BETHANY  . . . 

. . .  For  theological  education  central  to  the  life  and  work  of  the 
church. 


As  a  school  whose  mainstream  of  strength  lies  within  the  local 
congregations. 

For  an  awareness  of  the  individuality  of  people. 

Consider  Bethany  and  then  consider  what  you  can  give  to  the 
Bethany  Challenge  Offering.  Make  your  check  payable  to 
Bethany  Seminary  and  send  it  through  your  congregation  or 
directly  to: 

Development  Office 

Bethany  Theological  Seminary 

Oak  Brook,  Illinois  60521 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN        C|feCEMBERh975 


lliWiW^-'MllUtilWBMwilWiaifc^tM^ 


iomo  T< 


©©[n]1^(S[nii^^ 


25  Years  of  Ecumenical  Cooperation.  An  assessment  of  the 

National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ's  role  since  its  formation,  by 
Elliott  Wright  and  Religious  News  Service  sources. 

Testimonies  to  Truth.  Robert  W.  Neff  reports  on  the  Believers' 
Church  Conference  on  Anabaptism  which  he  attended  last  summer. 

Joy  and  Anguish  at  Christmastime,  t.  Wayne  Rieman  sees 

both  joy  and  anguish  in  the  world  and  asks  how  we  shall  put  them 
together  in  this  "strangely  joyous,  wonderful,  anguishful  season."  In 
our  "joy  and  anguish"  we  may  know  the  joy  and  suffering  of  God! 

l\/lary'S  Song  of  Revolution.  We  have  all  been  impressed  by  the 
loveliness  of  the  "Magnificat,"  but  E.  Stanley  Smith,  in  this  Bible 
study,  shows  us  it  also  contains  dynamite. 

Howard  Pyle  With  God's  Peculiar  People.  Brethren 

historian  James  H.  Lehman,  through  the  words  and  drawings  of 
author/ illustrator  Howard  Pyle  (1853-1911)  gives  us  an  illuminating 
glimpse  of  the  Brethren  in  1880. 

Christmas  for  Christopher.  Children,  Christmas,  and  Love— 
Emily  Sargent  Councilman  puts  these  elements  together  into  a 
seasonal  story  with  a  message. 

Gettysburg  Revisited.  Charles  W.  Turner  took  a  stroll  over  Get- 
tysburg's battlefield  and  saw  a  sight  that  would  have  inspired  Isaiah 
himself.  Children  playing  about  a  cannon  helped  him  contemplate  a 
time  in  the  future  when  peace  on  earth  will  come. 

In  Touch  offers  vignettes  of  Linda  Logan,  Harriett  Bright,  and  Zeke  Gray  (2) 
.  .  .  Outlook  reports  on  Brethren  Christian  Citizenship  Seminars.  Refugee 
resettlement  film.  SERRV.  Womaen's  Caucus.  Conscience  series  on  tv.  Beth 
Glick-Rieman.  Brethren  Life  and  Thought.  Appalachian  Hand  Craft  Catalog. 
Ocean  Grove  traffic  ban.  RIAL  campaign.  Tv  drinking.  Religion  in  schools 
(start  on  4)  . . .  Underlines  (7)  . .  .  General  Board  Update  (8)  . .  .  "An  Advent 
Prayer,"  by  Alan  Kieffaber  (25)  .  . .  Resources,  "Bicentennial  for  Brethren,"  by 
Shirley  J.  Heckman  (28)  . .  .  Here  I  Stand  statements  by  Karen  S.  Carter, 
Lucile  Brandt,  Russell  Yohn,  Robert  F.  Breneman,  and  Johannes  Wilkening 
(start  on  30)  . .  .  Turning  Points  (33)  .  .  .  People  and  Parish,  stories  about 
Ridgeway  Community  and  Beavercreek,  by  Kenneth  L.  Gibble  and  Byron  M. 
Flory  Jr.  (36)  . .  .  Index  (38)  . .  .  Editorial  (40) 


EDITOR 

Howard  E   Royer 
MANAGING  EDITOR 
Kermon  Thomason 
ASSOCIATE  EDITOR 
Kenneth  I   Morse 
DIRECTOR  OF  MARKETING 
Clyde  E  Weaver 
PUBLISHER 
Galen  B  Ogden 


VOL  124.  NO-  12 


DECEMBER  1975 


CREDITS:  Cover,  18-23  Howard  Pyle  drawings: 
Library  of  Congress  Collection.  L  5,  12  right,  28- 
29  Carol  Riggs.  2  left  Edward  J.  Buzinski.  3 
Joseph  A.  Matera.  4  SERRV.  6  lower  left  Church 
World  Service.  9  Religion  in  American  Life.  10- 
II,  15,  16  RNS.  12  left  Don  Honick;  second  from 
left  UNATIONS;  third  from  left  Kermon 
Thomason.  14  Three  Lions.  23  Photo  of  Pyle 
Delaware  Art  Museum.  26  Charles  W.  Turner. 


Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter 
Aug.  20,  1918,  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17, 
1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1975.  Messenger  is  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a 
subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecu- 
menical Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless 
otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard 
Version. 

Subscription  rates:  $6.00  per  year  for  indi- 
vidiial  subscriptions;  S4.80  per  year  for  Church 
Group  Plan;  $4.80  per  year  for  gift  subscriptions; 
$3.15  for  school  rate  (9  months);  life  subscription, 
$80.00.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from 
Messenger  and  send  with  new  address. 
Allow  at  least  five  weeks  for  address 
change.  Messenger  is  owned  and 
published  monthly  by  the  General 
Services  Commission,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Board.  1451  Dundee 
Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120.  Second-class 
postage  paid  at  Elgin,  III.,  Dec.  1975.  Copyright 
1975,   ciiurch  of  the   Brethren  General   Board. 


JOU.UU.       II 

■ 


A  CITIZEN  OF  THE  WORLD 

1  appreciate  Messenger  greatly  for  so  many 
things.  It  surely  was  great  to  inform  people 
about  the  life  and  work  of  Dr.  Andrew  W.  Cor- 
dier  (October).  He  has  been  one  of  the  great  men 
of  this  centuiy,  regardless  of  the  way  you  study 
his  life — in  history,  in  education,  and  in  religion 
he  was  a  citizen  of  the  world.  He  was  deeply 
concerned  about  every  tribe  of  people  that  need 
ed  his  attention.  Not  only  was  the  door  of  his  of- 
fice open  to  everyone,  but  also  his  life,  based 
upon  his  hean.  Time  was  not  a  problem,  for  he 
gave  full  time  to  whatever  task  he  accepted  to 
finish.  He  was  always  available  to  older  people 
as  well  as  younger  ones. 

He  kept  his  name  in  the  Directory  as  a 
minister  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  I 
shall  never  forget  the  day  that  somebody  asked 
him  the  question — how  was  he  able  to  perform 
reconciliation  among  people  with  whom  he 
worked?  In  the  presence  of  Dag  Hammarskjold 
the  visiting  delegation  of  the  World  Council 
Central  Committee  and  representatives  of  the 
United  Nations,  he  said  he  found  that  his  basic 
teaching  came  from  what  is  known  as  the  "love 
feast"  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  to  which  he 
belonged. 

I  appreciate  greatly,  personally,  his  help  in  the 
creation  of  Brethren  Service  in  its  beginning  as 
an  official  agency  for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
and  he  was  always  a  positive  conversationalist 
whenever  we  got  together  to  discuss  what  should 
be  done  in  the  future  through  the  Brethren  Serv- 
ice program  for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  and 
therefore  for  Christianity. 

Some  of  the  finest  hours  of  my  life  have  been 
when  he  invited  me  to  come  to  his  home  and 
visit  with  him  and  Mrs.  Cordier  around  the 
fireplace  and  dream  about  the  Brethren  and  the 
future  and  what  to  do  about  peace  on  this  earth. 

I  observed  him  many  times  as  he  operated  his 
program  in  the  United  Nations  staff  and  the 
General  Assembly.  Here  he  was  a  master. 

M.  R.  ZiGLER 

New  Windsor,  Md. 

THE  RISK  OF  CONVENIENT  FAITH 

Perhaps,  never  having  been  on  a  stewardship 
committee,  I  fail  to  appreciate  the  difficulties  of 
raising  funds,  but  the  September  Messenger  ar- 
ticle on  the  computerized  "First  Fruits"  giving 
plan  struck  me  as  the  wrong  direction  for 
stewardship  to  be  heading.  The  plan's  emphasis 
was  on  simplifying  giving  by  making  a  once-a- 
month  commitment  and  authorizing  the  bank  to 
give  for  you. 

I  question  whether  writing  a  check  once  a 
month  is  such  a  chore  that  we  need  to  relieve 
givers  of  its  burden.  Giving  ought  to  be  a  joy 
rather  than  a  chore. 

An  important  part  of  any  gift  is  the  thought 
that  goes  into  it  and  the  more  often  such 
thought  occurs  (each  time  one  writes  a  check 
or  slips  an  envelope  onto  the  collection  plate) 
the  greater  the  opportunities  for  joy  and 
thanksgiving.    If  giving   of   the   first   fruits    is 


f 


pg]gjS  ©DTIS 


desirable,  perhaps  stewardship  persons  ought  to 
emphasize  first-of-the-month  giving. 

While  the  rewards  of  Christianity  are  great,  I 
don't  recall  Christ  ever  advertising  it  as  a  con- 
venience. It  seems  to  me  that  as  we  make  our 
faith  more  convenient  we  risk  making  it  less 
meaningful. 

Kathleen  Pobst  Allstot 
Olsztyn,  Poland 

DISAPPOINTED  BY  DAYTON  COVERAGE 

Attending  Annual  Conference  in  Dayton  was 
quite  a  thrilling  experience  for  me  and  I  really 
j    looked     forward     to     the     August     issue     of 
)  Messenger  to  relive  my  experience. 

I  must  say  that  I  was  disappointed.  A  Latin 
American  myself,  I  was  one  of  a  group  of  Latin 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  which 
was  present  and  in  addition  to  the  regular  con- 
ference we  held  our  own  committee  meeting.  My 
disappointment  came  when  I  did  not  see  any 
mention  made  or  any  coverage  given  to  our 
presence  at  Conference. 

Please  let  our  Hispanic  members  know  that 
the  Brethren's  Hispanic  American  Ministries 
Council  is  alive  and  well.  We  had  an  executive 
session  of  the  steering  committee  on  November 
14  and  much  work  was  accomplished  at  that  ses- 
sion. We  are  looking  forward  to  giving  our 
organization  the  shot  in  the  arm  that  it  needs 
and  look  forward,  prayerfully  to  an  exciting 
year. 

I  ask  the  entire  Church  of  the  Brethren's 
membership  to  pray  for  us  as  we  seek  God's 
leadership  in  setting  our  priorities  and  goals.  We 
are  proud  to  be  Latin  Americans  and  we  are 
equally  as  proud  to  be  members  and  brothers 
and  sisters  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  We 
have  much  to  offer.  In  the  months  ahead,  we 
plan  to  demonstrate  this. 

Phill  C.  Archibold 
New  York,  N.Y. 

GOSPEL  MEAT  IN  MESSENGER 

For  more  than  fifty  years  I  have  been  reading 
the  Gospel  Messenger.  I  have  enjoyed  it  very 
much.  Needless  to  say,  there  are  some  issues  that 
I  enjoy  more  than  others.  However  the  meat  of 
the  gospel  is  there,  if  we  desire  to  digest  it. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  write  a  few  articles 
for  Messenger  and  they  have  been  accepted  by 
Edward  Frantz.  I  never  met  him  but  it  seems  to 
me  he  was  very  able,  as  all  the  editors  have  been 
and  are. 

In  a  denomination  scattered  over  our  beloved 
land,  and  in  other  countries  as  well,  and  with 
many  different  backgrounds,  we  are  not  going  to 
see  everything  alike. 

But  who  is  able  to  decide  which  one  is  ab- 
solutely right?  That  borders  on  inerrancy.  I 
never  want  to  assume  or  presume  that  I  am  right 
in  every  issue,  or  every  idea.  We  are  growing, 
and  we  ought  to  continue  to  grow. 

I  left  another  communion  to  become  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  while 
attending    Juniata    College.    Men    like    T.    T. 


Myers,  C.  C.  Ellis,  I.  Harvey  Brumbaugh,  O.  P. 
Hoover,  A.  B.  Bunn  Van  Ormer.  and  Galen  T. 
Walker  influenced  my  life  tremendously.  When 
my  journey  is  over  I  hope  to  see  them  in  the 
"land  beyond  the  skies." 

Please  excuse  the  ramblings  of  a  man  grown 
old  in  years,  but  still  young  in  faith  and  ideas. 

After  serving  the  Robinson  Church  in 
Western  Pennsylvania  I  am  planning  to  retire.  I 
have  served  for  45  years. 

May  God  bless  the  whole  Church  and  our 
Church  which  is  a  living  member. 

John  H.  Clawson 
Robinson,  Pa. 

AMEN  TO  CONFERENCE  DECORUM 

A  fervent  and  hearty  Amen  to  the  letter  from 
Edward  K.  Ziegler,  "Decorum  at  Conference," 
in  the  October  Messenger. 

1  would  like  to  suggest,  however,  that  it  will 
be  very  difficult  to  change  Conference  behavior 
so  long  as  local  congregations  act  in  some 
respects  exactly  as  the  conferencegoers  did.  All 
of  us  need  to  share  in  this  concern  about 
decorum.  Good  manners  and  good  preaching 
(these  may  be  more  closely  related  than  many 
think)  in  every  congregation  every  Sunday 
morning  might  indeed,  with  the  help  of  the  An- 
nual Conference  Central  Committee,  bring 
about  the  desired  "atmosphere  of  true  worship" 
at  another  Conference.  It  is  a  goal  worth  striving 
for! 

LuciLE  Brandt 
La  Verne,  Calif. 

PENSIONADOS  FOR  COSTA  RICA 

Much  has  recently  been  written  about  Costa 
Rica  and  the  many  American  Pensionados 
(retirees)  who  have  settled  there.  Had  it  not  been 
for  a  bout  with  breast  cancer,  we  would  already 
be  among  them.  Since  I  last  wrote  you,  because 
of  the  excellent  medical  facilities  in  Costa  Rica,  I 
have  been  given  the  okay  to  start  plans  for  our 
move  to  Guanacaste  Province,  near  Liberia  City. 

We  will  soon  be  building  our  home  in 
Ranchos  Maricosta,  where  we  will  have  a  few 
cattle  for  the  freezer,  horses  for  our  two 
children,  a  garden  and  fruit  and  nut  trees.  It  is  a 
long-awaited  dream — and  we  can  hardly  wait! 

Cost  of  living  is  still  so  low  and  taxes  there  so 
nearly  nonexistent,  we  can  live  comfortably  on 
my  husband's  modest  navy  retirement  pay.  We 
can  hunt  in  the  nearby  mountains,  fish  in  the 
Pacific,  and,  if  we  ever  tire  of  that,  we  can  play 
golf  and  tennis,  or  just  laze  around  in  the  sun  (as 
we  used  to  do  in  now  many-times-more- 
expensive  Hawaii). 

We  really  are  very  excited  about  this.  So 
much  so,  in  fact,  that  if  any  readers  would  like 
more  information  about  this  beautiful,  amazing 
little  country  and  its  retirement  law,  they  can 
write  me.  I  will  be  happy  to  share  what  I  know 
about  them. 

Mrs,  Lewis  M.  Bird 
700  South  Dent  Road 
Hixson,  Tenn.  37343 


James  H.  Lehman 

pen    has    flowed    i 


Messenger's  editors,  as  well  as  heritage 
educational  resources  editor  Wilbur 
Brumbaugh,  have  been  spoiled  this  past 
year  by  having  their  own  "writer-in-resi- 
dence" — James  H.  Lehman.  Jim,  a  Lan- 
caster County,  Pa.,  native,  currently  an 
Elgin  resident,  was  enlisted  to  write  the 
youth/ adult  unit  of  the  forthcoming 
heritage  learning  program  being  pro- 
duced by  Parish  Ministries.  Messenger 
got  into  the  act  by  having  Jim  produce 
the  superb  "Roots  of  Messenger"  slide 
presentation  that 
nearly  300  of 
our  agents  and 
friends  viewed 
at  the  Dayton 
Annual  Confer- 
ence last  June. 
With  two  clients 
under  one  roof, 
Jim  set  up  shop 
in  our  historical 
library,  where 
from  his  gifted 
steady  stream  of 
Brethren  heritage  materials.  As  a  spin-off 
of  that  effort,  Jim  has  written  this 
month's  cover  story  on  Howard  Pyle  and 
the  Brethren,  a  remarkable  insight  into 
the  Brethren  of  a  century  ago. 

Inside  our  wintry  cover  scene,  you  will 
also  find  a  selection  of  Christmas  articles, 
written  by:  T.  Wayne  Rieman,  religion 
and  philosophy  professor  at  Manchester 
College;  E.  Stanley  Smith,  pastor  of  the 
Plymouth  (Ind.)  congregation;  and  Emily 
Sargent  Councilman,  Burlington,  N.  C, 
free-lance  writer. 

Other  writers  this  month  are:  Robert  W. 
Neff,  professor  of  biblical  studies,  Bethany 
Seminary;  Religious  News  Service  writer 
Elliott  Wright;  Charles  W.  Turner,  editor 
of  Brethren  Missionary  Herald,  Winona 
Lake,  Ind.;  Randy  Miller,  La  Verne 
College  student;  Kay  Batdorf,  staff  writer 
for  the  Huber  Heights  Courier  (Ohio); 
Peter  Sleeper,  staff  writer  for  The  Sentinel 
(Rockville,  Md.);  Shirley  J.  Heckman, 
Parish  Ministries  staff;  Kenneth  L.  Gib- 
ble,  pastor  of  the  Ridgeway  Community 
(Pa.)  congregation;  and  Byron  M.  Flory 
Jr.,  pastor  of  the  Beavercreek  (Ohio)  con- 
gregation. 

Here  I  Stand  writers  are:  Karen  S. 
Carter,  Daleville,  Va.;  Lucile  Brandt,  La 
Verne,  Calif.;  Russell  Yohn,  Elgin,  111.; 
Robert  F.  Breneman,  Mt.  Wolf,  Pa.;  and 
Johannes  Wilkening,  Probsthagen,  West 
Germany. — The  Editors 


December  1975  messenger  1 


Linda  Logan:  Vacation  leads  to  vocation 


Linda  Logan  traveled  to  Germany  in 
November,  1974,  for  a  brief  vacation 
and  visit  with  friends  she  had  met 
while  there  on  a  BVS  assignment  in 
the  mid-sixties.  During  her  stay  she 
was  offered  a  job  in  Christian  educa- 
tion in  a  recently  formed  congrega- 
tion in  Cuxhaven,  the  town  where 
she  had  served  a  year  of  her  24- 
month  BVS  term.  Plans  for  attending 
Bethany  Seminary  made  the  decision 
difficult,  but  in  the  end  those  plans 
were  postponed  and  she  chose  to 
accept  the  offer. 

Linda's  interest  in  this  area  had 
been  spawned  and  nurtured  during 
her  childhood  and  carried  over  into 
her  years  of  higher  education.  Her 
BVS  term  abroad  fell  between  two 
years  of  college  at  Elizabethtown  and 
the  completion  of  her  four  years  of 
undergraduate  work  at  Bridgewater 
College.  After  two  years  of  post- 
college  teaching  in  elementary  educa- 
tion, she  went  on  to  Syracuse  Univer- 
sity where  she  received  a  masters  in 
religion. 

In  a  Christian  education  position 
in  Waterloo,  Iowa,  Linda,  for  three 
years,  had  the  chance  to  put 
blackboard  theories  to  the  test,  try 
out  new  techniques,  and  increase  her 
skills.  The  experience  was  helpful 
background  for  Cuxhaven. 


"In  Cuxhaven  we  have  a  teacher- 
training  course  planned  for  this  year. 
We  hope  to  put  twenty-five  people 
through  and  prepare  them  to  take 
part  in  some  of  the  church's  many 
children's  and  youth  activities.  I  can't 
do  it  all  by  myself,  so  my  idea  is  to 
train  some  of  these  other  people  to 
do  children's  work,  set  up  regular 
meetings  where  I  can  help  them  plan 
what  they  want  to  do,  then  let  them 
do  it." 

Reflecting  on  her  background  in 
both  the  Brethren  Church  and  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  the  sup- 
port she  continues  to  feel  from  it, 
Linda  comments,  "I  feel  that  my  up- 
bringing and  work  in  the  church  has 
been  a  real  good  background.  And  I 
feel  that  my  church  continues  to  sup- 
port me  even  though  I  am  in  this  new 
situation  working  in  another 
denomination's  church  in  another 
country."  The  friendship  extends 
both  ways,  as  Linda  plans  to  work 
her  vacation  time  around  Annual 
Conference  so  she  can  attend  each 
year. 

With  Linda's  knack  for  having 
vacations  lead  to  new  avenues 
(primarily  in  the  area  of  newly- 
formed  congregations)  who  knows 
what  that  vacation  may  lead  to? — 
Randy  Miller 


wvm 


\hi 


Harriett  Bright:  The  fit 

For  Harriett  Howard  Bright,  work 
ing  with  her  hands  and  with  her  heart 
are  equal  tasks.  She  is  a  Master 
Craftsman,  having  developed 
proficiency  in  five  handicraft  areas; 
and  she  is  an  ordained  minister  and 
teacher,  who  accompanied  her  hus- 
band Calvin  to  the  China  mission 
field  in  1947. 

Harriett  can  weave  an  original 
tapestry  from  yarn  she  has  dyed  and 
spun,  or  prepare  a  sermon  for  an 
evangelistic  meeting.  Her  faith  is 
equally  involved  in  teaching  the 
technique  of  vegetable  dyeing  or 
preparing  a  message  for  a  women's 
retreat.  A  student  or  listener  cannot 
miss  the  special  glow  that  radiates  as 
Harriett  shares  her  many  talents. 

Spinning  was  a  common  domestic 
activity  in  Kentucky  when  Harriett 
learned  the  skill  at  ten  years  of  age. 
Later,  at  school,  she  learned  weaving 
and  then  used  the  two  skills  as  a 
source  of  income  throughout  her 
years  of  education.  She  holds  a 
Master's  Degree  in  home  economics 

"It's  something  new  all  the  time," 
Harriett  says  of  her  work  with  fibers, 
and  the  variety  of  her  creations  il- 
lustrates this.  There  are  decorative 
pillow  tops.  There  are  wall  hangings 
in  colors  and  patterns  that  tell  a 
story.  Especially  valued  is  a  coverlet 
woven  years  ago  of  yarn  dyed  with 
genuine  indigo.  Finally  there  is  a 
dress  made  from  sheep's  wool  that 
Harriet  dyed,  spun,  wove,  and  sewed 
all  herself. 

"It's  always  a  challenge,"  she  says, 
adding  that  each  piece  is  an  original, 


2  MESSENGER  December  1975 


life 

I  don't  take  orders." 

Harriett  chooses  to  share  her  skill 
n  many  ways.  She  has  given 
lemonstrations  at  local  festivals, 
chools,  and  department  stores.  Each 
vinter  she  teaches  weaving  classes  at 
he  Kettering  YWCA  and  also  gives 
)rivate  lessons. 

Her  students  are  now  scattered 
vorldwide,  from  the  Appalachian 
nountains  to  China,  where  Harriett 
aught,  but  where  also  she  became  a 
itudent.  She  studied  the  Chinese  silk 
iber,  and  learned  to  raise  silkworms 
IS  a  result  of  her  interest  in  Chinese 
extiles. 

"My  ministry  comes  first,"  Harriett 
s  quick  to  emphasize.  She  attended 
Bethany  Seminary  and  has  in  the 
jast  served  in  an  interim  pastoral 
josition.  She  is  now  a  pastor's  wife, 
3ut  often  serves  in  interdenomina- 
;ional  meetings,  or  in  pulpit  supply 
ibout  the  Brotherhood. 

As  the  Bicentennial  observance  pro- 
gresses, Harniett  receives  more  and 
nore  requests  to  demonstrate  her 
ikills  in  the  early  American  crafts  of 
spinning  and  weaving.  She  sees  it  as  a 
oart  of  the  "return  to  basics"  many  per- 
sons are  exploring  at  this  time. 

Though  Harriett  Bright  is  often 
amazed  at  how  little  some  folks  un- 
derstand about  the  textile  arts,  it  is 
her  nature  to  share  her  skills  and  her 
faith.  Whether  she's  dealing  with  the 
fiber  of  cloth  or  the  fiber  of  life,  her 
jFascination  with  the  creative 
possibilities  is  contagious. — Kay 
Batdorf 


Zeke  Gray:  A  mistake  corrected 


A  mistake  had  been  made — and  he 
knew  it.  As  an  accountant/ payroll 
clerk  for  Mutual  of  Omaha,  Isaac  A. 
Gray  was  not  satisfied. 

"I  was  unhappy,"  he  laments  with 
restrained,  but  characteristic,  un- 
derstatement. With  eyes  downward 
he  shakes  his  head  as  if  to  ask,  "What 
am  I  doing  with  that  BA  in  business 
administration?" 

So  Isaac  Gray,  always  the  doodler, 
mailed  away  and  enrolled  in  home  in- 
struction drawing  classes.  (No  smirk- 
ing now!  Peanuts  and  Lucy's  friend, 
Charles  Schulz,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
same  Art  Instruction  School  in 
Minneapolis.)  After  completing  the 
three-year  course  (in  two  years), 
Isaac  began  knocking  on  doors, 
peddling  his  Redskins  caricatures  and 
other  sports  personae. 

"I  was  trying  to  get  out  of  in- 
surance and  into  cartooning,  and,  of 
course,  I  wasn't  having  any  luck.  I 
had  been  down  to  the  Washington 
Star  and  they  painted  a  very  bleak 
picture,"  recalls  Zeke. 

Eventually  he  landed  a  car- 
toonist's job  with  the  Montgomery 
Sentinel,  a  Maryland  suburban  week- 
ly, and  drew  his  first  cartoon — on 
county  zoning  "corruption"  —  March 
17,  1966 — and  since  then  has  con- 
tinuously taken  aim  at  county  of- 
ficialdom and  assorted  scoundrels. 

Yet,  even  though  Zeke  is  a  veteran, 
no  one  at  The  Sentinel  really  knows 
much  about  the  39-year-old  man. 

"I  really  don't  know  people  on  the 
papers  either,"  he  responds.  He  lives 
in  Sterling,  Va.,  in  Loudoun  County 


with  his  wife,  Nancy  Cline  Gray,  a 
Bridgewater  College  classmate.  They 
have  two  daughters.  Heather,  7,  and 
Holly,  5.  For  a  living,  Zeke  is  one  of 
three  persons  in  Studiofour  Graphics, 
a  commercial  art  firm  based  in  Falls 
Church.  On  weekends,  he  plays 
"mainly  infield"  in  a  slow-pitch  soft- 
ball  league. 

At  the  Sentinel's  Hyattsville  and 
Gaithersburg  newsrooms,  Zeke  is  a 
mystic.  But  every  Monday  or  Tues- 
day morning,  editors  find  his  car- 
toons in  a  plain  brown  envelope,  sit- 
ting at  the  foot  of  the  Montgomery 
newsroom  door. 

Although  Zeke  Gray's  favorite 
targets  are  pols,  he  doesn't  consider 
himself  a  "political  animal."  He  is, 
though,  a  registered  Democrat,  lean- 
ing "more  left  than  right,  I'm  sure." 

When  it  comes  to  other  car- 
toonists, Bill  Mauldin  of  the  Chicago 
Sun-  Times  is  king  of  Zeke's 
professional  court.  And  Zeke,  who 
says  "prejudice,  double-standards, 
and  public  indifference"  really  anger 
him,  is  fond  of  explaining  himself  by 
quoting  Mauldin:  "Mauldin  says  it 
best.  'If  it's  big,  hit  it.'  That's  the  way 
I  operate,  too." 

"I  draw  so  politicians  don't  walk 
all  over  us,"  Zeke  Gray  says.  "Yeah,  I 
guess  you  might  say  I'm  just  a  'little 
guy.'" — Peter  Sleeper 


December  1975  messenger  3 


SERRV  after  25  years: 
A  growth  enterprise 

What  in  1950  was  a  dream  of  a  special 
committee  of  the  Brethren  Service  Com- 
mission in  1975  is  a  global  enterprise. 

What  began  by  benefiting  refugees  in 
Europe  now  supports  artisans  in  60  coun- 
tries, most  of  them  in  the  less  developed 
countries  of  Latin  America,  Africa,  and 
Southeast  Asia. 

What  initially  turned  over  $1,000  a  year 
in  the  sale  of  handicrafts  this  year  will  ex- 
ceed $1  million. 

This  is  the  International  Gift  Shop,  or  in 


Kenya  wood  carver  is  among  artisans  in 
60  countries  whose  work  SERR  V  markets. 


more  formal  parlance,  SERRV — the  Sales 
Exchange  for  Refugee  Rehabilitation 
Vocations.  The  program  is  administered 
and  operated  by  the  World  Ministries 
Commission,  a  unit  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Board. 

Reduced  to  simplest  terms  what  SERRV 
means  is  opportunity — opportunity  for 
persons  with  marketable  skills  and  little  or 
no  market  to  sell  their  products  and  earn  a 
livelihood.  Usually  they  are  persons  in  the 
lower  economic  strata  who  have  not  been 
reached  by  the  benefits  of  development. 

Because  the  SERRV  operation  is  on  a 
not-for-profit  basis,  a  high  percentage  of 
the  retail  price  of  its  handicrafts  goes  to  the 
producer. 

The  largest  International  Gift  Shop  is  at 
the  Brethren  Service  Center,  New  Windsor, 
Md.,  where  one-fifth  of  the  retail  sales  oc- 
cur. Other  shops  are  in  Nappanee,  Ind., 
and  Oakdale,  Calif.,  and  in  the  homes  and 
churches  of  a  thousand  "resale"  customers 
across  the  country.  A  heavy  catalog  mail 
order  service  accounts  for  other  sales. 

This  season's  Christmas  catalog  was  dis- 
tributed through  many  channels,  among 
them  an  Agenda  mailing  to  Brethren 
pastors.  Cards,  tree  decorations,  jewelry, 
and  carvings  are  among  the  listings. 

Expanding  sales  at  a  yearly  rate  of  more 
than  20  percent,  SERRV  continues  to  have 
the  prospects  of  a  steadily  growing  pro- 
gram. One  significant  new  thrust  of  recent 
weeks,  worked  out  in  cooperation  with  the 


World  Ministries  staff  at  Elgin  and  New 
Windsor,  is  participation  by  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention,  the  nation's  largest 
denomination.  A  corporation  has  been  es- 
tablished to  handle  SERRV  handicrafts  in 
60  Baptist  bookstores. 

"Our  reason  for  being  is  not  primarily  to 
furnish  a  steady  supply  of  moderately 
priced  gifts  for  Americans,"  SERRV  direc- 
tor William  P.  Nyce  makes  clear.  "Rather, 
we  seek  to  provide  a  market  for  'third 
world'  persons  for  whom  such  a  market  is 
of  crucial  importance." 

Information  on  the  SERRV  program  is 
available  from  Box  188,  New  Windsor, 
Md.  21776. 


William   Nyce,   I.,  program  director,   and 
Carl  Beckwith,  sales,  head  SERRV  staff. 


4  MESSENGER  December  1975 


Christmas  crafts  and 
the  Granny  Greens 

Granny  Green  lived  far  up  the  hollow  in  a 
small  log  house.  Although  she  was  alone 
now.  Granny  was  never  lonesome.  She  had 
her  chickens,  the  plants,  and  Dandy,  the 
old  mule  who  used  to  plow  the  cornfields, 
but  now  who,  much  like  Granny,  had  been 
put  to  pasture. 

There  were  the  chores  to  keep  Granny 
busy.  The  water  carried  from  a  nearby 
spring  was  so  clear  that  it  looked  blue  from 
the  reflection  of  the  sky.  Smoke  streaming 
upward  from  Granny's  old  cookstove  and 
the  smell  of  beans  and  coffee  cooking  were 
always  in  the  air.  And  if  you  were  lucky  a 
fresh  pan  of  cornbread  sat  nearby.  Then 
there  were  the  cats  and  Rover  the  dog  to  be 
kept  fed  and  happy. 

Yes,  Granny  had  plenty  to  do,  but  she 
always  found  time  for  piecing  and  quilting. 
Granny  would  talk  to  her  quilt  . . .  sitting 
there  all  alone  she  would  tell  that  quilt  how 
George  Lee,  her  loving  husband  who  had 
passed  along,  had  come  a-courtin'  and 
stole  her  heart  and  how  she  missed  him 
and  how  she  now  had  to  take  care  of 
everything.  "I  tremble  sometimes  when  I 
realize  what  this  quilt  knows  about  me," 
she  used  to  say. 

Granny  sewed  by  the  firelight  of  the 
hearth  in  winter,  but  how  she  loved  to 
move  out  onto  the  porch  in  the  spring.  She 
could  look  out  across  the  land  that  had 
given  her  and  her  family  life.  She  could 
peer  down  the  road  to  see  who  was  passing 
by  or  coming  to  visit. 

Granny  could  always  find  time  to  visit 
but  she  never  stopped  piecing  or  quilting. 
"I  could  work  up  a  quilt  in  a  week  if  en  I 
set  my  mind  to  it."  But  her  rheumatic 
hands  kept  her  speed  down  to  about  one-a- 
month  and  these  days  she  had  a  market  for 
that  quilt — her  bread  and  butter  money — 
through  her  own  co-op.  The  co-op  had 
grown  in  the  last  year  from  only  three 
women  on  Harley's  Creek  to  women  all 
over  the  county.  Beautiful  quilts  were  being 
brought  in  every  day  and  the  co-op  had  ex- 
panded its  sales  through  participation  in 
the  Appalachian  Hand  Craft  Catalog. 

When  Granny  saw  her  quilt  pictured  in 
the  catalog  she  brought  a  copy  home. 
Further,  she  made  certain  every  visitor  saw 
her  quilt  in  "Granny  Green's  Catalog." 

There  are  many  Granny  Greens  in  the 
catalog:  People  who  believe  that  the  digni- 


Beth  Click- Rieman 

Field  staff  named  for 
'person  awareness' 

In  a  two-year  appointment  under  the 
Parish  Ministries  Commission,  Beth  Glick- 
Rieman  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  has  been  named 
person  awareness  coordihator  in  the 


leadership  development  program.  The 
assignment  is  to  sensitize  groups  and  in- 
dividuals on  the  roles  of  men  and  women 
and  to  examine  personhood  and  equality  in 
light  of  the  Christian  faith. 

Working  from  her  home  on  a  part-time 
schedule,  the  new  field  staff  member  is 
developing  leadership  materials,  study 
resources,  and  seminars  on  role  con- 
sciousness. She  also  will  represent  the 
denomination  in  some  ecumenical 
programs  related  to  women. 

An  ordained  minister  with  a  doctor  of 
ministries  degree,  Beth  Ghck-Rieman  is  ad- 
junct professor  at  United  Theological 
Seminary,  a  United  Methodist  institution 
in  Dayton.  She  has  taught  in  the  areas  of 
conflict  management,  communications 
skill,  theology  of  marriage,  human  sexuali- 
ty, personal  growth,  and  group  develop- 
ment. 

She  holds  degrees  also  from  Bridgewater 
College  in  music  education  and  from  the 
University  of  Pittsburgh  in  religious  educa- 
tion. A  native  Virginian,  she  is  married  to 
Glenn  Rieman  and  is  the  mother  of  three 
children. 

She  is  a  member  of  the  Mack  Memorial 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Dayton. 


ty  in  producing  a  craft  is  an  extension  of 
their  love  for  Appalachia — that  unbroken 
chain  that  runs  from  Maine  to  Georgia  and 
from  the  Smoky's  Blue  Ridge  Mountains 
along  the  eastern  rim  to  marginal  land 
farmed  by  mules  and  grit  along  the  western 
fringes.  People  who  inhabit  the  rural  black 
belt  in  the  south,  the  ethnic  slums  in  the 
north,  and  coal  mining  towns  of  the  central 
region.  People  whose  unique  talent,  born 
of  necessity  and  a  joy  for  life,  is  a  gift  of 
hand  and  heritage. 

And  people  who  through  a  coalition  of 
34  low-income  craft  groups  offer  their 
quality  wares  to  church  folk  across  the  na- 
tion, at  Christmastime  and  throughout  the 
year. 

Orders  for  the  Appalachian  Hand  Craft 
Catalog  ($2.00  each  postpaid)  are  handled 
through  Operation  MATCH,  Box  68, 
Berea,  Ky.  40403.  The  Church  of  the 
Brethren  SHARE  program  is  one  of  eleven 
denominational  agencies  supporting  the 
self-help  project  of  "social  marketing" — 
and,  in  turn,  the  Granny  Greens  and  their 
generations — old  gift  of 'distinctive 
craftsmanship. — Nina  Poage 


Theology  new  focus 
of  women  In  1976 

A  theological  happening — "Women  Mov- 
ing Toward  Meaning" — is  projected  for 
next  summer  by  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Womaen's  Caucus.  The  four-day 
event,  for  which  dates  and  leadership  are  to 
be  announced,  will  be  designed  to  provide 
a  theological  base  to  the  effort  of  women 
to  clarify  roles  and  realize  creative  growth 
potential. 

Beyond  laying  groundwork  for  the 
theological  explorations,  the  ten  represen- 
tatives from  six  districts  who  met  in 
September  also  discussed  means  of  work- 
ing through  districts,  Standing  Committee 
and  Annual  Conference  on  such  concerns 
as  nominating  and  voting  procedures  and 
the  possibility  of  a  name  change  for  the 
denomination. 

The  new  field  staff  member  in  Parish 
Ministries,  Beth  Glick-Rieman,  will  relate 
to  the  caucus  as  one  aspect  of  her  work  in 
coordinating  person  awareness  in  the 
denomination. 


December  1975  messenger  5 


BL&T  going  strong 
after  twenty  years 

Twenty  years  of  Brethren  Life  and 
Thought  were  rounded  out  when  the 
quarterly  journal  published  its  Fall  1975 
issue.  Dealing  with  the  Brethren  stance  on 
Christian  unity,  the  issue  carries  a  major 
piece  by  Bethany  Seminary  president 
Warren  F.  Groff  with  responses  by  twenty 
representative  thinkers. 

Since  its  beginning  in  1955  the  scholarly 
little  journal  has  been  edited  by  Edward  K. 
Ziegler,  Brethren  minister,  former  mis- 
sionary to  India,  and  past  Annual  Con- 
ference moderator  (1959-60).  The  Fall  1955 
editorial  summed  up  the  purpose  of  the  new 
magazine  venture:  to  "  .  . .  carry  on  among 
Brethren  and  their  friends  a  sustained, 
spirited,  thoughtful  conversation  on  the 
great  issues  we  face  today,  and  on  our 
heritage  . . .  We  will  publish  articles  which 
deal  with  the  whole  range  of  Brethren 
thought,  history,  culture,  and  philosophy." 

At  the  June,  1975,  meeting  of  the 
Brethren  Journal  Association  (which, 
together  with  Bethany  Seminary,  publishes 
the  magazine).  Editor  Ziegler  capsuled 
some  of  the  history  and  uniqueness  of 
Brethren  Life  and  Thought.  After  tickmg 
off  a  list  of  distinguished  Brethren  and 
non-Brethren  contributors  to  the  magazine, 
he  related  some  of  the  "problems  and 
brushes  with  fate  and  fury"  that  BL&.T)\?lA 
gone  through: 

"From  time  to  time,  we  almost  had  to 
cease  publication  because  of  financial 


20  years  completed:    The   Brethren  jour- 
nal and   its   editor,    Edward   K.    Ziegler. 

stringency.  But  often  'angels'  such  as  Jack 
Kough,  Clyde  Carter,  Perry  Rohrer,  and 
others  have  come  to  our  aid.  At  one  time 
we  were  frustrated  and  a  bit  indignant 
because  the  General  Board  happily  con- 
tributed $5000  to  keep  the  Christian  Cen- 
tury afloat,  but  was  reluctant  and  even  cen- 
sorious when  we  requested  some  small  sub- 
sidy to  keep  a  Brethren  publication  going. 
The  Board  did  come  through  several  times 
with  small  grants.  It  must  be  said,  however, 
that  the  officialdom  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  never  sought  to  censor  or  to 
direct  editorial  policy.  We  have  had  com- 
plete freedom  of  the  press." 

Looking  to  the  future,  Ziegler  says 
Brethren  Life  and  Thought  will  continue 
for  he  believes  "...  the  need  for,  and  the 
appetite  for  our  journal,  is  greater  than 
ever.  The  esteem  in  which  it  is  held  as 
resource  material  for  seminary  and  college 
classes,  in  Brethren  and  other  institutions, 
is  a  wholesome  factor  in  our  hope." 

Brethren  Life  and  Thought  comes  to 
subscribers  for  $8.00  per  year  prepaid. 


Subscriptions  should  be  mailed  to: 
Brethren  Life  and  Thought,  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary,  Butterfield  and 
Meyers  Roads,  Oak  Brook,  111.  60521. 

Six  seminars  to  convene 
in  Washington,  at  UN 

Six  regional  Christian  Citizenship 
Seminars  are  well  under  way  in  program 
plans  for  the  1976  seminars.  With  emphasis 
likely  centering  on  the  Christian's  response 
to  various  facets  of  the  American  Bicenten- 
nial celebration,  participants  will  spend  a 
week  investigating,  evaluating,  and  using 
newly-acquired  expertise  to  influence 
federal  legislation  and  policy. 

Seminars  divide  approximately  a  week 
between  Capitol  Hill  in  Washington,  D.C., 
and  the  United  Nations  in  New  York 
City. 

Each  of  the  seminars  come  from  a 
separate  geographic  area  of  the  denomina- 
tion and  is  coordinated  by  a  team  of 
trained,  experienced  leaders.  These 
leadership  teams  endeavor  to  work  closely 
with  leaders  of  districts  and  congregations 
in  implementing  the  program. 

Seminars  are  limited  to  approximately 
45  persons  with  a  good  mix  of  youth  and 
adults,  especially  retirees,  among  the  par- 
ticipants. Costs  vary  according  to  travel. 

Additional  information  may  be  secured 
from  seminar  coordinators  as  listed  below 
or  the  Washington  Office,  100  Maryland 
Ave.,  N.E.,  Washington,  D.C.  20002. 

Ohio  I  Michigan,  Jan.  31-Feb.  7.  Ron 


By  year's  end,   16,000  newcomers  placed. 
6  MESSENGER  December  1975 


'A  New  Family  in  Town' 
accents  resettlement 

"A  New  Family  in  Town,"  a  film  inter- 
preting the  needs  of  Vietnamese  refugees,  is 
available  from  Disaster  Coordinators  in 
the  districts  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Among  those  appearing  in  the  film  in  an 
advocacy  role  in  behalf  of  the  refugees,  are 
H.  McKinley  "Mac"  Coffman  and  Galen 
Beery  of  the  World  Ministries  field  staff. 
The  two  have  given  extended  leadership  to 
the  resettlement  of  Indochinese  from  the 
Fort  Chaffee,  Ark.,  relocation  center. 

Produced  by  Church  World  Service,  the 
15-minute  motion  picture  is  seen  as  being 
useful  not  only  in  dealing  with  the  needs  of 
refugees  from  Vietnam,  but  in  responding 


to  displaced  persons  from  other  areas 
currently  seeking  new  homes. 

Among  these  are  1500  Chilean  refugees 
coming  to  the  United  States  from  camps  in 
Peru,  up  to  750  evacuees  from  Laos  com- 
ing from  camps  in  Thailand,  and  up  to  700 
Kurds  and  Assyrian  Christians  fleeing  from 
Iraq  and  Iran. 

Church  World  Service  and  denom- 
inational agencies  will  continue  efforts  to 
find  sponsors  for  these  displaced  persons  as 
they  expect  to  have  done  for  some  16,000 
Vietnamese  by  the  end  of  the  year. 

In  the  first  five  months  of  relocating 
refugees  from  Indochina,  congregational 
and  individual  sponsors  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  had  received  123  Vietnamese 
units — that  is,  "new  families  in  town."  The 
number  of  individuals  totaled  531. 


[LaimdlSD^DDDTlS^ 


/IcAdams,  7690  S.  Peters  Rd.,  Tipp  City, 
)H  45371. 

Western  I  Middle  I  Southern  Penn- 
<vlvania.  Feb.  15-19.  Ralph  Moyer,  2710 
:ingston  Rd.,  York,  Pa.  17402. 

Atlantic  Northeast,  Feb.  22-26.  James 
iibbel,  c/o  Hershey  &  Gibbel,  Lititz,  Pa. 
|7543. 

Western  (west  of  Mississippi),  Mar.  5-14. 
•at  Hykes,  513  S.E.  7th  St.,  Ankeny,  Iowa 

;002i. 

Southeastern  (Va./Md./W.Va./N.C./ 
ifenn.).  Mar.  20-27.  Terry  Slaubaugh,  R.  1, 
;:lox  125,  McGaheysville,  Va.  22840. 
!  Indiana!  Illinois,  April  3-10.  Carol  and 
)ennis  Horn,  R.  5,  Wabash,  Ind.  46992. 

Persons  interested  in  participating  but 
:ot  included  in  any  of  the  geographic 
;roupings  should  contact  the  team  coor- 
jinator  of  the  nearest  seminar. 
!  The  Christian  Citizenship  Seminars 
rrogram  is  sponsored  by  The  Washington 
)ffice  of  the  World  Ministries  Commis- 


l^etwork,  churches  to  air 
;v  series  on  conscience 

Conscience  of  America,"  an  examination 
if  the  religious  and  ethical  values  in  the 
irst  200  years  of  the  nation's  history,  will 
le  telecast  by  ABC-TV  in  three  one-hour 
Sunday  specials  next  year. 

The  initial  program  in  the  "Direction" 
eries,  January  4,  will  explore  the  roots  of 
emocracy,  beginning  with  the  civilizations 
if  biblical  days. 

On  February  1,  the  program  will  look  at 
low  the  roots  of  democracy  in  the  nation 
lave  been  nurtured  through  the  "right  to 
lissent." 

A  third  special,  March  14,  will  explore 
the  new  moral  and  ethical  crisis"  which  is 
aid  to  have  begun  in  the  United  States 
t'ith  the  bombing  of  Hiroshima  in  1945. 

Four  religious  agencies,  the  National 
'ouncil  of  Churches,  the  Jewish 
heological  Seminary,  the  US  Catholic 
[Conference,  and  the  Southern  Baptist 
IChurches,  collaborated  with  ABC  News  in 
reating  the  series. 

On  Easter  Sunday,  April  18,  a  repeat 
howing  of  "The  Right  to  Believe"  also  is 
lated  on  ABC.  The  program,  which  traces 
he  freedom  of  religious  thought  in 
America,  was  cited  by  the  Christian 
Jcience  Monitor  as  "destined  to  become  a 
nass-media  classic  in  the  area  of  freedom 
)f  religion." 


"SET  FREE   TO  SERVE"    ...  is  the  theme  for  the  July  27 — August 
1,  1976  Annual  Conference  in  Wichita — the  first  in  Kansas 
since  1943.   To  be  highlighted  will  be  the  concept  of  Chris- 
tian freedom  in  the  context  of  the  US  bicentennial  and  two 
Church  of  the  Brethren  observances,  the  125th  year  of  publi- 
cations and  the  100th  year  of  foreign  mission  activity. 
Manchester  College  president  A_.    Blair  Helman   is  the  moderator. 


PRESIDENTIAL   SHIFTS 


La  Verne  College  in  California 


has  named  alumnus  Armen  Sarafian,    Pasadena  educator,  as  its 
16th  president,  succeeding  Leland   B.  Newcomer .    .  .  McPherson 
College  in  Kansas  announces  the  resignation  of  its  president 
since  1972,  Galen  R_.    Snell,    effective  next  September.  .  .  . 
And  a  former  merttoer  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren — Polish 
Agricultural  Exchange,  Henryk  Jasiorowski,   has  been  named 
the  new  president  of  Agricultural  University  in  Warsaw. 


BRETHREN  HOMES 


Les ter  E_.    Kesselring   has  resigned  as 


administrator  of  tJie  Fahmey-Keedy  Home  in  Maryland  effect- 
ive Dec.  31.   He  will  become  administrative  coordinator  of 
resident  activities  at  Florida  Brethren  Homes  in  Sebring. 
.  .  .  A  new  150-bed  infirmary  was  dedicated  Oct.  5  as  an 
addition  to  the  Bridgewater,  Va. ,  Home,  with  Raymond   K.  Peters 
of  the  Health  and  Welfare  Committee  as  the  speaker. 


ADJUNCT  FACULTY 


Bethany  Seminary  has  announced  that 


two  members  of  the  Brotherhood  staff.  Rick  Gardner   and  Shirley 
Heckman ,    and  one  member  of  the  General  Board,  Nancy  Faus ,   will 
teach  special  courses  during  the  current  school  year.   Through 
the  support  of  SHARE,  another  instructor,  Robert  Allen,   a  1972 
Bethany  graduate,  is  administering  a  program  of  racial  aware- 
ness and  assisting  in  the  recruitment  of  minority  students. 
.  .  .  Presenting  Bethany's  Hoff  Lectures  in  October,  on  cove- 
nant and  community,  was  Lauree  Hersch  Meyer   of  Belmont  Abbey 
College  in  North  Carolina. 


IN   THE   FAMILY 


The  Root  River  congregation  wishes  to 


inform  Brethren  using  the  Mayo  Clinic  in  nearby  Rochester, 
Minn.,  of  its  willingness  to  assist  persons  and  to  provide 
support  and  prayer  as  needed.   The  pastor  is  James  E_.    Tom- 
Ions  on,   Rt.  1,  Box  37,  Preston,  MN  55965.  .  .  .  Enos  B.    Heisey, 
Syracuse,  N.Y.,  will  conduct  a  people-to-people  mission  of 
Pennsylvania  farm  and  business  persons  to  Panama,  Peru,  Para- 
guay, Argentina,  and  Brazil  in  February.  .  .  .  Cleda  Zunkel , 
North  Manchester,  Ind. ,  is  author  and  publisher  of  a  new 
collection  of  poems,  "When  Hearts  Grow  Quiet,"  off  the  press 
Dec.  1.  .  .  .  Pamela  Beams   of  the  Springfield,  111.,  congre- 
gation, was  crowned  Miss  Sangamon  County  Fair  Queen.  .  .  . 
Dr.  David  Studebaker   of  Ohio's  New  Carlisle  church  was  named 
Ohio's  Optometrist  of  the  Year. 

EUROPE  IN  KANSAS    . . .  Former  European  BVSers  interested  in 
lodging  in  the  same  motel  at  the  Wichita  Annual  Conference 
are  invited  to  contact  LaVonne  Grtabb,  Rt.  3,  Box  115,  Eliza- 
bethtown,  PA  17022.   A  reunion  of  European  BVSers  and  their 
families  last  August  brought  86  persons  to  the  New  Windsor, 
Md. ,  Brethren  Service  Center. 


December  1975  messenger  7 


i^pdmt(B 


GENERAL   BOARD  MEETING 


in  October  appointed  three  field 


staff  persons  who  will  assume  responsibilities  related  to 
the  new  priorities  for  1976-77.  .  .  .  Sylvia  D_.    Eller ,    cur- 
rent volunteer  at  the  Washington  Office,  will  coordinate 
criminal  justice  ministries  for  next  year.   Working  from 
the  Washington  Office,  she  will  develop  a  network  of  Breth- 
ren consultants.  .  .  .  Walter  D_.    Bowman ,    of  Dayton,  Ohio, 
was  named  half-time  consultant  on  environment  education  and 
camping  for  a  two-year  period.   He  will  continue  as  associate 
district  executive.   Southern  Ohio.  .  .  .  Joy  H.  Dull,    Brook- 
ville,  Ohio  farm  operator,  will  be  consultant  on  farm  issues 
for  two  years  on  a  one-third  time  assignment. 

TASK  FORCE    ...  on  Christian  Ethics  and  Law  and  Order 
named:  Augusta  Good   and  Henry  Kenderdine,   both  of  Elizabeth- 
town,  Pa.;  Joseph  M.    Long,    Harrisburg,  Pa.;  G.  Wayne  Click, 
Wallingford,  Pa.;  Robert  Rodriguez,    La  Verne,  Calif.;  Alice 
Martin,    Reisterstown,  Md.;  and  Timothy  D.    Rieman,    Middlebury, 
Ind.  Charles  Boyer   of  World  Ministries  is  the  staff  liaison. 

OTHER  ACTIONS    ...  Conference  on  Higher  Education,  Richmond, 
Ind.,  June  24-27,  was  allocated  $20,000.  .  .  .  Procedures 
were  begun  for  developing  Brotherhoodwide  five-year  goals  for 
1980-84  and  1985-89.  .  .  .  The  recommendation  of  a  Bethany 
Seminary-General  Board  joint  committee  was  approved  that  the 
Brotherhood  Fund  appropriate  for  Bethany  $52,000,  $40,000, 
and  $25,000  respectively  for  1976,  1977,  and  1978.  ...  In 
regard  to  the  On  Earth  Peace  Conference,  a  committee  was 
named  to  develop  objectives  and  evaluate  the  program  by  next 
July.  .  .  .  Elgin  Bookstore  will  continue  to  operate  despite 
indications  that  it  may  not  be  "economically  viable".  ... 
The  Pension  Plan,  working  to  improve  the  aid  given  ministers 
and  missionaries,  received  an  additional  grant  of  $25,000.  . 
.  .  Capital  grants  and  loans  were  approved  for  churches  in 
Chambersburg,  Pa.;  Oak  Grove,  Roanoke,  Va. ;  Community  Church, 
Hutchinson,  Kans . ;  First  Church,  Pontiac,  Mich.;  and  Ankeny 
Church,  la. 

UPCOMING  OPPORTUNITIES    ...  A  Brotherhoodwide  stewardship 
seminar  for  district  leaders  was  approved  for  1976.  .  .  .  New 
Heritage  curriculum  series  resources  for  K-1-2-3  and  grades 
7-8-9  are  available  now.   Remainder  of  the  material  will  be 
ready  for  the  spring  quarter.  .  .  .  Three  more  volunteer  con- 
ferences will  occur  in  1976  through  the  PVS/BVS  network. 
Parish  Volunteer  Service  now  lists  300  participants  from  40 
churches  in  15  districts.  .  .  .  Counseling  for  pastors'  fami- 
lies will  be  available  through  a  district  network  operational 
by  April  1.  .  .  .In  the  Macedonian  Mission,  new  name  for  the 
Mission  to  Small  Churches  program,  Curtis   and  Anna  Mary  Bubble , 
on  leave  from  the  York  First  congregation,  will  serve  in  the 
Southeastern  District  early  in  1976. 

OVERSEAS  REPORTS    . . .  Joel  Thompson   reviewed  his  consultation 
with  the  leaders  at  Lardin  Gabas,  Nigeria  and  the  negotiations 
to  transfer  Brethren  owned  hospitals  in  Nigeria  to  the  govern- 
ment and  other  properties  to  Lardin  Gabas  trustees,  also  on 
his  fact  finding  tour  of  Northern  Ireland. 

B  MESSENGER  December  1975 


Schools  can  present 
courses  on  religion 


Not  only  can  public  schools  teach  rehgioi 
but  they  can  build  on  guidelines  drawn 
from  wide  experience  for  setting  up  such 
courses. 

This  is  the  information  shared  by  Albei 
J.  Menendez  in  US  Catholic  (a  monthly 
published  by  the  Claretian  Fathers)  as  we 
as  advanced  by  a  number  of  other  religion 
leaders  of  late. 

The  problem,  Menendez  writes,  is  that 
two  Supreme  Court  decisions  have  been 
widely  misconstrued,  leading  many  schoo 
districts  to  take  the  easy  way  out  and  sim 
ply  ignore  religion. 

"Though  many  school  districts  apparent 
ly  have  misinterpreted  the  high  court's  in 
tent  in  these  historic  decisions  (Engel  v. 
Vitale  and  Abington  v.  Schempp),  there  i; 
no  constitutional  reason  why  religion  can- 
not be  objectively  studied  in  an  atmospher 
of  openness  and  appreciation,"  Menendez 
observes. 

He  explains  that  the  Engel  case  said  the 
state  cannot  compose  a  prayer  and  requin 
students  to  say  it.  and  the  Abington  case  ii 
1963  said  government  mandated  reading  o 
the  Bible  or  the  devotional  recitation  of 
prayer  was  unconstitutional. 

"But  the  justices  also  made  it  clear  that 
the  objective  study  of  religion  and  of  reli- 
gious influences  on  culture  and  literature 
was  acceptable  and  even  necessary 
to  a  balanced  and  complete  education." 

The  Menendez  article,  "How  to  Teach 
Religion  in  Public  Schools,"  cites 
suggestions  compiled  by  Robert  A.  Spivey 
of  the  religion  department  of  Florida  Statt 
University,  based  on  responses  of  teachers 
parents,  and  students. 

Whatever  is  done  should  be  done  under 
the  auspices  of  the  official  educational 
body,  Spivey  advises,  and  a  representative 
advisory  committee  embodying  the  insight; 
of  many  religious  traditions  is  needed. 

"Unequivocal  support  must  be  given  to 
the  Supreme  Court's  decision  against 
government-sponsored  exercises  made  in 
public  schools,"  Spivey  states.  "The  school 
cannot  usurp  the  role  of  the  family,  church, 
or  synagogue.  Public  education  cannot  be 
concerned  with  the  practice  of  religion  but 
only  with  the  study  of  it." 

Spivey  further  recommends  special 
attention  be  given  to  sound  educational 
development  and  to  adequate  teacher 
preparation.  Religious  studies  should  be  in- 


Let's  keep  it  growing  "^^ 
for  200  more  years. 


,1  An 


Welcoming  God  to  America's  Bicentennial 


The  nation's  continuing  struggle  for  life, 
liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness  for  all 
of  God's  people  is  stressed  in  bicentennial 
resources  issued  by  RIAL,  Religion  in 
American  Life,  for  media  use  this  fall  and 
in  the  coming  year. 

The  conviction  behind  the  RIAL 
emphasis  is  that  the  200th  birthday  celebra- 
tion be  more  than  fireworks  and  hoopla — 
that  it  be  a  time  for  lifting  up  and  renewing 
the  spiritual  convictions  conceived  at  the 
nation's  founding. 


Hence  the  slogans,  "Let's  keep  it  growing 
for  200  more  years"  and  "Welcome  God  to 
America's  bicentennial."  Key  in  the 
messages,  the  interreligious  planners 
stress,  are  the  words  "growing"  and 
"God." 

To  local  churches  and  community 
groups  interested  in  tying  in  with  the 
national  mass  media  advertising,  a  Media 
Kit  with  planning  guides  and  sample 
materials  is  available  for  $3  from  RIAL, 
475  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  N.Y.  10017. 


tegrated  into  the  existing  curriculum  rather 
than  developed  as  special  courses  which 
students  may  see  as  separate  or  peripheral. 

"The  study  of  religion  inevitably  involves 
value  education,  and  may  challenge 
students  to  reexamine  their  own  positions 
and  values.  This  should  not  be  feared,"  Dr. 
Spivey  advises. 

Among  the  groups  promoting  religion  in 
public  education  is  Religious  Heritage  of 
America,  for  which  Wright  State  Universi- 
ty, Dayton,  Ohio,  is  the  study  center.  The 
center  has  achieved  national  recognition 
for  its  interdisciplinary  program  in  religion 
studies. 

Ocean  Grove  struggles 
to  retain  traffic  ban 

Ocean  Grove,  N.  J.,  the  camp  meeting  spa 
by  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  a  frequent 
site  of  Church  of  the  Brethren  Annual 


Conferences  in  the  past,  is  caught  up  in  a 
legal  battle  to  retain  its  sabbath  ban  on 
vehicular  traffic.  A  regulation  banning 
driving  on  Sundays  was  struck  down  last 
year  by  a  lower  court  as  "an  unlawful  es- 
tablishment of  religion." 

Rallying  in  support  of  the  Ocean  Grove 
Camp  Meeting  Association  is  the  National 
Council  of  Churches,  which  has  filed  an 
amicus  curiae  brief  with  the  New  Jersey 
Supreme  Court. 

Dean  Kelley  of  the  NCC  acknowledged 
that  it  might  seem  unusual  for  the  Council 
to  be  involved  in  such  a  case,  since  the 
ecumenical  organization  "has  not  been 
noted  for  rushing  to  the  defense  of  pietistic, 
Sabbatarian  organizations  like  the  Ocean 
Grove  Camp  Meeting  Association."  But  he 
pointed  out  that  the  case  involved  the 
rights  of  a  religious  community  to  enforce 
Sabbatarian  rules  for  persons  who  have 
voluntarily  chosen  to  stay  in  the 
community. 


The  case  "struck  us  as  a  very  significant 
religious  liberty  issue,"  said  Mr.  Kelley,  the 
director  of  civil  and  religious  liberties  for 
the  NCC.  He  also  explained  that  the 
religious  liberty  aspect  of  the  case  has  not 
heretofore  been  emphasized  by  Ocean 
Grove. 

Stephen  Skillman,  an  assistant  attorney 
general  of  New  Jersey,  also  has  filed  an 
amicus  brief  on  behalf  of  Ocean  Grove, 
describing  the  traffic  ban  as  a  "legitimate 
exercise  of  police  power"  designed  to 
preserve  a  "unique  enclave  from  the  bustle 
of  normal  daily  life." 

The  suit  against  the  century-old 
Methodist  community  was  brought  by  the 
owner  of  the  Ocean  Grove  News  Service, 
Robert  E.  Schaad,  on  the  complaint  that 
the  regulation  prevents  him  from  dis- 
tributing newspapers  in  the  early  hours  of 
Sunday  morning. 

Brethren  conferencegoers  experienced  the 
traffic  ban  seven  times  from  1940  to  1968 
when  Annual  Conference  was  held  in  Ocean 
Grove.  Those  choosing  to  leave  Ocean 
Grove  on  Sunday  toted  their  luggage  to  cars 
moved  outside  the  village  limits  by  midnight 
on  Saturday. 

Survey  lists  tv  shows 
heaviest  on  drinking 

What  beverage  flows  more  freely  than  any 
other  on  prime  time  television  program- 
ming? Coffee?  Water?  Cola? 

The  correct  answer  is  none  of  the  above. 
It  is  liquor. 

According  to  a  survey  conducted  by  the 
Christian  Science  Monitor,  the  two  shows 
with  heaviest  drinking,  Gunsmoke  and 
M.A.S.H.,  had  liquor  flowing  an  average 
of  once  every  eight  minutes. 

Among  other  programs  heaviest  on 
drinking  were  Mannix,  Cannon,  The 
Jeffersons,  Police  Story,  Petrocelli,  NBC 
Saturday  Night  at  the  Movies,  Harry  O 
and  Tuesday  Movie  of  the  Week. 

The  television  code  of  the  National 
Association  of  Broadcasters  states  that  li- 
quor is  to  be  shown  on  programs  only  if  it 
is  essential  to  the  plot  or  character  develop- 
ment. At  all  other  times  it  is  to  be  de- 
emphasized. 

While  network  representatives  claimed 
they  abide  by  the  NAB  liquor  rule,  the 
Monitor  found  producers  of  the  ten  shows, 
when  questioned,  observing  that  they  never 
had  scripts  returned  with  orders  to  reduce 
the  drinking. 


December  1975  messenger  9 


ps©DS]D  \r(BpQ)\rt 


Top:  NCC  banner  carried  in  the  1963 
March  on  Washington  for  Jobs  and 
Freedom.  Center  left:  Presiding  Bishop 
Henry  Knox  Sherrill  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  signs  the  NCC  into  being, 
November  29,  1950,  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Center  right:  delegates  listen  to  a  speaker 
at  the  first  plenary  session  of  the  NCC  in 
Cleveland.  Right:  Dr.  Claire  Randall, 
fourth  general  secretary  of  the  NCC 
(1974—).  A  United  Presbyterian 
laywoman.  Dr.  Randall,  55,  was  an  ex- 
ecutive of  Church  Women  United  before 
assuming  her  NCC  post  in  1974. 


25  Years  d 


The  presiding  officer  rose  at  1 1  a.m. 

"I  declare  that  the  National  Council  of 
the  Churches  of  Christ  in  the  United  States 
of  America  is  officially  constituted,"  he 
said.  "Let  us  now  dedicate  it  to  the  glory  ol 
God  and  to  the  service  of  mankind." 

That  was  25  years  ago,  November  29, 
1950.  Twenty-nine  churches — Protestant, 
Orthodox,  white  and  black — and  eight  in- 
terchurch  agencies  accepted  a  challenge  to 
share  the  wholeness  of  the  Christian  task. 

Franklin  Clark  Fry,  the  late  Lutheran 
leader  and  chairman  of  the  National  Coun^ 
cil's  organizing  assembly,  led  4,000  persons 
in  a  prayer  of  dedication. 

A  fervent  "Amen"  blended  with  the 
strains  of  the  organ  as  the  Doxology  was 
lifted  in  Cleveland's  Public  Auditorium. 
The  banner  above  the  stage  read,  "This  Na- 
tion Under  God." 

Much  has  happened  to  the  National 
Council  in  25  years.  Along  with  its 
ecumenical  successes  it  has  experienced 
financial  problems,  administrative  snafus 
and  internal  tensions.  It  has  won  friends 
and  made  enemies.  The  stated  purposes, 
however,  remain  those  declared  in  1950:  to 
glorify  God  in  a  united  way  and  to  serve 
humanity. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  on  its  25th  an- 
niversary, council  priorities  include  the 
nation's  crises  and  the  perilous  inter- 
national situation,  as  well  as  extension  of 
the  ecumenical  fellowship. 

The  "critical"  situation  of  the  United 
States  and  the  disturbing  international 
scene  were  much  discussed  in  Cleveland. 
Secretary  of  State  Dean  Acheson  cancelled 
a  personal  appearance  because  of  tension 
in  Asia.  Concern  for  the  future  of  the 
United  Nations  was  on  many  lips. 

Bleak  political  realities  did  not,  however, 
overshadow  the  celebration  of  a  milestone 
in  the  march  for  Christian  unity  a  quarter- 
century  ago. 

Many  of  the  25  Protestant  denom- 
inations and  four  Orthodox  Churches 
forming  the  council  had  been  associated  in 
the  Federal  Council  of  Churches,  one  of 
eight  (later  12)  interchurch  organizations 
merging  into  the  new  structure. 


10  MESSENGER  December  1975 


icumenical  Cooperation 


Preparation  for  the  National  Council 
lad  started  in  1941.  The  Cleveland  declara- 
:ion  was  a  culmination  as  well  as  a  begin- 
ling.  Ecumenism  was  taking  stock,  prepar- 
ng  for  larger  horizons. 

The  National  Council  was  "the  greatest 
"orward  step  toward  religious  unity  which 
America  has  yet  seen,"  said  the  late  Ralph 
5ockman,  the  famed  Methodist  preacher. 

No  succinct  definition  of  what  the 
Vational  Council  does  has  ever  been  possi- 
jle.  Description  depends  on  perspective. 
Fo  some,  the  council  is  the  forum  where 
listorically  separated  churches  seek  their 
jresent  and  future  unity  in  Christ. 


o, 


thers  view  it  as  a  social  action  agency 
sometimes  offending  the  constituencies  of 
ts  own  member  churches  with  radical 
statements  and  programs. 

For  still  others,  the  council  is  a  relief  and 
refugee  service,  publisher  of  the  Revised 
Standard  Version  Bible,  coordinator  of 
missionary  activities,  producer  of  radio  and 
;elevision  shows,  or  collector  of  religious 
statistics. 

Theological  dialogue,  social  action, 
^uman  welfare,  research,  overseas 
ministries,  and  communication  are  all  in- 
:luded  in  the  council's  far-flung  program. 

Grass-roots  ecumenism  involving 
Protestants,  Catholics  and  Orthodox; 
Christian- Jewish  relations;  literacy,  mission 
;ducation,  hunger,  church-state  issues,  and 
religious  liberty  are  in  the  NCC  portfolio. 

Increasing  cooperation  among  divided 
:hurches  at  home  and  abroad  is  the  unify- 
ing goal,  but  that  goal  is  not  pursued 
without  controversy,  without  problems. 

From  its  start  the  National  Council  was 
accused  by  some  of  meddling  in  politics. 
That  is  perhaps  the  most  constant  criticism 
of  an  organization  which  over  the  years 
supported  the  civil  rights  and  peace 
movements,  endorsed  boycotts  of  grapes 
md  lettuce,  called  for  US  recognition  of 
China  long  before  President  Nixon  went  to 
Peking,  and  lobbied  for  a  host  of  public 
causes. 

Identifying  itself  with  the  late  Martin 


Luther  King  Jr.,  the  council  rallied 
religious  backing  for  civil  rights  in  the 
1960s  and  played  an  active  role  in  working 
for  the  Civil  Rights  Acts  of  1964  and  the 
Voting  Rights  Act  of  1965. 

While  the  council  is  seen  as  too  liberal 
by  many,  it  has  in  recent  years  come  to  be 
viewed  as  too  conservative  by  groups 
which  believe  the  churches  should  be  more 
active  than  they  are  in  fostering  social  and 
political  change. 

One  current  problem  of  the  NCC  is  fin- 
ancial. Though  the  council's  basic  budget 
has  climbed  from  some  $2.5  million  in  1951 
to  $9.5  million  today,  some  member  de- 
nominations, especially  black  and  Ortho- 
dox, do  not  meet  their  fair  share  appor- 
tionments. Inflation  and  the  financial  prob- 
lems of  the  so-called  "mainline  churches" 
have  also  taken  a  toll  on  NCC  revenues. 

The  National  Council's  contribution  to 
the  undeniable  growth  of  the  ecumenical 
spirit  in  the  US  cannot  be  measured  by 
comparing  the  number  of  churches  on  its 
1950  and  1975  membership  rolls. 

A  net  gain  of  two  member  groups  (from 
29  to  31)  in  25  years  does  not  take  account 
of  at  least  seven  mergers  involving  more 
than  a  dozen  original  members.  New  full 
and  affiliate  communions  have  come 
primarily  from  Orthodoxy  and  ethnic 
Protestantism.  Nine  Orthodox  groups,  an 
increase  of  five  over  1950,  now  belong  to 
the  policy-making  Governing  Board. 

Agencies  of  churches  that  do  not  official- 
ly belong  to  the  council  can  and  do  take 
part  in  program  divisions.  That  possibility 
comes  largely  from  the  heritage  of  the  in- 
terchurch  organizations  helping  to  found 
the  council. 

Dating  from  the  late  19th  or  early  20th 
centuries,  many  of  those  organizations  had 
special  fields  of  interest,  such  as  education, 
foreign  or  home  missions,  stewardship,  or 
communications. 

It  was  not  necessary  for  all  denomi- 
nations represented  in,  for  example,  the  In- 
ternational Council  of  Religious  Education 
to  join  the  National  Council  proper  to  con- 
tinue cooperative  work  in  education. 
Therefore,  the  Southern  Baptist  Conven- 


tion, a  non-NCC  denomination,  takes 
part  in  a  council  section  that  prepares 
International  Sunday  School  Lesson 
outlines. 

In  recent  years,  a  number  of  Roman 
Catholic  orders  have  joined  the  Division  of 
Overseas  Ministries.  Many  non-member 
groups  work  through  Church  World 
Service,  the  NCC's  relief  and  refugee 
agency. 

Improving  Protestant-Catholic- 
Orthodox  relations  has  been  a  growing 
council  concern  since  1965.  One  outgrowth 
is  a  series  of  Living  Room  Dialogues,  a 
widely-hailed  venture  that  brought  together 
Christians  in  communities  across  the  land 
for  discussion  of  "responsible  involvement" 
in  the  unity  movement. 

The  US  Catholic  hierarchy  did  not  re- 
spond favorably  to  a  1971  proposal,  made 
by  a  joint  NCC-Catholic  committee,  that 
American  Catholics  join  the  National 
Council  at  that  time.  Relations  between  the 
council  and  the  Cathohc  bishops'  con- 
ference are,  however,  closer  today  than  any 
would  have  predicted  a  decade  ago. 

The  general  secretaries  of  the  NCC,  the 

William  P.  Thompson,  United  Presbyteri- 
an churchman,  will  serve  as  NCC  president 
for  the  next  three  years.  Thompson,  57, 
is  a  graduate  of  McPherson  College,  Kans. 


December  1975  messenger  11 


National  Conference  of  Catholic  Bishops 
and  the  Synagogue  Council  of  America 
consult  regularly.  Informal  efforts  have 
been  made  to  enlist  wider  participation  in 
National  Council  programs  by  evangelical 
denominations  and  movements. 


w. 


Sterling  Cary,  retiring  president  of 
the  NCC,  points  out  that  many  changes  in 
the  council  have  occurred  since  its  begin- 
ning in  "the  heady,  golden  days  of  the  50s." 
No  small  part  of  its  pain  midway  through 
the  70s,  he  says,  is  to  deal  with  the  tremors 
of  the  60s  that  shook  up  all  sectors  of 
society. 

Cary  feels  that  the  70s  have  brought  to 
the  NCC  a  new  structure  that  is  enabling 
its  staff  to  strive  toward  a  more  open 


system  of  operation  and  with  adequate 
minority  representation. 

Where  the  National  Council  is  on  its 
25th  birthday,  Cary  sums  up,  is  this: 
"Aware  of  the  flaws  in  its  structures  and 
working  to  correct  them;  resolved  to 
balance  sound  biblical  and  theological 
positions  with  continuing  commitment  to 
social  justice;  adjusting  to  the  radical  shift 
of  staffing  at  its  core  while  developing  a 
collegial  style  in  the  process;  moving  away 
from  tinkering  with  structures  toward  a 
concentration  on  its  purpose  and  meaning 
for  the  next  triennium." 

William  Phelps  Thompson,  the  United 
Presbyterian  executive  who  will  become 
president  of  the  NCC  on  Jan.  1,  observed 
following  his  election  that  the  Council  as 
currently  constituted  is  "not  a  bland. 


Brethren  officers,  staff  in  the  National  Council 


In  the  course  of  its  25-year  history, 
four  Brethren  have  been  elected  of- 
ficers of  the  National  Council  of 
Churches.  The  late  Norman  J. 
Baugher  was  recording  secretary  1957- 
60  and  vice-president  chairing  the 
Division  of  Christian  Life  and 
Witness,  1960-66;  the  late  Andrew  W. 
Cordier  was  vice-president  at  large, 
1963-66;  Joel  K.  Thompson  was  vice- 
president  chairing  the  Division  of 
Overseas  Ministries,  1972-75;  and 
Ronald  D.  Petry  is  a  new  vice- 
president  who  will  chair  the  Com- 
mission on  Stewardship  for  three 
years. 

Ten  Brethren  or  Brethren-related 
persons  have  been  members  of  the 
National  Council  staff:  Elmer  Fike, 
Indian  specialist,  1956-70;  David  Her- 
nandez, associate  director,  National 


Farm  Worker  Ministry,  1971 — ; 
Ernest  Lefever,  associate  executive 
director.  Department  of  International 
Justice  and  Good  Will,  1952-54;  Lila 

E.  McCray,  associate  director  for  field 
program.  Department  of  Church 
World  Service,  1973—;  John  D. 
Metzler  Sr.,  national  director  of 
CROP,  1947-54  and  European  and 
Middle  East  director.  Church  World 
Service,  1954-65;  John  D.  Metzler  Jr., 
business  manager  CROP,  since  1952; 
J.  Quinter  Miller,  associate  general 
secretary  for  special  ministries,  1951- 
66;  I.  W.  Moomaw,  executive. 
Agricultural  Missions,  1951-62;  Kurtis 

F.  Naylor,  director  of  Middle  East  and 
European  program,  associate  director 
of  International  Affairs  Commission, 
1965-73;  and  J.  Benton  Rhoades,  ex- 
ecutive. Agricultural  Missions,  1961  — . 


Elected  NCC  officials,  I.  to  r.:  N.  Baugher,  A.  Cordier,  J.  Thompson.  R.  Petry 


homogenous  mass;  rather  it  is  lively;  it  is 
diverse;  it  includes  many  theological 
traditions,  a  wide  spectrum  of  liturgical 
practices,  the  several  races  and  ethnic 
groups,  the  old  and  the  young,  persons 
passionately  committed  to  particular  im- 
mediate concerns." 

The  concerns  he  himself  stressed  were 
for  the  Council  and  its  member  churches  to 
exemplify  within  the  ecumenical  movement 
and  the  nation  "simple  honesty"  and 
"adherence  to  truth  for  its  own  sake."  He 
urged  the  NCC  to  take  the  lead  in  restoring 
commitment  to  moral  principles  and  a 
sense  of  national  purpose  at  the  time  of  the 
Bicentennial  when  the  nation  seems  to  be 
"drifting." 

What  is  needed  today  is  for  those 
members  of  the  churches  to  hear  a  clear 
voice  calling  them  to  practice  the  Judaeo- 
Christian  ethic  in  public  and  private,"  the 
president-elect  said. 

In  its  October  meeting  the  Governing 
Board  adopted  a  dozen  resolutions,  one  of 
the  foremost  being  a  warning  that  future 
reliance  on  plutonium  in  nuclear  power  is 
"morally  indefensible  and  technically  ob- 
jectionable." 

Appeals  directed  to  the  Soviet  Union  on 
the  imprisonment  of  religious  leaders  there 
and  on  US-Panama  relations,  resolutions 
on  the  integrity  of  African  nations, 
Micronesia,  the  United  Nations,  and  the 
proposed  US  Criminal  Justice  Reform  Act, 
and  a  policy  statement  on  hunger  revealed 
that  there  is  little  indication  that  the  Coun- 
cil's mood  is  to  pull  back  from  asserting 
itself  on  moral  concerns  and  issues  of 
human  rights  at  home  and  abroad. 


T. 


Lhe  day  before  formal  inauguration  in 
late  November  1950,  the  soon-to-be 
National  Council  received  a  message  from 
President  Harry  Truman. 

"I  am  grateful,"  the  late  President  said, 
"for  the  contributions  which  the  churches 
of  the  National  Council  are  making  to  the 
faith  of  our  people,  to  the  maintenance  of 
freedom  throughout  the  world,  to  social 
welfare  and  the  interracial  and  inter- 
national good  will. 

"I  hope  the  coming  years  will  bring  still 
greater  unity  of  purpose  and  efforts  among 
the  religious  forces  of  America." 

At  this  milestone,  the  National  Council 
is  evaluating  its  efforts  to  date  and  pur- 
suing the  "still  greater  unity." — Elliott 
Wright,  Religious  News  Service  Sources 


12  MESSENGER  December  1975 


by  Robert  W.  Neff 


Testimonies  to  truth 


Die  Wahrheit  wird  euch  frei  machen.  In 
any  language,  the  words  of  John  8:32,  "The 
truth  will  make  you  free,"  seem  ap- 
propriate for  a  Believers'  Church  Con- 
ference on  Anabaptism.  The  German  was 
especially  appropriate  for  the  conference 
conducted  last  summer  in  both  German 
and  English  at  Ruschlikon,  a  suburb  of 
Zurich,  where  the  native  language  is  Ger- 
man. The  setting  was  a  reminder  of  our 
own  German  Anabaptist  heritage. 

Even  more  so,  the  theme  from  John  8 
was  meaningful  not  only  because  the  Men- 
nonites  were  celebrating  their  450th  an- 
niversary, but  because  there  is  a  perennial 
longing  for  truth  and  freedom  typified  by 
the  history  of  those  who  have  witnessed  to 
the  truth  that  frees. 

The  conference  provided  a  setting  in 
which  participants  could  come  to  know 
one  another  better  and  to  share  their  own 
beliefs  on  the  topics  of  truth  and  freedom. 
Heinold  Fast,  an  Anabaptist  historian 
from  Emden,  Germany,  began  a  discussion 
on  the  theme  from  the  position  of  the 
Anabaptists  in  Switzerland  in  the  early  six- 
teenth century.  Fast  held  that  "in  the  cir- 
cumstances of  Anabaptist  persecutions  by 
the  Swiss  authorities  the  cross,  which  first 
of  all  was  the  result  of  confessing  the  truth, 
can  itself  become  a  confession.  The  cross  as 
testimony  to  the  truth  soon  took  a  central 
place  in  the  thought  and  action  of  many 
Anabaptists."  In  the  conclusion  of  his 
paper.  Dr.  Fast  maintained  that  "we  testify 
to  the  truth  of  the  cross  insofar  as  we  take 
up  the  cross  of  Christ." 

Reform  historian  and  theologian,  Gott- 
fried Locher  responded  that  the  cross  did 
play  a  central  role  in  Zwingli's  theology  as 
well,  but  it  is  faith  in  the  cross  as  the  atone- 
ment for  our  sins  and  far  less  the  individual 
believer's  bearing  the  cross.  On  this 
ground,  Zwingli  opposed  adult  baptism 
because  for  him  faith  in  the  cross  is  op- 
posed to  faith  in  baptism.  This  dishearten- 
ing lack  of  accord  led  to  the  persecution  of 
the  Anabaptists  in  Switzerland.  Both 


Locher  and  Fast  agreed  that  the  period 
of  antagonism  had  long  since  passed  and 
the  time  for  mutual  understanding  had 
arrived. 

Gunter  Wagner,  the  professor  of  New 
Testament  at  the  Ruschlikon  Baptist 
Seminary,  took  up  the  conference  theme 
from  the  New  Testament  perspective  and 
concluded  that  one  cannot  avoid  under- 
standing the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
fellowship  of  the  freed.  For  Wagner  this  had 
implications  for  the  relationship  between 
the  so  called  "Free  Churches"  (Believers' 
Churches)  and  other  denominations. 
"Freedom  for  the  Christian  does  not  lead  to 
individualism  but  to  fellowship  "which 
emphasizes  the  brotherhood  and  sisterhood 
of  all  Christians.  "Christian  freedom  verifies 
itself  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Church."  From 
these  observations  Wagner  drew  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  relationship  between  churches 
should  not  be  a  uniform  but  a  conciliar  one, 
in  which  they  share  in  mutual  service  and  a 
responsible  working  together  for  the  good 
of  all.  This  conciliar  life-style  means  a 
dialogical  existence  for  churches  at  the 
local,  regional,  and  international  levels. 


Th. 


Lhe  final  presenter,  Hans  Heinrich 
Brunner,  the  son  of  Emil  Brunner  and  a 
pastor  of  a  State  Church,  began  with  a 
model  from  his  book.  The  Church  Without 
Illusion,  suggesting  that  by  1983  the  Swiss 
federal  constitution  would  be  changed  to 
affect  a  complete  separation  between 
church  and  state.  Even  though  Brunner 
was  forced  to  concede  that  this  would  not 
happen  and  this  eventuality  was  a  long  way 
off,  few  people  would  argue  today  that  we 
can  avoid  the  eventual  separation  of 
church  and  state  in  Europe.  In  other 
words,  on  the  450th  anniversary  of  the 
Anabaptist  beginnings,  the  Believers 
Church  has  been  shown  to  bear  the  truth. 
As  Gottfried  Locher  had  stated  earlier  in 
the  conference,  "For  a  long  time  it  has 
become  manifest  that  the  future  belongs  to 


the  Free  Churches  (Believers'  Churches)." 
As  members  of  a  Believers'  Church,  we 
might  applaud  this  victory.  However,  a 
cautionary  word  was  sounded  by  Carl 
Tiller,  a  Baptist  from  the  United  States, 
who  argued  that  Americans  suffered  from 
another  danger  in  a  country  where  state 
and  religion  are  clearly  separated,  namely 
"civil  religion."  Too  often  American 
Christians  confuse  Christian  piety  with  an 
overzealous  patriotism.  This  attitude  on 
the  part  of  American  Christians  suggests 
that  a  major  task  of  the  Believers' 
Churches  in  North  America  is  again  to  deal 
with  the  relationship  of  church  and  state 
for  which  our  forebears  gave  their  lives.  In 
the  absence  of  armed  civil  conflict,  we 
might  be  tempted  into  thinking  that  no 
problem  exists  between  the  church  and 
state  except  on  the  other  side  of  the 
"detente  curtain."  Truth  and  freedom  are 
identified  with  a  life  guaranteed  by  a 
secular  state  and  unchallenged  by  a  quiet 
and  voiceless  church.  We  must  not  neglect 
the  issues  of  truth  and  freedom  as  they 
bear  upon  the  relationship  of  church  and 
state  in  our  own  time  and  place. 

It  was  not  by  accident  that  our  final  ses- 
sion was  a  worship  service  in  the  chapel  of 
the  cathedral  in  Zurich  where  the  pastor  of 
the  cathedral,  the  president  of  the  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary  in  Hamburg,  and  the 
president  of  the  European  Mennonite 
School  in  Bienenberg  officiated  and 
preached.  Given  the  history  of  strife  be- 
tween the  "state  church"  and  the  Anabap- 
tists in  Zurich,  the  worship  service  was 
an  appropriate  conclusion  and  a  sign 
for  a  future  in  which  the  truth  of  Christ 
frees  us  for  one  another.    G 


December  1975  messenger  13 


T, 


by  T.  Wayne  Rieman 


.his  is  the  season  of  joy!  Though  every  season  is  a  time  for  joy  for 
those  who  know  the  Good  News,  there's  something  special  about 
this  season.  Something  tremendous  happened!  God  was  born  in 
Jesus.  God  is  with  us — that's  what  Emmanuel  means. 

God  loves  us.  That's  what  Christmas  is  all  about.  We  are  not 
forgotten  or  alone.  God  has  come.  The  angel  announced  it  saying: 
"I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy  .  .  ."  Good  News  for  all! 

John  the  Baptist  preached  the  Good  News.  Jesus  came  preaching 
the  Good  News  of  God  saying:  The  right  time  has  come.  The 
Kingdom  of  God  is  near.  Turn  away  from  your  sins.  Believe  the 
Good  News. 

Jesus  was  a  Joy-bringer.  When  Jesus  spoke  for  the  first  time  in 
his  home  town  synagogue  in  Nazareth,  he  declared  Good  News — 
Joy! 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me. 
He  has  anointed  me  to  preach  Good  News  to  the  poor, 
He  has  sent  me  to  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives. 
And  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind. 
To  set  free  the  oppressed, 

To  announce  the  year  when  the  Lord  will  save  his  people. 
This  is  Jesus'  manifesto!  Good  News!  Good  News!  Help  for  cap- 
tives, sight  for  the  blind,  freedom  for  the  oppressed,  salvation  for 


all!  And  it  was  to  these  that  Jesus  gave  his  life. 

Someone  has  said  that  wherever  Jesus  moved,  he  left  a  path  of 
gladness  behind  him.  More  than  any  other,  he  made  hearts  glad. 
That's  what  he  was  about.  Two  hymns  are  proper  responses  to  what 
is  apparent  at  Christmas:  "Joy,  Joy,  Joy!"  and  "Joy  to  the  World." 
These  affirm  the  experiences  of  the  heart!  Yes,  life  is  good!  We  af- 
firm it!  We  know  it! 

IVIany  have  caught  this  mood.  In  half  a  billion  homes  in  this 
season  there  is  an  aura  of  joy.  It  is  manifested  in  giving  and  receiv- 
ing gifts,  the  ten-billion  messages  of  Good  Will  sent  by  cards  to 
friends  and  loved  ones,  the  glow  of  lights  and  tinsel,  and  the  unend- 
ing songs  on  radio  and  tv  which  catch  some  of  the  spirit  of  the 
season.  With  all  of  the  misguided  efforts,  poorly  chosen  gifts,  the 
selfish  reception  of  gifts  at  times,  and  a  failure  to  understand  the 
Real  Gift  of  God  in  Jesus — something  of  the  Good  News  prevails! 
Joy  is  for  all  seasons.  Paul  tells  us  to  give  thanks  in  everything. 
Gratitude  is  a  life-style,  the  only  appropriate  life-style  for  those  who 
follow  Jesus,  the  Joy-bringer — who  had  good  news  for  all! 

Some  lovely  person  caught  this.  Last  January,  soon  after  the 
new  year,  a  precious  little  note  came  to  me  saying: 
Have  a  sunshine  year  filled  with: 
balloons 
ice  cream  cones 
and  fuzzy  pussy  willows! 
And  a  balloon  was  attached.  No  name  was  signed,  except  a  smiling 
happy  face  drawn  at  the  bottom.  It  was  a  very  small  gift,  but  it  gave 
a  tremendous  lift!  It  made  my  day!  And  every  time  I  look  at  this 
note,  posted  above  my  desk,  I  am  made  glad.  I  give  thanks  for 
someone — unknown  to  me — committed  to  joy-bringing.  Whoever  it 
was  is  a  joy  bringer!  Any  Christian  ought  to  be. 
But  there  is  another  mood.  For  me  it  is  a  burden. 
This  is  a  season  of  anguish!  Matthew  Arnold,  more  than  a  cen- 
tury ago,  wrote  of  the  eternal  note  of  sadness,  and  the  "turbid  ebb 
and  flow  of  human  misery"  (Dover  Beach,  1867).  Some  of  us  at  this 
season  are  nearly  overwhelmed  by  the  calamitous  quality  of  human! 
existence  for  billions  of  the  children  of  God.  Harnack  said  it  more  j 
than  seventy-five  years  ago:  "For  the  teeming  masses  of  humankind, 
wo  words  are  synonymous:  life  and  misery.  To  be  alive  is  to  be  mis- 
erable; to  be  miserable  is  to  be  alive."  ! 

Jesus  had  Good  News  for  the  poor,  for  those  in  bondage, 
blindness,  brokenness,  bruiseness.  Now  that  he  is  gone — 
physically — he  has  entrusted  us  to  take  Good  News  to  the  poor. 
Ah!  This  is  the  tragedy!  We  haven't  delivered  it! 

What  Good  News  do  we  have  for  the  poor?  Poverty  is  preven- 
table! Starvation  is  preventable!  We  may  be  overpopulating  the 
earth,  but  it  is  still  possible  to  feed  the  present  population!  This  is 
the  anguish  producing  fact:  we  prefer  not  to.  We  prefer  other  things! 
We  prefer  our  own  luxuries;  we  prefer  privileges;  we  prefer  the 
special  comforts  of  affluence.  We  prefer  warmth,  good  food,  wall- 
to-wall  carpeting,  mobility,  travel  in  $10,000  mobile  homes.  We 
prefer  the  piggish  comsumption  of  our  way  of  life:  luxury-laden, 
chromium-gilded,  super-powered  autos,  color  television,  the  good 
earth  which  we  stole  from  the  native  Americans,  and  a  monstrous 
military  system  which  guarantees  that  we  will  be  Number  One!  Half 


Joy  and  anguish 


of  our  national  budget  goes  to  protect  our  position  of  power  and 
luxury!  In  our  position  of  power,  with  only  six  percent  of  the 
world's  population,  we  consume  each  year  from  40  to  50  percent  of 
the  energy,  food,  and  other  expendable  resources  which  are 
available! 

Two  bold  facts  face  us:  A  very  rich  western  world,  engaged  in 
piggish  overconsumption  of  the  earth's  resources,  and  a  very  poor 
sastern  and  southern  world  vastly  overpopulated,  for  whom  the 
jarth's  resources  are  quite  inadequate. 

Twin  problems  emerge  from  these  giant  facts;  Overconsumption, 
gluttony,  privilege,  and  exploitation  of  the  weak  and  poor;  we  are 
this  problem,  or  largely  responsible  for  it.  Overpopulation,  scarcity, 
hunger,  malnutrition,  starvation,  irreparable  brain  damage;  they  are 
that  problem  and  the  victims  of  it. 

We  face  an  unprecedented  situation:  There's  more  suffering  than 
it  any  time  in  human  history.  800,000,000  are  undernourished,  a 
lialf-billion  children  are  starving,  and  much  of  humanity  is  hungry. 
For  the  first  time  major  spokesmen  are  urging  us  not  to  be  con- 
;erned  about  feeding  the  hungry  (Butz,  Hardin,  Johnson, 
Montgomery,  and  others). 

Today  there  is  no  Herod  ordering  innocents  to  be  slaughtered  as 
in  Bethlehem  after  Jesus'  birth.  Nonetheless,  children  are  dying  of 
starvation  or  suffering  brain  damage  in  Bangladesh,  the  Sahel,  In- 
donesia, South  America,  Fiji,  India,  Kenya,  Ethiopia,  Tanzania,  the 
United  States,  and  elsewhere: 

A  sound  is  heard  in  Ramah, 
The  sound  of  bitter  crying  and  weeping, 
Rachael  weeps  for  her  children. 
She  weeps  and  will  not  be  comforted, 
Because  they  are  dead.  (Matt.  2:18) 
The  cries  continue,  not  because  of  Herod's  violence,  not  because 
the  world  cannot  feed  them,  but  because  we  will  not  feed  them  or 
make  it  possible  for  them  to  feed  themselves.  Our  aid  and  trade 
policies  are  not  geared  to  feed  the  hungry;  military  budgets  take  the 
lion's  share  of  the  money  of  the  western  powers;  our  high  standard 
of  living  makes  others  live  on  low  levels;  a  child  born  in  the  United 
States  will  consume  in  its  life  from  20  to  50  times  as  much  energy 
and  other  resources  as  a  child  born  in  India.  It  is  not  Herod's 
violence  that  causes  crying  and  weeping,  it  is  our  violence.  We 
violate  the  existence  of  billions.  In  a  large  way,  we  are  the  problem. 
To  turn  our  backs  on  suffering  people  is  to  turn  our  backs  on 
Christ  himself.  So  Jesus  told  us  (Matt.  25:34-45). 

There  are  joy  and  anguish  at  Christmastime!  Both  are 
widespread: 

— We  recall  Jesus,  the  joyous  One,  and  Jesus  weeping  over 

Jerusalem; 
— We  sense  the  joy  of  ecstatic  children  giving  and  receiving  right 
now,  millions  are  tearing  open  packages,  and  we  hear  the  cries 
of  hungry  waifs,  receiving  nothing  and  with  nothing  to  give 
but  a  cry; 
— We  enjoy  privileges  unlimited,  while  terrifying  underprivilege 

is  the  state  of  the  masses  of  humankind; 
— We  have  freedom  and  justice;  the  poor  serve  a  life  sentence  of 
poverty; 


— We  have  well  cooked  meals  and  full  plates;  hundreds  of  aged 
in  America  buy  dog  and  cat  food — and  eat  it! 

Joy  and  anguish  at  Christmastime!  How  can  we  live  with  our 
eyes  wide  open  and  not  experience  both? 

—  Homes  and  families,  happy  children  squealing  with  delight; 
and  the  slaughter  of  the  innocents,  not  by  Herod,  but  by  our 
withholding,  by  our  failing  to  care,  by  our  fat  affluence,  by 
our  high  standard  of  living  which  denies  life  for  millions; 
—The  good  earth,  but  it  is  an  exploited  earth,  wasted,  eroded, 
polluted.  The  energy  which  lights  our  Christmas  trees  comes 
from  the  scarred  hills  of  Kentucky  and  West  Virginia,  and 
from  scarred  lives  of  miners.  Some  who  mine  can't  afford  coal 
to  keep  their  houses  warm! 
Joy!  Joy!  Joy!  Yes,  and  anguish  immeasurable!  Both  are  in  our 
world.  How  shall  we  put  them  together  in  this  strangely  joyous, 
wonderful,  anguishful  season?  Now  we  know  the  joy  and  the  suffer- 
ing of  God! 

I  have  spoken  for  myself.  It  is  a  confessional.  It  is  where  I  am.  If 
I  have  not  spoken  for  you,  please  forgive. 

I  feel  deep,  deep  joy;  and  I  am  in  anguish  over  the  plight  of 
biUions. 

Christmas  is  a  wonderful  day,  but  it  is  hell  for  billions  of  hungry, 
deprived  children  of  God. 

Joy  and  anguish  at  Christmastime!  Yes!  Both!  D 


at  Christmas  time 


"  yirgin  of  the  Annunciation, "  by  Gerard  David 


Read  Luke  1:46-55 

The  song  of  Mary  called  the  Magnificat  is 
probably  the  best  known  and  best  loved  of 
the  songs  of  Christmas  recorded  in  the  first 
two  chapters  of  Luke's  gospel.  Like  the 
song  of  Zechariah,  which  precedes  it,  the 
Magnificat  is  an  antiphonal  carol  sung  in 
response  to  the  angelic  announcement  to 
Mary  that  she  would  have  a  son.  It,  too,  is 
a  delayed  response,  inspired  by  the  strange 
greeting  of  Mary's  kinswoman,  Elizabeth. 
Mary  had  gone  to  visit  Elizabeth,  possibly 
because  she  knew  of  Elizabeth's 
remarkable  pregnancy  and  felt  she  would 
understand  and  share  Mary's  marvelous 
secret.  According  to  Luke's  story,  no 
sooner  had  Mary  greeted  Elizabeth  than 
the  babe  within  the  womb  ol  Elizabeth 
leaped  for  joy.  As  Elizabeth  shares  this, 
whatever  doubts  that  still  may  have  been 
lingering  in  Mary's  mind  are  dispelled. 

On  the  surface  this  song  of  Mary  seems 
to  be  about  what  God  has  done  to  her  for 
her.  Like  Zechariah,  Mary  addresses  her 
song  to  God;  but  implied  within  her  words 
is  a  prophetic  tribute  to  her  yet  unborn 
son.  In  a  deeper  and  long  range  sense  it 
focuses  completely  on  what  God  will  do 
through  her  son  Jesus.  Therefore,  it  is  not 
a  song  about  what  God  has  done  to  or  for 
Mary,  but  what  God  is  doing  through  her 
for  all  the  lowly,  poor,  and  forgotten. 
What  seems  to  be  a  tender  song  of  joy 
turns  out  to  be  a  powerful,  revolutionary 
anthem. 

Let  us  trace  carefully  this  transition  in 
Mary's  song,  because  many  in  the  church 
as  well  as  the  world  miss  its  revolutionary 
theme.  John  the  Baptist  came  to  make  a 
people  prepared.  Prepared  for  what? 
Prepared  to  follow  Jesus  the  Christ  in  his 
redemptive  revolution.  Mary's  song  clearly 
implies  that  Jesus'  redeeming  work  entails 
his  turning  the  world  upside  down. 

The  very  circumstances  of  Jesus'  birth 
are  revolutionary.  The  agent  of  God's 
redemptive  revolution  will  be  born  of 


Mary,  a  woman.  Now  one  might  ask, 
"What  is  so  revolutionary  about  this?  Who 
but  women  have  been  having  babies?" 
True,  but  in  this  case  it  is  a  woman  ac- 
complishing this  womanly  task  without  the 
help  of  a  man.  To  appreciate  this  implica- 
tion of  the  virgin  birth  story,  one  must 
remember  that  in  Mary's  world,  few 
thought  a  woman  could  do  anything 
significant  without  a  man.  Women  simply 
did  not  rate.  There  are  many  miraculous 
ways  in  which  God  could  have  produced  a 
son,  if  a  miracle  were  all  he  wanted.  But  he 
chose  Mary,  a  woman,  to  assist  him;  and 
this  redeems  the  worth  of  womanhood  dis- 
regarded by  many  men. 

Am  1  straining  to  make  a  far-out  point?  I 
think  not.  Mary  suggests  this  interpretation 
when  she  sings:  "He  has  regarded  the  low 
estate  of  his  handmaiden."  That  is,  God 
has  respected  her  and  made  her  a  worthy 
partner  in  his  redeeming  work  even  though 


she  is  "a  lowly  woman."  She  is  now  no 
longer  a  second-class  human  being.  God  has 
overlooked  that  historic  male  put-down  of 
women,  and  in  so  doing  foreshadows  his 
revolutionary  intention  to  lift  all  who  have 
been  put  down,  despised  and  oppressed. 
Spiritually  speaking,  the  liberation  of 
women  begins  with  Mary;  and  it  is  fas- 
cinating to  note  how  women  play  a  very  sig- 
nificant role  in  the  whole  Gospel  of  Luke. 

This  interpretation  of  the  story  of  Mary's 
virginity  is  as  valid,  if  not  more  so,  than 
the  idea  that  sex  is  somehow  impure  or 
that  this  in  some  way  guarantees  Jesus' 
divinity.  These  other  conclusions  are  a  sub- 
tle denial  of  Mary's  femininity  and 
significance  as  a  human  being.  They  miss 
the  fact  that  Mary  did  not  have  to  prove 
that  she  was  equal  or  superior  to  a  man  for 
God  to  choose  her.  Her  personhood  is  af- 
firmed as  an  ordinary  woman.  In  this  is  a 
prophetic  hint  of  what  is  to  come.  Who 


n  th^  lov^lin^ss  of  th^  rHaanihcat  th€fj 


16  MESSENGER  December  1975 


rnari|5  song  of  rcvoluUon 


would  guess  that  this  unknown,  young 
woman  would  be  the  beginning  of  a  world 
revolution?  Mary  is  significant  without  be- 
ing a  Golda  Meir.  She  is  a  woman  whom 
God  has  chosen  to  bear  his  son.  In  this  her 
womanhood  is  neither  violated  nor 
changed,  but  affirmed  and  exalted  as  the 
"handmaiden  of  God." 

In  stressing  the  revolutionary  implication 
in  the  account  of  Jesus'  birth,  we  must  not 
forget  that  the  revolution  of  Christmas  is 
spiritual  and  divine.  It  is  God's  doing,  not 
the  accomplishment  of  human  forces.  Note 
that  Mary  addresses  God  as  her  "Savior." 
Obviously  God  uses  human  agents  such  as 
Mary,  Jesus,  the  Apostles  and  the  church. 
But  the  ultimate  power,  inspiration  and 
guidance  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  God  Incar- 
nate. Mary  clearly  says  this  when  she  sings, 

"For  he  who  is  mighty  has  done  great 
things  for  me, 
and  holy  is  his  name. 

And  his  mercy  is  on  those  who  fear  him 
from  generation  to  generation." 

There  is  no  confusion  about  who  is 
revolutionizing  the  human  situation.  Of 
course  Jesus  is  central  to  this  reconciling 
mission;  but  the  affirmation  is  always;  God 
was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  to 
himself.  This  is  also  true  of  the  church.  It  is 
also  God  in  the  church  reconciling  the 
world  to  himself,  not  the  church  as  some 
semi-divine  institution  accomplishing  this 
task.  If  we  are  not  careful  to  distinguish  the 
instigator  of  this  inner  revolution,  we  will 
confuse  our  human  methods  of  revolution 
with  those  of  God.  This  is  a  spiritual 
revolution  with  worldwide  implications. 
Under  the  influence  of  God  Jesus  becomes 
a  revolutionary  figure,  and  the  community 
of  faith  he  established  a  revolutionary 
society. 

Many  would  find  this  to  be  an  absurd 
statement.  Some  find  it  to  be  frightening. 
For  in  fact  the  church  is  anything  but 
revolutionary.  It  is  frequently  the  last  in- 
stitution to  endorse  social  change.  Yet,  the 
early  Christians  were  revolutionary  and  ex- 


pressed this  spirit  in  the  song  of  Mary.  It 
reveals  the  kind  of  salvation  which  the 
church  believed  God  had  wrought  in  Jesus. 
It  would  be  a  salvation  which  the  great 
ones  of  the  earth  would  not  welcome. 
There  is  dynamite  in  it,  as  Jesus'  friends 
and  neighbors  in  Nazareth  discovered 
(Luke4:16f0. 

The  church,  therefore,  is  to  be  a 
revolutionary  society,  not  the  protector  of 
the  status  quo.  Why,  then,  do  we  play 
down  this  revolutionary  thrust?  Are  we 
afraid  to  let  God  use  us  in  redeeming  the 
world?  Not  exactly.  I  believe  we  do  not  un- 
derstand the  nature  of  God's  revolution  in 
Jesus  and  in  the  church.  We  confuse  the 
world's  methods  of  revolution  which  seeks 
to  impose  change  from  without  with  God's 
method  of  revolution  which  draws  forth 
change  from  within.  Therefore,  we  split 
into  radical  and  reactionary  groups  within 
the  church  and  fight  one  another,  while  the 
redeeming  revolution  of  the  Spirit  goes  un- 
accomplished. 


Go 


'od's  revolution  is  political,  not  in  the 
sense  that  he  imposes  a  new  set  of  rules  in 
another,  external  form  of  government,  but 
in  the  sense  that  he  rules  from  within 
fulfilling  the  real  spirit  of  law.  It  is  moral  in 
its  scope,  scattering  the  people  who  im- 
agine they  are  right  and  who  appear  to  act 
within  the  law  and  obey  the  rituals,  while 
in  fact  they  lie  and  cheat. 

God's  revolution  overturns  this  moral 
egotism  in  the  inner  revelation  of  one's  true 
self.  Truth  is  an  unconquerable  force  once 
it  grasps  an  individual  or  a  society  from 
within  and  makes  integrity  inescapable. 

God's  revolution  is  social  in  the  sense 
that  it  ignores  the  labels  which  lend 
prestige  to  some  and  deny  dignity  to  others 
because  of  where  they  are  in  the  strata  of 
human  society.  Every  attempt  by 
humankind  to  establish  a  classless  society 
so  far  has  failed  because  it  pitted  one  class 
against  another  for  the  spot  at  the  top  of 


the  social  pile.  The  injustice  and  inequality 
of  human  society  is  not  changed  in  these 
human,  revolutionary  shifts.  The  tyrants 
and  the  victims  of  tyranny  are  merely 
turned  upside  down. 

Real  change  comes  between  human 
beings  who  love  their  neighbors  like 
themselves.  It  is  not  the  result  of  any  cer- 
tain type  of  social  organization,  but  the 
fruit  of  indiscriminate  love. 

God's  revolution  is  economic  in  the  sense 
that  it  brings  spiritual  contentment  in  place 
of  an  insatiable  materialistic  appetite.  Now 
that  we  must  face  up  to  the  world's  limited 
material  resources  in  the  current  energy 
crisis,  we  had  better  find  this  spiritual  con- 
tentment or  our  days  on  this  planet  will 
truly  be  numbered. 

"A  non-Christian  society  is  an  ac- 
quisitive society  where  each  man  is  out  to 
amass  as  much  as  he  can  get,"  William 
Barclay  declares.  "A  Christian  society  is  a 
society  where  no  man  dares  to  have  too 
much  while  others  have  too  little,  where 
every  man  must  get  only  to  give  away." 

If  we  miss  this  spiritual  contentment  and 
the  sharing  it  inspires,  we  will  not  be  the 
hungry  whom  God  fills  with  good  things 
but  the  rich  whom  He  will  send  empty 
away.  This  is  no  poetic  figure  of  speech  in 
today's  world. 

An  anthem  goes,  "No  candle  was  there 
and  no  fire."  For  Jesus  and  his  kind  an 
energy  crisis  is  nothing  new.  The  poor  and 
the  humble  ones  have  always  known  these 
shortages.  Yet  Jesus  and  his  community 
are  not  short  on  spiritual  energy  and  light. 
They  will  survive  the  material  crisis  of  this 
time  as  they  have  in  every  age.  Perhaps 
they  will  yet  redeem  and  thereby 
revolutionize  this  world. 

"There  is  loveliness  in  the  Magnificat," 
says  William  Barclay,  "but  in  that 
loveliness  there  is  dynamite.  Christianity 
begets  a  revolution  in  each  man,  and  a 
revolution  in  the  world." 

So  sing  on  Mary;  and  let  our  hearts  be 
open  to  her  song!  D 


is  dqnamife!        bq  t  Sbnfeq  Smith 


December  1975  messenger  17 


Witl)  God'8 
peculiar 
people 


byJan\esii.lc)Cl\niaii 


November  17,  1880 
"...  I  found  the  natives  here  as  hard  to 
open  as  an  oyster  without  a  knife.  Your 
mother  was  quite  right.  They  do  not  ex- 
pand with  the  geniality  one  might  expect 
from  the  bucolic  German.  On  the  contrary 
they  shut  with  the  most  persistent  tenacity 
....  Mr.  Bare  had  given  me  a  letter  to 
John  Pfantz,  whom  he  represented  as  a 
man  of  great  intelligence  and  knowledge  of 
the  German  Baptists  (as  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  was  known  then — Ed.j.  I  found 
at  home  a  pleasant-faced  German  woman 
and  a  man  with  a  long  beard  and  a  pen- 
dulous wen  on  his  cheek.  John  was  in  the 
work-house;  she  rang  the  bell  and  he  came. 
He  turned  the  letter  over  and  over  in  his 
hands  with  a  vague  look  on  his  face  that 
gradually  broke  with  some  intelligence  as 
he  said  that  he  remembered  Dan  Bare.  He 
maundered  on  about  his  having  books  and 
things,  but  happened  to  forget  what  was  in 
them.  I  confess  I  felt  rather  helpless  when  1 
considered  this  as  a  sample  of  extra- 
intelligence,  but  the  pleasant-faced  woman 
(his  daughter)  explained  that  the  old  man 
was  getting  childish — which  made  the  old 


18  MESSENGER  December  1975 


1 


man  mad. 

"I  had  to  give  it 
up,  so  I  walked  up 
the  road  a  piece  to 
where  one  of  the 
Bishops  (Elder)  of 
the  church  lives, 
but  he  was  not  in. 
His  wife  informed 
me  that  'he'll 
generally  be  here 
till  (at)  ten 
o'clock.  I  don't  think 
he'll  be  gone  till  very 
long.'  I  waited  an  hour  for  him  but  no 
signs  of  his  approach  appeared — still,  his 
wife  every  now  and  then  dropped  in  to  tell 
me  that  'he's  generally  here  till  ten  o'clock 
or  a  little  after.  I  guess  he'll  found 
somebodies  down  to  the  drain  to  talks,'  or 
something  of  the  kind.  I  left  at  eleven 
o'clock  and  went  up  to  see  another  man  in 
reference  to  the  sisterhood  (at  the  Ephrata 
Cloister),  who  referred  me  to  another  man 
who  was  not  in  town.  So  I  went  down  to 
the  Cloister  to  look  at  it.  It  was  stunning. 
It  would  make  an  article  of  itself  . . . 

"Then  I  went  down  to  see  the  Bishop  but 
found  him  as  oyster-like  as  all  the  rest.  But 
by  this  time  I  had  my  knife,  so  to  speak, 
patience.  I  talked  to  him  patiently  and  per- 
sistently, and  he  finally  opened  up  quite 
succulently,  so  to  speak.  He  gave  me  whole 
gobs  of  information,  told  me  of  many 
books  of  reference  and  wound  up  by  taking 
me  over  to  the  big  meeting  house  in  his 
queer,  rickety  little  rig,  opening  the  place 
and  showing  me  through  generally.  Just 
think  of  it!  If  I  had  been  here  last  week  I 
could  have  seen  a  love-feast,  but  I  missed 


that  and  there  won't  be  another  until  next 
spring. 

"Then  I  went  down  again  to  un- 
intelligently  intelligent  friend  Pfantz, 
applying  to  him  also  the  oyster-like  knife 
of  patience,  and  he  opened  also  in  as  great 
a  degree  as  he  was  capable  of  doing, 
promising  to  show  me  through  the 
Sisterhood  Cloister  tomorrow  .... 

November  18,  1880 

"Ye  Gods!  What  a  time  I  have  had!  I 
came  back  (from  Lankster)  and  found  my 
friend  Pfantz  waiting  for  me  at  the  station 
according  to  promise — and  very  much 
good  he  did  me.  Item  to  be  booked  for 
future  use:  Never  take  a  man  to  be  a  fool 
when  he  seems  anxious  to  represent  himself 
as  being  one.  To  use  an  expression  of  your 
mother's,  'These  people  are  smarter  than 
they  look.'  At  least,  that  is  what  is  begin- 
ning to  dawn  on  me.  When  you  begin  to 
enquire  of  a  Pennsylvania  Dutchman 
about  things  with  which  he  thinks  you  have 
no  business  and  which  concern  him,  his 
face  assumes  a  stony  'expressionless  ex- 
pression,' so  to  speak,  most  exasperating 
and  most  helpless  to  an  impatient  nature. 
My  aged  friend  Pfantz  showed  himself 
quite  agile  and  intelligent  this  morning.  He 
talked  to  me  and  gave  me  quite  an  amount 
of  information  . . . 

"The  minister  who  lives  near  asked  me  to 
dinner  and  a  right  good  plain  dinner  it  was. 
He  was  another  I  took  to  be  stupid  at  first, 
but  who  turned  out  to  be  quite  an  in- 
telligent and  not  badly  informed  man. 
"  'Do  you  speak  German?'  said  he. 

"'No,  sir.' 

'"Also  not  at  all?' 

"'No,  sir.' 


"  'Then  I  might  scold  you  well  without 
your  knowing,  ain't,'  said  he.  I  think  I 
must  have  stared  at  him  with  the  most 
absurd  blankness,  so  surprised  was  I  at  his 
joke  . . ." 

That  those  people  were  "smarter  than 
they  looked"  (and  warmer  than  they  first 
appeared)  was  a  conclusion  the  somewhat 
chastened  Howard  Pyle  frequently  arrived 
at  on  his  trip  to  Lancaster  County,  Penn- 
sylvania in  1 880.  It  is  not  surprising  that  he 
was  put  off  by  the  Brethren  at  first,  for  he 
was  a  young  artist  fresh  from  three 
years  in  New  York  as  a 
magazine  illustrator  and 
now  newly  established  in 
his  own  studio  in 
Wilmington,  Delaware. 
He  was  successful — 
having  published  il- 
lustrations and  articles 
in  Harper's  and 
Scribner's,  two  leading 
magazines;  he  was 
young;  he  was  op- 
timistic and  at  the 
threshold  of  a  dis- 
tinguished career;  he  was 
soon  to  be  married;  and  he 
was  impatient  as  are  many  young  men  who 
have  succeeded  early.  These  letters  to  his 
fiancee,  Anne  Poole,  leave  no  doubt  of 
that. 

But  Pyle  had  something  in  his 
background  that  helped  him  get  on  with 
the  Brethren.  He  was  born  into  a  long  line 
of  Quakers  and  although  his  own  parents 
had  been  read  out  of  Meeting  for  their  un- 
orthodox beliefs  when  he  was  a  child,  the 
family,  relatives,  and  friends  were  mostly 


December  1975  messenger  19 


Quakers  and  his  childhood  years  in 
Delaware  were  spent  in  Quaker  society. 
Howard  and  his  family  attended  the 
Swedenborgian  church,  and  his  personal 
life  was  without  any  of  the  non-conforming 
practices  of  the  Quakers,  but  he  retained 
something  of  the  Quaker  restraint  and 
much  of  the  Quaker  love  of  home  and 
family,  and  he  was  familiar  with  customs 
that  the  Quakers  (also  called  the  Society  of 
Friends)  held  in  common  with  the 
Brethren.  So  even  though  he  was  an 
irrepressible  young  man  of  the  world,  he 
had  some  predisposition  to  the  patience 
and  appreciation  he  eventually  displayed 
after  his  youthful  impatience  had  worn 
itself  out  on  the  stony  Dunker  reserve. 

Pyle  was  born  on  March  5,  1853,  in  the 
Brandywine  Valley  at  a  fine  country  house 
on  the  Kennett  Pike  leading  into 
Wilmington,  Delaware.  He  lived  there  until 
his  father's  flagging  leather  business  could 
no  longer  support  this  genteel  style, 
whereupon  the  family  moved  several  miles 
to  Wilmington.  Howard  missed  the  wide 
lawns,  fields,  and  woodlands  of  the  coun- 
try, but  Wilmington  offered  rich  images  for 
his  already  vivid  imagination — the  docks, 
blacksmith  and  carriage  shops,  the 
railroad,  and  especially  the  fire  stations.  He 
enjoyed  the  sights  and  smells,  his  rambUngs 
across  the  city,  and  the  books  he  read.  But 
he  had  little  taste  for  formal  school- 
ring  instead 
daydream,  or 
His  school 
record  was  too 
poor  to  admit 
him  to  college,  so 
his  parents  con- 
sented to  art  school. 
He  studied  in  an 
obscure,  small  private 
school  in  Philadelphia  for 
three  years;  then  for  several 
years  he  helped  his  father  in 
business,  following  his  art 
somewhat  aimlessly  in  his 
spare  time.  In  1876  he  sent 
several  things  he  had  drawn 
and  written  to  Scribner's 
and  a  children's  magazine 
called  St.  Nicholas.  To  his 
surprise  and  elation,  they 
were  accepted.  He  decided 


"Near  the  broad  road  alon^  which  Ephrata  stretches  its  stragghng  row  of  houses  stands 


in  October  of  that  year  to  go  to  New  York 
in  hopes  of  more  work  and  experience.  He 
gained  both  and  returned  three  years  later 
to  Wilmington  amazingly  successful  for  be- 
ing so  young.  He  set  up  his  own  studio 
there,  secure  in  the  promise  of  further 
commissions  from  New  York.  They  con- 
tinued to  come  and  one  of  them  was  a  re- 
quest from  Harper's  to  travel  in  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  country  and  do  an  article 
and  drawings. 

Pyle  was  a  writer  as  well  as  an  artist  and 
illustrator.  It  is  unusual  to  find  this  com- 
bination of  gifts  in  one  man.  Throughout 
his  life  he  was  widely  known  for  both, 
although  his  professional  reputation 
depended  mostly  on  his  art,  which  was  his 
greatest  gift  and  first  love.  He  published 
many  lucid  and  vividly  written  magazine 
articles,  but  he  was  probably  at  his  best 
writing  children's  stories.  He  tried  his  hand 
at  adult  fiction,  but  it  lacked  the  narrative 
charm  of  his  tales  for  children.  As  an  artist 
he  illustrated  countless  magazine  articles 
and  many  books.  In  later  years  he  even  did 


some  mural  painting.  His  works  ranged 
from  The  Merry  Adventures  of  Robin 
Hood  (New  York:  Charles  Scribner's  Sons, 
1883),  an  excellent  book  which  he  both 
wrote  and  illustrated,  to  the  illustrations 
for  George  Washington  (New  York: 
Harper  &  Brothers,  1897),  a  book  by 
Woodrow  Wilson.  At  the  peak  of  his 
career  he  was  one  of  the  foremost  il- 
lustrators in  the  United  States,  and  his 
work  was  admired  in  England  as  well.  He 
founded  a  school  for  illustrators  and  per- 
sonally trained  some  of  the  best  of  the  next 
generation.  One  of  his  most  eminent 
students  was  N.  C.  Wyeth  whose  pictures 
appeared  often  in  magazines  and  books 
and  whose  son  and  grandson  are  artists, 
Andrew  and  Jamie  Wyeth  (Messenger, 
November  1975,  page  24).  Pyle  died  on 
November  9,  1911,  in  Italy,  on  one  of  his 
rare  excursions  from  his  beloved  home. 
But  in  1880  Pyle  at  27  was  still  at  the 
beginning  of  all  this.  An  article  he  did 
called  "Autumn  Sketches  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania Highlands"  so  impressed  the 


20  MESSENGER  December  1975 


llMh  I 
lie  of  buildings  — this  was  the  Kloster. 

editors  at  Harper's  that  they  asked  him  to 
make  the  visit  to  the  Pennsylvania  Dutch. 
Curiously  he  was  reluctant,  although  it  was 
not  a  long  journey.  He  loved  travel  in  his 
imagination;  his  illustrations  and  stories 
were  often  of  knights  and  pirates  and  far 
off  places.  But  he  hated  travel  in  fact.  He 
finally  made  the  visit  in  November,  and  he 


chose  the  town  of  Ephrata  and  the 
Brethren  congregation  there.  His  choice 
was  undoubtedly  influenced  by  the 
presence  of  the  Cloister,  which  was  built  by 
a  group  which  splintered  from  the  Brethren 
in  the  early  eighteenth  century  under  the 
leadership  of  Conrad  Beissel.  The  article 
Pyle  wrote,  accompanied  by  his  drawings, 
was  entitled  "A  Peculiar  People." 

It  was  not  published  until  October  1889, 
nearly  nine  years  later,  when  it  finally 
appeared  in  Harper's  New  Monthly 
Magazine  (pp.  776-785).  However,  on 
March  17,  1883,  a  large  engraving  called 
"A  Love  Feast  Among  the  Dunker-s"  was 
printed  in  Harper's  Weekly  (p.  169).  Pyle 
must  therefore  have  visited  the  Brethren 
twice  because  his  first  visit  was  in 
November  after  the  fall  love  feast  which  he 
clearly  says  he  missed.  The  "Love  Feast" 
engraving  is  so  graphic  and  so  well-done 
that  he  could  not  have  made  it  without 
returning  to  see  the  real  scene.  (A 
reproduction  of  this  appeared  in  a 
Messenger  cover  story,  October  1,  1972.) 
The  1889  article  and  illustrations  were 
devoted  in  approximately  equal  measure  to 
the  Brethren  and  to  the  Ephrata  Cloister 
whose  architecture,  history,  and  four 
remaining  Sisters  interested  Pyle  at  least  as 
much  as  the  Brethren.  The  old  man,  John 
Pfantz,  who  Pyle  first  thought  addled  in 
the  wits,  was  his  guide  around  the  Cloister 
and  turned  out  to  be  very  helpful.  Pyle 
became  fond  of  the  old  gentleman  and 
related  this  priceless  scene: 

November  19,  1880 

"...  I  went  over  to  see  my  ancient  friend 


Pfantz.  I  showed  him  the  sketch  I  had 
made  and  he  was  interested.  Then  I  asked 
him  to  sit  for  his  picture.  Here  his  daughter 
put  in  her  word,  objecting  most  strongly.  I 
think  the  old  man  rather  liked  the  idea.  He 
had  the  queerest  old  trousers  that  might 
have  been  worn  by  Noah  anterior  to  his 
cruise — yellow  with  age  and  patched  with 
particolored  remnants — oh!  so  pic- 
turesque! His  daughter  thought  it  would  be 
ungodly  to  have  his  picture  taken.  I 
thought  she  meant  ungodly  for  me  to  draw 
it.  Til  take  the  responsibility,'  I  said. 
'You'd  better  be  responsible  for  yourself,' 
said  she,  'one  soul  ought  to  be  enough  for 
you.'  Then  I  quoted  scripture  and  she 
answered  with  twice  as  much.  Then  I 
appealed  to  the  old  man.  'She  will  scold  at 
me,'  said  he,  'and  make  it  onpleasant'  (sic). 
To  make  a  long  story  short  I  finally 
prevailed,  provided  I  would  not  sketch 
more  than  his  head. 

"The  old  man  followed  me  out  of  the 
house  when  I  was  done.  'Vos  you  going  to 
publish  that  in  Harper's  Weekly?'  said  he. 

"  'Harper's  Monthly,  if  you  will  let  me.  I 


"My  Ancient  Friend  Pfantz" 

"It  was  a  queer  old  Dunker,  gnarled  and  twisted,  scarred  and  crooked  as  an  aged  fruit 
tree  past  fruit-bearing  time,  who  acted  as  our  cicerone  (guide)  in  an  exploring  trip  through 
the  old  building  of  the  Sisters'  Kloster  (Cloister).  He  had  once  been  a  man  of  more  than  or- 
dinary intelligence  among  his  people,  but  age  and  accident  had  snapped  most  of  the  bright 
strands  of  his  intellect,  though  many  still  remained.  He  wore  a  broad-brimmed  beaver  hat, 
showing  the  white  here  and  there  at  the  edges  where  the  fur  was  worn  away,  beneath  which 
hung  his  long  silvery  hair  almost  to  his  shoulders,  meeting  with  the  voluminous  gray  beard 
that  lay  upon  his  breast.  He  wore  an  ancient  and  much-used  coat  of  that  distinctive  cut  so 
much  affected  by  the  Society  of  Friends.  It,  as  well  as  his  trousers,  which  were  very  short, 
made  of  home-spun,  and  of  a  color  brown  as  butternut,  was  patched  in  numerous  places 
with  some  darker  colored  stuff." 


"Some   of  their   religious   ceremonies   are   exceedingly   curious.    They    celebrate    the    Lord's    Supper   as   primitive    Christians    did.' 


hope  you  won't  object?' 

"'Ho-no-no,'  said  he — then  after  a 
pause,  'but  don't  tell  my  daughter.' 
"'Oh  no.' 

"Again  he  hesitated.  'You'll  put  my 
name,  won't  you?' 
"'Why  I  don't  know.' 
"'I  t'inks  you  petter — ain't  my  name's 
John  B.  Pfantz — John  Bauer  Pfantz — 
aigh?  (with  rising  inflection).  And  you 
might  send  me  one  of  the  papers — aigh.'" 
In  his  letters  to  his  fiancee,  Howard  Pyle 
captured  the  Dunkers  with  intimate  frank- 
ness— their  obtuse  humor,  unexpected 
intelligence,  inscrutable  reserve,  homely 
sagacity,  artless  warmth,  and  incom- 
parable Dutch  rendermg  of  the 
English  language.  I  remember  so  well 
from  my  childhood  in  Lancaster 
County  people  like  old  Brother 
Pfantz  and  his  fussy  daughter.  In 
the  following  excerpt  from  the 
1889  article,  Pyle  is  less  colloquial 
and  more  proper  as  befits  a  young 
man  writing  for  a  national 
magazine,  but  the  warm  ap- 
preciation that  he  had  developed 


by  the  end  of  his  visit  is  unmistakable. 

"Some  fifteen  miles  from  Lancaster  by 
turnpike  and  twenty  by  rail  lies  the  little 
village  of  Ephrata.  It  is  a  very  secluded, 
sleepy-looking  little  place,  in  spite  of  the 
railroad  that  runs  through  it,  shut  in  by 
surrounding  hills  and  by  a  low  line  of 
mountains  dignified  by  the  name  of 
Ephrata  Ridge.  The  houses  of  the  town 
straggle  along  a  broad  road  which  crosses 
the  railroad  near  the  station,  dips  away  un- 
til it  sweeps  around  in  a  curve  over  a 
bridge,  past  an  old  mill  in  front  of  a  broad- 
built  red  brick  house,  and  so  away  into  the 
country.  The  houses,  generally  brick-built, 
in  many  cases  old-fashioned,  are  very  com- 
fortable and  home-like. 

"Here  one  meets  the  Dunker  per  se  in 
every  by-road  and  lane — men  with  long 
beards  and  flowing  hair  parted  in  the  mid- 
dle. At  the  farm-houses  are  pleasant, 
matronly  faces,  stamped  with  humility  and 
gentleness,  while  an  air  of  almost  saintly 
simplicity  is  given  by  the  clear-starched 
cap,  the  handkerchief  crossed  on  the 
breast;  the  white  apron,  and  the  plain  gray 
or  drab  stuff  of  the  dresses. 


"The  style  of  living  of  these  good  people, 
their  manners  and  customs,  are  of  the  most 
primitive  type.  Their  aim  is  to  imitate  the 
early  Christians  in  their  habits  of  life  as 
well  as  in  their  religious  tenets.  There  is  ab- 
solutely no  distinction  of  caste  among 
them. 

"...  Their  dress  is  of  the  simplest 
description,  quaint  and  old-fashioned  in  its 
cut;  they  offer  no  resistance  to  injuries; 
they  observe  no  conformity  with  the  world 
and  its  manners  and  customs;  they  refuse 
to  take  oaths  in  courts  of  law;  in  these  and 
many  other  ways  resembling  the  Society  of 
Friends. 

"...  They  are  called  Dunkers,  or 
Tunkers,  from  the  German  tunken,  which 
may  be  interpreted  to  dip,  or  probably  'to 
sop'  is  a  better  equivalent  word.  They 
assume  for  themselves  the  name  Brethren 
on  account  of  the  text  Matthew  23:8,  'One 
is  your  Master,  even  Christ,  and  all  ye  are 
brethren.'  They  also  sometimes  call 
themselves  'God's  Peculiar  People.' 

"The  first  visit  we  ever  made  to  a 
Dunker  meeting  was  on  a  cold  day  in  the 
latter  part  of  November.  The  wind  piped 


22  MESSENGER  December  1975 


> 


Left:  "The  kiss  of 
peace."  Below:  The 
illustrator!  writer 
Howard  Pyle  in  his 
studio.  The  photo 
shows  Pyle  at  the 
peak  of  his  career, 
long  years  after  he 
visited  Ephrata  as  a 
young  man  and 
there  sketched  and 
described  the 
Brethren. 


across  the  snow-clad  hills  and  over  the 
level  white  valleys,  nipping  the  nose  and 
making  the  cheeks  feel  stiff  like  leather.  As 
we  neared  the  straggling,  old-fashioned- 
looking  town  we  passed  an  old  farmer  of 
the  neighborhood  and  his  wife  trudging 
toward  the  meeting-house,  the  long  gray 
beard  of  the  former  tangling  in  the  wind  or 
wrapping  itself  around  neck  and  breast, 
and  further  on  a  young  couple  in  the 
quaint  costume  of  the  people,  picturesque 
figures  against  the  white  of  the  broad- 
stretching  road.  Around  the  meeting-house 
were  collected  the  farm  wagons  and  dear- 
borns of  the  folk,  who  themselves  crowded 
into  the  low  brick  building,  the  men  by  one 
door,  the  women  by  the  other. 

"The  ceiling  was  low;  the  room  was  sun- 
ny and  bright;  there  were  two  stoves,  one 
at  either  end  of  the  building,  at  which 
warmed  themselves  the  white-capped 
sisters  at  one  end,  the  long-bearded 
brethren  at  the  other,  the  latter  standing 
with  their  backs  to  the  stove,  holding  their 
horny  palms  to  the  warmth  and  rubbing 
them  together.  Presently  a  minister 
entered,  and  as  he  moved  to  the  long  table 


where  his  two  confreres  sat 
facing  the  congregation,  he 
passed  by  the  bench  of  the 
elder  brethren.  One  after 
another  of  those  nearest 
him  arose,  right  hands 
were  clasped,  and  the 
two  long  gray  beards 
met  in  the  kiss  of 
peace. 
"A  hymn  was  sung  in  English,  with  a 
peculiar  quavering  of  the  voice  and  linger- 
ing upon  each  word.  A  hymn  in  German 
followed;  then  a  sermon  in  German;  then  a 
second  in  the  same  language.  The  second 
preacher  threw  into  his  tones  a  peculiar  in- 
tonation which  we  learned  was  character- 
istic of  these  people.  It  was  a  rather  high- 
pitched  monotone,  carried  throughout  the 
sentence,  and  dropped  only  at  the  last 
word.  The  gestures  were  easy  and  natural, 
and  every  now  and  then  the  voice  dropped 
suddenly  into  a  colloquialism  absolutely 
startling,  as  the  preacher  directed  some 
broad  truth  based  on  human  nature  di- 
rectly at  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  A  ser- 
mon in  English  followed,  and  the  service 
was  concluded  by  another  German 
hymn  and  the  reading  of  a  portion  of 
Scripture." 

We  are  fortunate  to  have  Howard  Pyle's 
pictures  with  word  and  pen  of  the  Brethren 
of  the  1880s.  Our  church  has  changed  a  lot 
since  that  time,  so  much  that  Pyle  and  the 
Dunkers  he  met  might  have  difficulty 
recognizing  us  today.  These  changes  began 
before  the  1880s,  but  the  Brethren  of  that 
decade  still  held  most  of  their  ways  in  com- 
mon with  the  old  Brethren  of  the  first  half 
of  the  century,  especially  in  Lancaster 
County,  where  the  old  ways  and  plain  dress 
passed  away  slowly.  The  Brethren  had  been 
like,  or  nearly  like,  Pyle  found  them  for 
almost  a  century.  We  are  no  longer  like 
that  and  are  even  in  danger  of  forgetting 
that  we  ever  were.  Howard  Pyle  un- 
knowingly gave  us  a  rich  and  memorable 
portrait  of  a  time  long  past  and  well  worth 
remembering.   D 

The  letters  quoted  are  found  in  a  book  by  Henry  C. 
Pitz:  Howard  Pyle:  Writer,  Illustrator,  Founder  of  the 
Brandywine  School  (New  York:  Ciarkson  N.  Potter, 
Potter,  Inc.  1975,  pp.  45-46.)  The  article  quoted  is 
Howard  Pyle's  'A  Peculiar  People,"  Harper's  New 
Monthly  Magazine  (Vol.  LXXIX,  NO.  CCCCLXXHI, 
October.  1889.  pp.  776-780). 


December  1975  messenger  23 


Christmas  for  Christopher 


by  Emily  Sargent  Councilman 


-T/ 


"It  has  to  be  green,"  Chris  told  Mommy  on  Christmas  Eve 
on  the  way  to  the  store.  "It  has  to  be  a  green  tree  for  Be- 
Bob.  But  it  has  to  shine  too." 


24  MESSENGER  December  1975 


"We  will  look  till  we  find  the  one  you 
want,"  Mommy  said,  going  into  the  big 
store  crammed  with  jostling  people,  mostly 
big  people  moving  in  the  aisles  or  crowded 
against  the  piled-up  counters.  So  many  big 
people  kept  pushing  against  them,  Chris 
held  back  a  little,  keeping  close  to  Mom- 
my. 

"Mommy,  are  you  sure  we  can't  get  a 
real  tree  for  Be-Bob,  like  . . .  like  the  little 
ones  in  the  woods  behind  our  house?  Like 
our  Christmas  tree  at  home,  only  not  so 
big?  Just  a  little  tree?" 

Mommy  sighed,  "Chris,  you  remember 
the  nurse  told  us  the  hospital  doesn't  allow 
flowers — or  trees — in  Intensive  Care.  They 
take  up  too  much  room.  All  the  people  in 
there  are  very  sick — " 

"Like  Be-Bob?" 

Mommy  nodded  without  speaking,  but 
after  a  while,  went  on,  "There  has  to  be 
room  for  all  kinds  of  machines  to  help 
them.  Some  of  them  have  a  hard  time 
breathing  and — " 

"I  know,"  Chris  interrupted,  "you  have 
to  have  ox  ...  ox  y  gen  to  breathe.  And 
flowers  and  trees  have  to  have  oxy  gen 
too."  He  giggled.  "Real  flowers  and  trees 
have  to  breathe,  but  BUT  ariti . . .  artificial 
trees  don't  have  to  breathe." 

Mommy  smiled,  "Yes.  Hold  onto  my 
hand.  I  don't  want  to  lose  you.  Remember 
it  must  be  a  very  small  tree.  The  nurse  said 
they  are  breaking  the  rules,  even  so, 
because  it's  Christmas,  but  it  has  to  be — " 

"I  know,"  Chris  broke  in,  "a  very  small 
tree." 

Mommy  kept  looking  around,  trying  to 
see  over  the  heads  of  all  the  people.  "Now 
if  we  can  just  find  the  right  counter. ..." 

At  last!  There  it  was,.  They  finally  made 
it  through  the  crowd,  and  Chris  held  onto 
the  counter  with  both  hands. 

"But  they  are  all  so  big  . . .  and  . . .  and 
silver  . . .  and  pink.  Not  green  like  a  real 
tree,"  he  murmured. 

"Let's  keep  looking."  Mommy  reached 
down  the  counter.  "Here.  Look  at  this 
one." 

Chris  held  it  carefully,  considering, 
"Well,  it's  little,  and  green,  with  white — 
snow,  I  guess."  He  turned  it  around  and 
around  slowly. 

"Is  it  all  right?"  Mommy  asked. 

"I  guess. . . .  But  I  wish  it  had  a  star." 

Mommy  kept  looking.  "It  seems  to  be 
the  only  one.  But  maybe  Be-Bob  will 
remember  about  the  star  of  Bethlehem  and 
pretend  the  star  is  there  and — " 

"And  pretend  the  tree  is  a  real  tree  with 
real  snow,"  Chris  added,  smiling  up  into 
her  face. 


An  Advent  prayer 

Cjod,  as  Christmas  approaches,  we  get  mixed  signals.  Make 
straight.  Prepare  ye.  Decorate  ye.  Buy  ye.  Give  and  send  ye,  and 
it  shall  be  returned  to  you  again.  Repent.  Bow  the  head  and  bend 
the  knee. 

There  are  rough  places  on  the  Christmas  card  list,  and  a 
valley  in  the  checkbook  where  a  hill  should  be.  The  neighbors 
have  made  it  plain  that  we  need  outdoor  lights,  and  all  the  kids 
will  make  straight  the  highway  to  our  house.  Cleanse  ye  the 
floors.  Prepare  ye  the  food.  We'd  like  to  simplify  our  wants  and 
review  our  motives  and  priorities,  but  .... 

We  are  forever  building  up  and  tearing  down,  decorating  and 
throwing  away,  making  up  and  washing  off,  fluffing  up  and 
smoothing  over,  curling  and  then  straightening,  constantly  busy 
yet  always  unprepared. 

It's  no  easier  now  than  it  was  then.  Fit  for  a  king,  and  the 
guest-of-honor  is  a  beggar  boy.  Camped  out  in  the  barn,  and  who 
should  appear  but  royalty.  Settled  comfortably  in  our  tradition 
and  this  hairy  man  shows  up,  shouting,  "On  your  knees!  Bow 
down  to  this  whoever-he-is!" 

Help  us  to  sort  it  all  out,  and  give  us  your  Messiah  . . . 
anyway.  Amen. 

— Alan  Kieffaber,  Church  of  the  Brethren  Focus  Bulletin,  1975 


"Yes.  Hold  onto  it  while  we  look  some 
more  and  make  sure  it's  the  one  you  want." 

They  did  not  find  another  one,  but  Chris 
liked  this  one  better  all  the  time  as  he 
walked  along,  holding  it  very  carefully, 
staying  close  to  Mommy  on  the  way  to  the 
check-out  counter.  He  was  pretending 
about  the  star,  remembering  how  he  and 
Be-Bob  used  to  talk  about  it,  and  how  it 
led  to  Bethlehem  and  the  Baby  Jesus. . . . 

But  suddenly  he  stopped  short  and 
pulled  Mommy  to  the  counter  they  were 
passing.  "Wait,  Mommy,  look!"  he  pointed 
to  the  miniature  manger  scene  all  in  one 
piece.  Quickly  he  put  the  small  tree  down 
and  reached  for  the  tiny  creche.  Small 
enough  to  hold  in  his  cupped  hands,  it  still 
contained  the  stable  with  its  sheep  and 
straw,  kneeling  shepherds,  Joseph,  Mary 
and  the  Baby  asleep  on  the  hay. 

With  the  glow  of  discovery  in  his  eyes 
and  an  urgency  in  his  voice,  he  looked  up 
to  Mommy.  "It's  as  small  as  the  tree. . . . 
Wouldn't  they  let  Be-Bob  have  it? 
Wouldn't  they?" 


"Yes,  yes, "  Mommy  answered  quickly, 
and  firmly,  watching  the  shine  in 
Christopher's  eyes,  the  gentleness  of  his 
hands  holding  his  treasure  carefully,  and 
close,  switching  on  and  off  the  tiny  light 
behind  the  star. 

"Look,  Mommy.  It  has  a  battery  that 
makes  the  star  shine.  Here's  the  way  to 
turn  it  on.  It  lights  up  the  Baby's  face.  Lit- 
tle Lord  Jesus. ..." 

On  the  way  to  the  hospital,  Chris  was 
very  quiet,  holding  his  gift  for  Be-Bob. 
Mommy  was  quiet  too.  Finally  he  said 
softly,  "I  wish  ...  I  wish  I  could  take  it  to 
him  myself." 

"Chris,"  Mommy  began  .  .  . 

"I  know.  I'm  not  old  enough  . . .  the 
hospital  rules.  But  Mommy,  you  be  sure  to 
show  him  how  to  turn  on  the  star.  He's 
sick  . . .  and. ..." 

"I  will."  Her  voice  was  very  low,  but 
Chris  heard. 

"And  Mommy,  he  will  like  it  better  than 
a  tree,  he  will  ...  I  know." 

"Yes,  Chris.  You  know."    D 


December  1975  messenger  25 


ittyebmi* 


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I 


by  Charles'^ 


■■■■■■I  he  Bicentennial  celebration  will 
U     11     Bdraw  literally  millions  of  Ameri- 

^11        cans  to  our  famous  historical 

^^^1     sites.  Philadelphia  has  been  in 
preparation  for  several  years  to  seek  to  ac- 
commodate the  crowds  who  will  come  to 
see  the  Liberty  Bell  and  numerous  other  at- 
tractions in  that  area.  Washington,  D.C., 
with  its  abundance  of  traditional  settings  of 
our  early  American  heritage,  will  be  high  on 
the  list  of  places  to  be  seen. 

A  while  back,  I  drove  to  the  Gettysburg 
Battlefield  and  spent  a  Saturday  afternoon 
touring  the  site.  Over  100  years  have 
sUpped  by  since  peace  and  quiet  were 
restored  to  the  wheat  fields  and  woods  of 
this  area.  A  drive  through  the  beautiful 
countryside,  including  the  rocky  terrain, 
makes  one  feel  so  remote  from  a  bloody 
battlefield.  If  one  could  but  erase  the  hun- 
dreds of  grave  markers  and  statues  from 
their  prominent  places,  the  fields  would 
appear  like  thousands  of  acres  in  other 
parts  of  this  beautiful  section  of  the  coun- 
try. But  you  cannot  forget  the  past  as  you 
see  the  now  silent  cannons  pointed  to  the 
azure  blue  sky. 

With  my  camera  in  hand  I  decided  to  get 
some  shots  of  the  terrain  and  scenery.  I 
was  seeking  to  take  some  pictures  of  one  of 
the  cannons  when  a  bus  loaded  with  boys 
arrived.  The  serenity  of  a  Saturday  after- 
noon was  soon  changed  with  wild  shouts 
and  a  scramble  of  arms,  legs,  T-shirts,  and 
blue  jeans.  The  cannon  was  doomed  to 
become  a  play  object,  and  it  was  over- 
powered with  teenage  enthusiasm.  My  first 


reaction  was  to  put  my  camera  in  its  case 
and  call  it  a  day  because  the  cannon  was 
now  the  object  of  horseplay. 

Sneakers  were  flying,  boys  were  pushing 
and  objects  of  war  were  changed.  What  a 
contrast  to  the  surroundings  some  115 
years  ago  when  the  same  area  resounded 
with  the  voices  of  both  the  young  and 
old — however,  their  purpose  was  not  to 
play  but  to  war.  Their  cries  were  not  for 
joy  but  for  anger,  sorrow  and  pain.  Their 
efforts  were  not  motivated  by  pleasure  but 
by  frustration  and  hurt.  We  call  it  a  page 
out  of  history — remote  and  removed  from 
the  clamor  of  the  present  century.  Its 
results  were  death,  destruction  and  harm. 
And  many  men  and  boys  never  returned 
home.  It  was  later  that  the  Gettysburg 
Battlefield  heard  one  of  those  short 
speeches  that  was  destined  to  live  through 
our  history. 

That  evening,  after  the  time  of  sightsee- 
ing, I  was  back  in  the  quiet  of  a  dormitory 
room  at  Messiah  College,  but  the  scene  on 
the  hillside  continued  to  run  through  my 
mind.  A  battlefield  of  former  days  turned 
into  a  field  of  play!  To  some  this  may  have 
been  a  touch  of  irreverence  on  the  part  of 
those  young  lads — and  well  it  may  have 
been.  But  on  the  other  hand  it  caused  me 
to  contemplate  the  fact  that  there  will  be  a 
time  in  the  future  when  peace  will  come. 
No,  I  am  not  a  starry-eyed  dreamer  who  is 
devoid  of  God's  truth.  Yes,  I  know  there 
will  be  wars  and  rumors  of  wars  and  that 
humankind  is  exceedingly  sinful.  But  I  also 
remember  with  great  delight  the  prediction 


found  in  the  writings  of  Isaiah.  He  spoke 
of  turning  swords  into  plowshares,  and 
humankind  under  God  forgetting  about 
war. 

There  will  be  a  world  without  sin  and  a 
world  without  a  curse.  A  lion  and  a  lamb 
will  lie  down  together  without  conflict 
and  children  will  play  near  the  once 
dangerous  serpent.  The  world  will  be  at 
peace  and  the  Messiah  God  will  be  the 
ruler  thereof — what  a  beautiful  picture  to 
dwell  on  at  the  end  of  the  day!  This  Utopia 
will  come  to  pass  after  all  persons  have 
spent  their  hate  and  vengeance,  and  Christ 
will  then  return  to  this  earth  to  rule  and  to 
reign.  It  will  not  come  through  the  efforts 
of  persons,  but  by  the  power  of  God. 

Gettysburg  will  be  revisited  by  hundreds 
of  thousands  before  the  Bicentennial  year 
has  passed  down  into  the  stream  of  history. 
The  visitors  will  patronize  the  pizza  stands 
and  the  tourist  traps.  There  will  be  long 
lines  through  the  tour  routes  past  the 
markers  and  the  cannons.  The  sensitive 
ones  will  again  hear  the  struggle  between 
the  blue  and  the  gray,  family  against  fami- 
ly, and  brother  against  brother.  But  I  hope 
they  see  a  little  boy  crawl  up  on  a  cannon 
and  treat  it  like  a  plaything  rather  than  an 
instrument  of  death.  Someday  in  God's 
good  grace  all  will  be  quiet  and  peaceful, 
and  we  will  have  a  continuous  celebration, 
but  it  will  not  be  a  bicentennial — it  will 
stretch  out  for  an  eternity.  D 


Reprinted  by  permission,  from  Brethren  Missionary 
Herald,  September  1,  1975. 


December  1975  messenger  27 


[rss(0)[U][r©s^ 


BICENTENNIAL 
FOR  BRETHREN 


The  year  of  the  Bicentennial  of  our  nation 
offers  the  Brethren  a  unique  opportunity. 
We  can,  if  we  decide  to,  reappropriate  our 
understandings  of  ourselves  as  a  national 
people.  Many  of  us  hesitate  to  participate 
in  Bicentennial  activities  because  there  is 
much  about  our  country's  past  and  pres- 
ent that  we  abhor.  Now  we  have  the  chance 
to  look  again  at  that  national  heritage, 
celebrate  a  significant  national  holiday, 
and  help  to  shape  new  national  horizons. 

It  has  been  proposed  that  Christians 
could  appropriately  work  at  our  heritage 
during  Lent  of  1976  with  an  attitude  of 
penitence;  celebrate  our  holiday  during 
July  1976;  and  in  November  1976  have  a 
season  of  rededication  which  would  be  in- 
fluential in  shaping  future  horizons. 

We  offer  the  following  resources  as  one 
means  for  enabling  our  Brethren  homes 
and  congregations  to  participate 
meaningfully  in  these  ways  as  citizens  dur- 
ing 1976. 

The  Bicentennial  Kit 

The  Bicentennial  Kit,  which  includes  the 
six  resources  listed  on  this  page,  is 
available  from  the  Brethren  Press  for 
$13.95  plus  postage  and  handling. 

I  Pledge  Allegiance 

/  Pledge  Allegiance:  Patriotism  and  the  Bi- 
ble, by  Paul  S.  Minear,  draws  attention  to 
the  conflict  between  genuine  discipleship 
and  inordinate  nationalism.  Guidance  is 
provided  for  a  study/ discussion/ action 
group  to  probe  in  depth  and  act  on  one  or 
more  of  the  issues  presented  in  nine 
studies.  It  is  not  expected  that  any  local 
group  would  do  all  nine  studies: 

1.  American  Religion:  Civil  or  Christian? 

2.  On  Commemorating  Revolutions 

3.  Insiders  vs.  Outsiders 


4.  On  Civil  Disobedience 

5.  Amnesty:  Limited  or  Unlimited? 

6.  On  Ending  Segregation 

7.  Rich  Nations,  Poor  Nations 

8.  On  the  Security-Obsessions 

9.  The  Struggle  Against  Invisible  Forces. 
Each  group  would  find  it  helpful  to  use 

studies  1  and  9  and  then  choose  two  or 
three  of  the  other  studies,  depending  on  the 
group's  situation  and  interest.  Each  study 
examines  the  issue  from  a  biblical  perspec- 
tive, giving  a  scripture  reading  with  an  ex- 
position by  the  author,  pro  and  con  views 
on  the  subject,  discussion  questions,  and  a 
supplementary  reading  list. 

Past  and  Future 

The  Future  of  American  Past,  a  Study 
Course  on  American  Values,  by  Earl  H. 
Brill. 

This  six-session  study  course  provides 
new  perspectives  on  the  American  tradition 
by  examining  such  themes  as  pilgrimage, 
mission,  freedom,  equality,  and  the  future 
from  an  affirmative  but  critical  stand- 
point. The  six  chapters  focus  on  the  rela- 
tion between  faith  and  culture. 

Church  and  Bicentennial 

The  Church  and  the  Bicentennial — a 
Listen  and  Respond — 30  minute  cassette 
tape. 

Part  1 :  "What's  At  Stake  in  the 
Bicentennial?"  by  Edward  A.  Dowey,  Jr., 
professor  of  history  of  Christian  doctrine 
at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary. 

Part  2:  "The  Public  Thing"  examines  the 
role  of  citizens  in  a  vital  republic,  by  John 
R.  Fry,  a  preacher,  author,  journalist,  and 
teacher  of  ethics. 

Part  3:  "A  Chicano  Perspective  on  the 
Bicentennial"  is  presented  in  an  interview 
with  Jorge  Lara  Braud,  theologian  and 
historian,  secretary  for  theological  studies. 
National  Council  of  Churches. 

Part  1  can  be  used  with  "The  Light  in 
the  Steeple,"  while  Part  3  can  supplement 
"Bicentennial  Broadside,"  which  gives  in- 
formation on  views  of  Black,  Indian,  and 
Asian  Americans. 


A  Community  of  Celebration  (including 
suggestions  for  appropriate  songs, 
written  by  Ken  Morse) 

A  Community  of  Learning 

A  Community  of  Diversity 

A  Community  of  Witness  and  Service 

A  Community  of  the  Arts 

and  an  extensive  bibliography.  Additional 

copies  are  available  at  10  for  $2.90  prepaid 

from  National  Council  of  Churches,  475 

Riverside  Drive,  Room  552,  New  York, 

New  York  10027. 


1 

BICENTEMNIAL     |^^^^^^| 
BROADSIDE         ^^^Ws^Wm 

'■--     '-i^i           ™'=  LIGHT 
■   \  ■'^•'     '^'I'THE  STEKPLE 

^li^M-  v.. 

^^H^^^H^^%.^fl^^^^^^H 

mmf^  ■                         v^^B 

The  Biceniennial  Ki 

Light  in  the  Steeple 

A  copy  of  The  Light  in  the  Steeple  includ- 
ed in  the  packet  stresses  the  in- 
terrelationships between  religion  and 
political  issues.  The  publication  has  four 
sections:  1 .  accounts  of  the  Boston  Tea 
Party  and  other  events;  2.  religious  and 
political  ideals;  3.  sermons  of  prominent 
clergy,  and  4.  suggestions  for  celebrating 
the  centennial  with  specific  ideas  for  com- 
munity and  church  activities  as  well  as  a 
calendar  done  in  a  style  useable  by  juniors 
and  junior  highs  as  well  as  youth  and 
adults.  Additional  copies  are  available  at 
30  for  $2.80  prepaid  at  the  National  Coun- 
cil address  given  above. 


Bicentennial  Broadside        Bicentennial  Religion 


One  copy  of  Bicentennial  Broadside  is  in- 
cluded in  the  packet.  This  newsprint 
resource  contains  the  following  contents: 
A  Community  of  Faith:  Christians  and /or 
American 


The  Guide  to  Bicentennial  Religion,  edited 
by  Dieter  Hessel,  provides  background  for 
and  guidance  to  a  congregation's  celebra- 
tion of  the  bicentennial.  It  gives  specific 
suggestions  for  using  the  other  resources  in 


28  MESSENGER  December  1975 


the  packet  as  well  as  guidelines  for 
religious  participation  in  community  obser- 
vances and  a  suggested  order  of  worship 
for  a  bicentennial  celebration  and  describes 
modes  of  public  dialogue  and  action. 

Echoes  of  Revolution 

Echoes  of  the  Revolution,  color  film,  30 
minutes,  $15.00,  is  available  from  The 
Communication  Commission,  National 
Council  of  the  Churches  of  Christ  in  the 
USA,  Room  858,  475  Riverside  Drive, 
New  York,  N.Y.,  10027.  The  film  raises 
questions  whether  the  American  Revolu- 
tion continues  its  struggle  for  freedom  and 
justice  in  the  economic  arena.  It  deals  in 
nontheological  terms  with  the  role  of  the 
Christian  faith  and  of  the  church  in  that 
struggle.  Filmed  in  Southeastern  Ohio 
strip-mine  fields  and  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
industrial  areas.  Echoes  of  the  Revolution 
presents  ordinary  people  talking  about 
their  problems  and  hopes  for  the  future. 

A  Nation  Under  God 

Resources  Prepared  by  Friendship  Press 
for  the  Emphasis — A  Nation  Under  God. 
Order  all  of  the  following  from  Friendship 
Press  Distribution  Office,  P.O.  Box  37844, 
Cincinnati,  Ohio  45237.  Send  full  payment 
with  order  plus  50(t  handling  charge. 


For  Adults:  77?^  Nation  Yet  to  Be: — 
Christian  Mission  and  the  New  Patriotism 
by  James  Armstrong,  a  bishop  of  the 
United  Methodist  Church.  $2.25.  The 
Bicentennial  is  an  appropriate  time  to 
celebrate  America  as  it  has  been — and  as  it 
is  in  order  to  have  a  realistic  base  from 
which  to  move  into  the  future.  "Christian 
patriots  are  persons  who  respond  to  the 
claims  and  evaluate  the  policies  of  their 
own  beloved  country  in  the  light  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ"  (p.  111). 

The  Parish  and  the  Patriot:  A  Process  for 
Creative  Celebration  by  LaVonne 
Althouse.  $1.95.  The  process  by  which  a 
congregation  can  appropriately  celebrate 
the  Bicentennial  includes  remembering,  re- 
joicing, repenting,  recommiting,  and 
renewing.  "This  process  assumes  God  is  ac- 
tive in  American  and  world  history  and 
demands  that  Christians  evaluate  dealings 


^gS!'gS'i:gjLfii:i^,ffiqiHiiiJiJL,U 


A  Nation  Under  God 


with  each  other  and  all  human  beings"  (p. 
6).  Specific  helps  are  provided  for 
celebrating  the  dimensions  of  the 
Bicentennial — heritage,  holiday,  horizon — 
in  several  ways  and  time  plans. 

For  all  Ages:  Makers  of  the  USA — A 
Friendship  Press  Heritage  Map — $1.95 
with  resource  sheet.  Contributions  of 
many  of  the  racial  and  ethnic  groups  that 
have  created  the  US  are  shown  on  this 
map.  Names  of  individuals  from  many 
cultures  are  listed  around  the  border.  The 
resource  sheet  provides  additional  informa- 
tion as  well  as  ways  in  which  the  map  can 
be  used.  It  could  be  hung  near  a  table 
where  the  family  eats  for  continuing 
conversation. 

Celebrating  the  People  of  the  USA,  color 
filmstrip  with  recording — $12.00.  Fenestra, 
a  fantasy  figure,  joins  children  in  a 
museum  and  leads  them  in  sharing  con- 
tributions of  different  cultural  peoples  to 
the  mosaic  which  is  the  US.  It  emphasizes 
the  contributions  of  Native  Americans, 
Afro- Americans,  and  Hispanic- Americans. 

For  children:  They  Dared  to  Cross  Fron- 
tiers, by  Fay  DeBeck  Flynt,  adventure 
stories  based  on  true  events  in  the  lives  of 
North  Americans.  $1.95  with  leader's  guide 
Junior  Teacher's  Guide  on  "Making 
Friends  Across  Frontiers,"  also  $1.95. 

Love  Lives  Here  by  Mary  Anne  Forehand. 
A  "think  and  do"  book  about  love,  $1.95, 
with  leader's  guide  Primary  Teacher's 
Guide  on  "Love  Makes  a  Difference, "  also 
$1.95. 

77?^  Helping  Hand  Story  Paper  set  of  five 
story  papers — stories,  poems,  songs,  by 
Pauline  Palmer  Meek,  $1.50.  Let's  Be 
Helpers  by  Pauline  Palmer  Meek — How  to 
help  kindergartners  learn  through  ex- 
perience how  God's  love  is  expressed 
toward  persons,  $1.50. — Shirley  J. 
Heckman 


December  1975  messenger  29 


hmr®  0 


On  accountability,  pronouns,  drugs,  guji 


Karen  S.  Carter 

If  Fm  Brethren, 
Fm  accountable 

When  I  was  almost  24  years  old  I  volun- 
tarily joined  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Earle  Fike  Jr.,  who  was  my  pastor  then, 
talked  with  me  about  my  faith,  about  the 
ideals,  teachings,  and  ordinances  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  of  my  own 
free  choice  I  joined  a  fellowship  that — I 
thought — upheld  a  faith  and  supported  a 
practice  that  was  (and  is)  vital  to  me. 

That  was  over  sixteen  years  ago. 

Now  I  know  different.  I  learned  that 
what  I  thought  was  the  commonly 
covenanted  faith  relationship  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  was  really  only 
held  by  a  small  minority  scattered  across 
our  Brotherhood.  I  wonder  what  really  is 
the  voice  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren: 
the  delegate  body  at  Annual  Conference, 
the  General  Board,  Elgin  staff,  the  local 
congregation? 

There  is  an  enormous  discrepancy 
between  what  the  official  church — let's  say 
Annual  Conference  through  its  delegate 
body — propounds  to  be  the  faith  of  the 
Brethren  and  what  the  local  parishoner 
believes  and  practices.  It  is  no  longer  the 
rule — and  don't  we  all  know  it? — that  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  is 
an  active  pacifist  (literally  "peacemaker");  a 
diligent  student  of  the  New  Testament, 
which  is  claimed  as  sole  authority  in  faith 
matters;  a  person  who  voluntarily  abstains 
from  the  use  of  tobacco  and  alcoholic 
beverages  (and  other  harmful  drugs 
without  healing  properties);  a  promoter  of 
social  justice;  and,  most  of  all,  a  person 
known  for  dependability  and  integrity 
whose  "yes"  is  "yes"  and  whose  "no"  means 
"no." 

What  happened? 


To  hold  in  respect  and  fellowship  those  in 
the  church  with  whom  we  agree  or  disagree 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  to  the  continuation  of  this 
value,  and  to  an  open  and  probing  forum, 
that  "Here  I  Stand"  responses  are  invited. 


We  are  missing  one  of  the  most  vital 
aspects  of  an  alive  Church:  mutual  accoun- 
tability. Exceptions  granted,  by  and  large 
we  refuse  to  hold  one  another  accountable: 
it  is  too  touchy,  too  personal,  and  requires 
too  much  involvement! 

Accountability  is  not  the  same  as  mutual 
fault  finding  and  criticism.    Webster  uses 
the  word  "accountable"  synonymously  with 
"responsible"  and  "answerable."  The  way  1 
use  the  term  it  holds  the  meaning  of  a 
deeply  caring  concern  for  one  another,  and 
openness  to  be  held  to  and  a  willingness  to 
keep  a  voluntarily  made  covenant.  For  ex- 
ample: My  husband  Clyde  and  I  got 
married  voluntarily.  We  covenanted  with 
each  other  to  be  mutually  faithful,  and 
over  the  years  we  have  reached  an  un- 
derstanding of  what  that  entails.  Many 
friends  have  witnessed  this  covenanting, 
and  many  have  been  part  of  the  specific 
development  and  interpretation  this  cove- 
nant has  undergone  for  us.  If  I  run  into  dif- 
ficulties now  in  our  marriage  and  violate 
this  covenant  which  I  so  freely  pledged, 
then  I  need  to  be  held  accountable:  I  need 
someone  who  is  concerned  enough  to  hurt 
when  we  hurt,  to  suffer  as  we  do  from  a 
covenant  broken,  and  who  is  willing  to  get 
involved,  because  we  are  members  of  one 
another. 

The  least  we  need  to  do  as  members  of 
the  Church  is  to  hold  one  another  account- 
able for  the  covenants  we  openly  and  free- 
ly made  (as  in  baptism,  in  marriage,  or  in 
the  numerous  professions  we  make  in  our 
Sunday  school  classes  or  in  small  groups). 
How  else  can  growth  occur?  We  do  not 
always  see  our  own  actions  as  clearly  as 
others  see  them,  because  we  are  naturally 
defensive  and  rationalize  our  behavior. 

Whatever  happened  to  Matthew  18? 

I  am  concerned  that  we  have  so  many  lit- 
tle rules  somewhere  tucked  away  in  an  old 
rulebook  with  little  intention  of  keeping 
them  ourselves,  or  of  holding  others  who 
break  them  accountable  (e.g.  Section  VII, 
pp.  E9-E12,  which  was  deleted  from  the 
report  on  "Ministry:  Ordination  and  Fami- 
ly Life"  made  to  Annual  Conference  this 
year,  and  which  was  taken  from  our  still 
operative  "rulebook").  Oliver  Goldsmith 
once  made  the  statement  that  numerous 
written  laws  are  a  sign  of  a  degenerate 
community.  I  believe  it.  If  we  held  one 


another  accountable  for  a  few  basic 
stipulations  of  our  mutual  covenant,  we 
would  not  need  to  rule  on  every  specific 
situation.  The  613  mitzvot  guiding  the  dai- 
ly life  of  the  devout  Jew  do  not  insure 
righteous  living  either. 

The  more  rules  we  put  on  the  books 
without  at  the  same  time  covenanting 
mutual  accountability,  and  the  more  we 
allow  people  to  make  promises  in  baptism 
which  no  one  will  hold  them  to,  the  more 
we  ultimately  hurt  the  Church:  we  water 
down  Christian  witness,  foster  mere  lip 
service  to  the  Christian  teachings  and 
ethics,  and  cheapen  discipleship. 

This  is  not  new  practice,  but  very  old  in 
the  life  of  the  Church.  The  letters  of  the 
New  Testament  are  full  of  examples  in 
which  radical  discipleship  with  personal  ac- 
countability was  expected  (even  between 
such  "big  ones"  as  Peter  and  Paul  was  this 
the  case.  See  Gal.  2: 1 1  ff).  The  underlying 
assumption  was  always  the  voluntary  com- 
mitment that  preceded  each  particular  inci- 
dent of  violation.  It  was  because  of  the 
commitment  that  any  accountability  could 
be  expected:  because  you  are  a  "new 
creature,"  because  you  once  were  in 
darkness  but  now  are  in  his  "marvelous 
light,"  because  of  all  of  this,  NOW  look  at 
the  way  you  walk,  compare  (with  Christ) 
and  accept  accountability — and  with  it  the 
joy  of  depth  relationships,  the  freedom 
from  hypocrisy,  and  the  tremendous  po- 
tential for  growth  into  the  fulness  of 
Christ. 

And  if  we  don't  want  to  be  held  ac- 
countable, why  not  have  the  integrity  to 
disassociate  ourselves  voluntarily  from  a 
fellowship  with  whom  we  no  longer  desire 
to  be  in  a  covenant  relationship?  Q 

Lucile  Brandt 

In  harmony  with 
'Christianity  and' 

I  want  to  express  my  appreciation  for  the 
article  by  Grace  and  Merlin  G.  Shull  on 
"God  as  'Father' "  in  the  September 
Messenger.  It  speaks  with  a  clearness  and 
charity  which  I  could  not  have  achieved  in 
my  first  amazement,  amusement,  and  dis- 
may over  the  conference  actions  to  which 


30  MESSENGER  December  1975 


Ai|di|  Mi|ppay 

Suii|n|ep(iii|e  dy|(li^i| 


iws,  USA 

they  refer.  Perhaps  1  may  add  my  word 
now? 

To  begin  with,  I  have  an  English 
teacher's  interest  in  what  is  happening  to 
I    our  language.  It  seems  odd  that  anyone 
'    should  be  unaware  that  the  word  man  has 
always  been  used  in  the  generic  sense  to 
refer  to  a  human  being.  It  may  mean  a 
'    male  human  being  also,  but  each  use  is 
'    perfectly  correct.  Thus  I  find  the  awkward 
"he  or  she"  and  "his  or  her"  that  clutter  up 
current  prose  unnecessary.  When  I  used  to 
!    tell  my  students,  "Everyone  will  hand  in  his 
paper  at  the  beginning  of  the  class  period 
Monday,"  they  knew  well  enough  that  I 
was  not  talking  to  the  men  only!  A  chair- 
man may  with  entire  propriety  be  either  a 
man  or  a  woman.  And  there  is  no  reason 
to  assume  that  Jesus'  word  for  God  (Our 
Father)  "seriously  distorts  and  limits  our 
perception  of  God."  The  opening  verses  of 
Genesis  5  are  interesting  here. 

What  leads  to  this  sudden  determination 
to  alter  the  language  and  re-write  hymns 
and  Bible  alike  is  something  which  C.  S. 
Lewis  describes  in  his  Screwtape  Letters. 
Screwtape  is  alarmed  about  the  Christians 
with  whom  Wormwood's  "patient"  is 
associating  because  they  are  merely 
Christians.  He  explains  his  concern  thus: 
"What  we  want,  if  men  become  Christians 
at  all,  is  to  keep  them  in  the  state  of  mind  I 
call  'Christianity  and.'  You  know — 
Christianity  and  the  Crisis,  Christianity 
and  the  New  Psychology,  Christianity  and 
the  New  Order,  Christianity  and  Faith 
Healing,  Christianity  and  Vegetarianism, 
Christianity  and  Spelling  Reform.  If  they 
must  be  Christians  let  them  at  least  be 
Christians  with  a  difference.  Substitute  for 
the  faith  itself  some  Fashion  with  a  Chris- 
tian colouring." 

It  is  a  "senior  devil"  who  is  speaking,  as 
all  readers  of  Lewis  know.  There  is  little 
need,  says  he,  to  be  afraid  of  a  Christianity 
that  has  taken  on  the  color  and  emphasis 
of  a  current  "movement." 

It  is  interesting  that  our  own  denomina- 
tion is  officially  busy  following  the  exam- 
ple of  our  national  government  in  remov- 
ing "discriminatory"  terminology  from  its 
pronouncements.  And  just  when  McGraw- 
Hill  publishes  a  book  to  help  us  all  in  this 
serious  task,  and  when  school  texts  are  be- 
ing earnestly  re-written,  and  when  we  all 


(well,  almost  all  of  us)  are  joyfully  accept- 
ing the  "wave  of  the  future,"  along  come  a 
few  psychologists  to  warn  of  the  disorienta- 
tion of  children  which  is  following  the 
current  deliberate  attempt  at  blurring  the 
distinction  between  the  sexes!  For  strange- 
ly enough,  at  the  very  time  when  one  set  of 
personal  pronouns  will  not  serve  for  a 
human  being  (man  and /or  woman),  boys 
and  girls  are  to  be  preserved  carefully 
from  any  "stereotyping"  that  would  lead 
girls  to  act  or  dress  or  think  as  girls  who 
will  grow  up  to  be  women,  boys  as  boys 
who  will  one  day  be  men.  Our  ideal  "Crea- 
tion" involves  "no  regard  to  race, 
economics,  age  or  sex."  (Incidentally, 
speaking  of  pronouns,  why  the  apostrophes 
in  ours  and  yours  in  the  conference  copy  of 
the  song  from  which  I  quote?) 

That  people  are  now  agitated  over  how 
masculine  nouns  and  pronouns  are  used 
may  be  only  silly.  That  a  doxology  which 
has  reflected  with  dignity  the  Christian 
faith  for  over  two  hundred  years  should  be 
re-written  and  thrust  upon  a  conference 
audience  seems  impertinent.  But  that  some 
people  should  seriously  consider  "im- 
proving" the  Bible  to  bring  it  into  harmony 
with  what  C.  S.  Lewis  would  call 
Christianity  and  Women's  Liberation  is 
tragic  indeed.  For  in  the  Bible  God  is 
speaking  to  us,  and  we  should  be  listening, 
not  telling  God  what  he  would  have  said  to 
us  if  only  he  had  found  it  possible  to  ex- 
plain himself  more  clearly. 

I  for  one  remain  unperturbed  by  the 
pronouns  his  and  him  in  the  Bible,  and  I 
continue  to  praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost.  Amen.  D 


Russell  Yohn 

Drug  use  and 
the  church 

Is  our  church  surrendering  to  drugs?  As 
Christians,  seeking  to  follow  the  way  of 
Christ,  we  maintain  our  church  for  the 
worship  of  God  and  the  furtherance  of  liv- 
ing his  way  of  unselfish  love,  kindness,  and 
consideration  for  all  people.  The  teachings 
of  Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  the 
great  commandments  have  long  been 
accepted  as  central  to  our  religion. 

Now  a  new  force  has  arisen  to  draw 
human  minds  away  from  this  way  of  life — 
the  madness  for  illegal,  mind-affecting 


<n  r^- 


v^m 


Summertime  Children  is  not 
your  usual  religious  Long  Play.  In 
fact,  it  differs  from  most  LPs  I 
have  heard.  Andy's  songs  touch 
on  a  variety  of  subjects:  a  great 
bus-truck  race,  a  civil  war 
preacher,  growing  old,  an  apostle 
for  the  feeding  of  the  hungry,  and 
Christmas,  among  others.  There 
is  both  humor  and  a  sense  of 
seriousness. 

The  contribution  that  Andy 
makes  through  this  resource  is  to 
show  us  that  the  stuff  from 
which  our  music  comes  can  be 
much  more  varied  than  has  been 
the  case.  The  idea  of  lifting  up 
the  historical  figures  of  the 
church  tradition  in  music  is  great. 
The  state  of  denominational  mis- 
sion work  would  be  far  different  if 
the  work  of  fraternal  workers  had 
been  celebrated  in  song. 

There  is  joy  and  simplicity  in 
this  LP.  Andy  and  his  friends 
were  having  a  good  time  sharing 
life  and  faith. 

— Dennis  C.  Benson,  Scan 


Order  your  record  from 

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December  1975  messenger  31 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 


FOR  SALE:  Church  pews.  27  pews  9  ft.  8 
pews  15  ft.  Contact  Clifton  Hartley,  Arcadia, 
Ind.  46040.  Tel.  (317)  984-3684. 

WANTED— Experienced  Christian  education 
director  for  suburban  Chicago  church.  Ad- 
dress dossiers  or  inquiries  to  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  Box  P,  Libertyvllle,  III. 
60048. 

TRAVEL— Juniata  College  Post  Conference 
Tour  to  Alaska.  Depart  Vancouver  Aug.  4.  23 
days.  Includes  Inside  Passage  Cruise;  Trail 
of  '98;  Tour  of  Alaska  and  Yukon;  return  to 
Seattle  by  Luxury  Motor  Coach  via  Alaska 
Highway  and  Canadian  Rockies  (Banff  and 
Lake  Louise).  Special  arrangements  Wichita- 
Vancouver;  Seattle-home.  Information: 
Harold  Brumbaugh,  v. p.  college  relations, 
Juniata  College,  Huntingdon,  Pa.  16652  or 
call  814-643-4310,  Ext.  42. 

TRAVEL— with  the  Richard  Wengers  on  a  Bi- 
ble Lands  Journey  to  "the  cradle  and  people 
of  our  faith."  l{)-day  tour  to  Jordan,  Israel 
and  Egypt  departs  March  1,  1976  from  New 
York  $899.  Discounts  negotiable  for  con- 
gregations paying  pastors  and  wives  tour. 
Write:   Richard  Wenger,  805  Stanford  Ave., 


Johnstown, 
255-3657. 


Pa.   15905  or  call  collect  814- 


WANTED— Camp  manager.  Camp  Pine  Lake, 
Eldora,  Iowa.  Send  qualifications  to  Lvie 
Neher,  Rt.  1,  Grundy  Center,  Iowa  50638. 
Tel.  (319)824-6772. 

BUS  TOUR— Annual  Conference  via 
Roanoke  and  Nashville  (Grand  Ole  Opry)  to 
Wichita.  July  23-August  3,  1976.  Write  J. 
Kenneth  Kreider,  R.  D.  3,  Box  660, 
Elizabethtown,  Pa.  17022. 

INVITATION  — If  you  are  planning  a  trip  to 
Florida,  why  not  worship  with  us?  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  7040-38th  Ave.  No., 
St.  Petersburg,  Fla.  33710.  Phone  341-3561. 
Sunday  School  9:15  A.M.  Morning  Worship 
10:30  A.M.  Edgar  S.  Martin,  Pastor. 

FOR  SALE— Translation  of  Jeremiah  Fel- 
binger's  "Christliches  Hand-Buchlein" 
(Christian  Handbook)  of  1651.  Includes 
Rites  and  Ordinances  by  Alexander  Mack, 
with  supplement  and  illustrations  added  by 
translator.  Discloses  how  stepping  stones 
were  laid  to  restore  primitive  Christianity  in 
the  Post-reformation  period.  Of  special 
Brethren  heritage  interest.  Hard  cover.  267 
pp.  Illustrated.  $4.50  (sales  tax  incl.)  direct- 
ly, or  $5.00  postpaid  mail  order.  Write:  J. 
Wm.  Miller,  770  North  Diamond  Mill  Road, 
Dayton,  Ohio  45427. 


The  Perfect  Holiday  Treat  - 


i* 

'$|jooMng 


MENNONITE 
COMMUNITY  COOKBOOK 

Mary  Emma  Showalter 

With  food  costs  the  way  they 
are,  could  you  use  a  thousand 
thrifty  recipes? 

Try  "Corn  Soup  with  Rivels," 
"Old-Time  Family  Pie,"  and  other 
time-honored  table  fare  from 
Mennonite  kitchens. 

One  convinced  homemaker 
says,  "MENNONITE  COMMU- 
NITY COOKBOOK  has  made 
cooking  a  pleasure."  Eating  isn't 
bad,  either!  Cloth/S8.95. 


WONDERFUL  GOOD  COOKING 

Fred  J.  Wilson.  Johnny  Schrock, 
and  Larry  Rogers 

Prepare  tasty  farm-style  dishes  using  over  200  original 
recipes  from  Amish  kitchens  in  rural  Ohio. 

Have  you  ever  tasted  "Great  Grandma's  Sheep-Wagon 
Carrot  Cake"?  Or  how  about  "Wiggles"? 

Striking  color  photos  and  an  honest  portrayal  of  Amish 
beliefs  show  this  "stalwart,  friendly"  people  in  their  daily 
lives.  Paper  (spiral-bound)/S3.95. 


Order  from:  THE  BRETHREN  PRESS  Elgin,  IL  60120 


32  MESSENGER  December  1975 


himrm  D 


drugs.  New  recruits  for  this  psychophar- 
macal  religion  are  persuaded  by  assuram 
that  these  drugs,  especially  marijuana,  wi 
do  them  little  or  no  harm.  Users  become  s« 
emotionally  dependent  on  these  drugs  thai 
they  generally  refuse  to  believe  the  serious 
findings  about  them  that  many  scientists 
have  reported.  Users  become  such  captives 
that  they  seek  to  change  laws  banning  theii 
drugs  rather  than  their  own  illegal 
behavior. 

For  several  years  Playboy  magazine  has 
been  pushing  the  idea  that  marijuana  is 
relatively  harmless.  It  has  been  providing 
most  of  the  financial  support  for  NORML 
an  organization  of  pot  smokers  with  a 
$160,000  annual  budget  for  the  purpose  of 
conveying  to  legislators  and  influential 
organizations  the  belief  that  marijuana 
does  not  do  serious  harm.  Though 
NORML  is  not  as  yet  asking  for 
decriminalization  of  cocaine  use,  it  may 
be  of  value  to  know  that  its  executive  di- 
rector was  a  confidant  of  Bobby  Arnstein, 
Hugh  Hefner's  personal  secretary,  who 
committed  suicide  after  conviction 
for  conspiracy  to  distribute  cocaine. 
Pot  users  tend  to  be  tolerant  of  users  of 
harder  drugs,  for  a  certain  percentage 
usually  are  users  of  more  potent 
substances  themselves,  after  beginning  witl 
marijuana. 


Cc 


^'ontrary  to  the  claims  of  such  groups, 
scientific  research  now  has  much  reliable 
evidence  that  the  regular  use  of  pot  does 
serious  harm  to  mind  and  body.  Many 
researchers  will  now  agree  on  the  losses  to 
mental  functioning  from  pot  use  as  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Francis  A.  Davis  in  his 
Publisher's  Report  in  Private  Practice,  ex- 
plaining why  "Marijuana  is  probably  the 
most  dangerous  drug  with  which  this  coun 
try  must  contend.  Consider  the  following:  ■ 
1)  Its  early  use  is  beguiling.  It  gives  the  illu- 
sion of  feeling  good,  so  the  user  is  unaware 
of  the  beginning  loss  of  mental  functioning. 
In  fact,  marijuana  impairs  the  user's  ability 
even  to  judge  the  loss  of  his  own  mental 
abilities.  2)  After  one  to  three  years  of  con- 
tinuous use,  the  ability  to  think  has  become 
so  impaired  that  pathological  forms  of 
thought  start  to  dominate  the  entire  mental 
process.  3)  Chronic,  heavy  use  leads  to  out- 
right paranoia.  4)  Chronic,  heavy  use  leads 
to  mental  and  physical  deterioration  that 
may  be  impossible  to  reverse.  5)  Use  leads 
to  deluded  thoughts  about  the  necessity  to 
seduce  others  into  smoking  marijuana. 
Most  chronic  users  are  active  pushers." 


Loss  of  motivation  for  constructive  ef- 
fort or  acceptance  of  restraints  are  often 
noted. 

Is  the  use  of  a  drug  that  produces 
pathological  thinking  and  loss  of  moral 
principles  compatible  with  Christian  living? 
Is  it  right  to  place  temptation  in  the  way  of 
children  by  welcoming  into  the  church 
fellowship  users  of  a  drug  who  tend  to 
push  its  use  on  others?  Are  there  no 
limits  of  depravity  of  thought  or  action 
acceptable  to  and  for  followers  of 
Christ? 

If  the  church  continues  to  turn  its  back 
on  the  problem  of  mind-impairing  drugs, 
the  church's  image  as  a  servant  of  Christ 
and  his  way  of  life  is  bound  to  suffer.  Will 
people  continue  to  believe  that  the  church 
does  actually  care  anything  about  how  per- 
sons behave  or  what  kind  of  life  they  live  if 
it  does  not  deal  with  this  growing  cause  of 
pathological  action? 


L 


'et  us  consider  what  measures  may  be 
needed  in  view  of  the  strong  pressures  in 
our  present  environment  toward  the  non- 
medical use  of  drugs.  Following  are  some 
which  may  be  examined  for  our  church's 
drug  policy: 

1.  Drug  education,  including  the  serious 
findings  of  scientific  research,  now  may  be 
a  necessary  function  for  churches.  A  com- 
mittee to  coordinate  such  education  might 
be  considered. 

2.  Bills  now  before  Congress  (HR  6108 
and  S  450)  and  various  state  legislatures 
for  the  purpose  of  decriminalizing  mari- 
juana possession  deserve  to  be  brought  to 
the  immediate  attention  of  all  church 
members  and  examined  in  view  of  their 
potential  for  multiplying  drug  use  and 
pressures  on  the  church's  young  people,  as 
well  as  upon  others.  Efforts  to  contact 
legislators  as  soon  as  possible  need  to  be 
organized  and  encouraged. 

3.  Positions  may  need  to  be  taken  by 
local  churches  and  denominations  regard- 
ing the  use  of  marijuana  and  other  mind- 
impairing  drugs. 

4.  Organization  of  non-users  of  cannabis 
drugs  and  narcotics  throughout  our  society 
for  the  purpose  of  educational  and  political 
action  is  a  great  service  mission  for  in- 
dividual Christians. 

Do  we  who  like  to  consider  ourselves  as 
followers  of  Christ  actually  care  if  lives  are 
being  ruined,  religious  organizations  un- 
dermined, and  whole  nations  depressed  by 
the  use  of  mind-warping  drugs?  If  we  do 
care,  our  deeds  will  show  it.  D 


t^\r\nimgj  ipmimt^ 


114th  BVS 
Training  Unit 

Wendy  Jo  Boettner,  of  Freeport, 
III.,  to  Hatfield  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Hatfield,  Pa. 

James  D.  Brenner,  of  Lititz,  Pa., 
to  Poland. 

Nils  C.  Brubaker,  of  Garrett 
Park,  Md.,  to  Poland. 

Catherine  L.  Burrows,  of  Covina, 
Calif.,  to  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Home,  Windber,  Pa. 

David  L.  Emswiler,  of  Mt.  Airy, 
Md.,  to  Bloomington  Christian 
Center,  Bloomington,  Ind. 

Al  Falzone,  of  Hingham,  Mass., 
to  Gould  Farm,  Monterey,  Mass. 

Karen  Flora,  of  Huntington, 
Ind.,  to  Handi-Camp,  Ind.,  Tucson, 
Ariz. 

L^e  B.  Griffith,  of  Canton,  Ohio, 
to  Community  for  Creative  Non- 
violence, Washington,  D.  C. 

Sandra  K.  Hamm,  of  Rocky 
Ford,  Colo.,  to  Better  Way,  Inc., 
Elyria,  Ohio. 

John  L.  Holderread,  of  Agra, 
Okla.,  to  Lend-A-Hand  Center, 
Walker,  Ky. 

Sherri  L.  Hoover,  of  North 
Manchester.  Ind.,  to  Bar  41  Ranch, 
Wilbur,  Wash. 

Coleen  G.  Kaltenbaugh,  of 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  to  Bloomington 
Christian  Center,  Bloomington, 
Ind. 

Gary  R.  Kline,  of  Horseheads,  N. 
Y..  to  Pompano  Beach  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Pompano  Beach,  Fla. 

Donna  and  Lawrence  Miller,  of 
Bridgewater,  Va.,  to  Dundalk 
Youth  Center,  Baltimore,  Md. 

Ann  J.  Moffitt,  of  Washington, 
Kans.,  to  Lend-A  Hand  Center, 
Walker,  Ky. 

Shirley  Jo  Orth,  of  Troy,  Ohio, 
to  Manor  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
Fairpiay,  Md. 

Robert  D.  Pugh,  of  Middle 
Point,  Ohio,  to  study  run-off  irriga- 
tion in  Israel. 

Gary  Lee  Rosborough,  of  Men- 
dota.  111.,  to  KOINOS.  Adrian, 
Mich. 

Dennis  S.  Schrock,  of  Harmony, 
Minn.,  to  Poland. 

Roberta  M.  Senger,  of  Warsaw, 
Ind.,  to  Teal  House,  Concord, 
Calif. 

Charles  A.  Smith,  of  Canton, 
Ohio,  to  SUNA,  Saginaw,  Mich. 

John  S.  Weyant,  of  York,  Pa.,  to 
Inter-Faith  Community  Services, 
Denver,  Colo. 


115th  BVS  Training 
Unit  (Post-30) 

Ray  and  Fern  Baker,  of 
Walbridge,  Ohio,  to  Assignment 
pending  (Spring  1976) 

Francis  and  Wanda  Callahan,  of 
Elkhart,  Ind.,  to  Assignment  pend- 
ing (August  1976) 

Paul  and  Blanche  Geesaman,  of 
Grantville,  Pa.,  to  Brethren  Service 
Center,  New  Windsor,  Md., 
(December  1975) 

Emma  Jane  Henschel,  of 
Phoenixville,  Pa.,  to  Assignment 
Pending  (September  1975) 

Ammon     B.     and     Lucille     D. 


Meyer,  of  Fredericksburg,  Pa.,  to 
Assignment  Pending  (January 
1976) 

Miriam  Myers,  of  Goshen,  Ind., 
to  Assignment  Pending 

Clarice  J.  Ott,  of  Greensburg, 
Pa.,  to  Dundalk  Youth  Center, 
Bahimore.  Md. 

Harry  and  Myrtle  Oxender.  of 
Constantine,  Mich.,  to  Assignment 
pending  (Fall  1976) 

Genevieve  Smith,  of  Silver 
Springs,  Md.,  to  Church  of  the 
Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  111. 

Donald  and  Lorna  Weller,  of 
Springfield.  Oreg.,  to  Florida 
Brethren  Homes,  Sebring,  Ra 
(November  1975) 

Wray  and  Irene  Whiteneck,  of 
Virden,  III.,  to  Assignment  pending 
(January  1976) 

Wtddlng 
Anniversaries 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  Ailing, 
Cabool,  Mo.,  53 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Circle, 
Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  62 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Clingenpeel, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  M.  Dell. 
McPherson,  Kans.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren  D.  Dow- 
man,  Grottoes,  Va.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Liegh  B.  Freed, 
North  Manchester,  Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  ELarl  Goughnour, 
McPherson,  Kans.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vernon  Hall,  Nap- 
panee,  Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warren  Hostetters, 
South  Bend,  Ind.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ira  D.  Hoy, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  60 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guy  Nofsinger, 
Roanoke,  111.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Rinehart 
Sr.,  Richmond,  Ind.,  61 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bryan  Roesch, 
Quinter,  Kans.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Skenberry, 
Rocky  Mount,  Va.,  63 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl  M.  Stebbins, 
Sebring,  Fla.,  50 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Luther  Welbaum, 
Elkhart,  Ind.,  60 


Deaths 

Katie  Adams,  90,  Ephrata,  Pa., 
June  24,  1975 

Mary  Ruth  Allaman,  63, 
Trotwood,  Ohio,  July  13,  1975 

Florence  Arnold,  83,  Torrance, 
Calif.,  July  17,  1975 

Nellie  Bailey,  85,  Flora,  Ind., 
June  22,  1975 

Michael  Todd  Barton,  3, 
Wichita,  Kans.,  June  11,  1975 

Mike  Barton,  29,  Wichita,  Kans., 
June  11,  1975 

Edson  Belt,  80,  Egeland,  N.D., 
Aug.  I,  1975 

Homer  S.  Blazer,  63, 
HoIIidaysburg,  Pa.,  Aug.  12,  1975 

Al  Booth,  75,  Fresno,  Calif.,  July 
16,  1975 

Bevley  Bowyer,  63,  Roanoke, 
Va.,  July  2,  1975 

Mrs.  Frank  Broadwater,  84, 
Preston,  Minn.,  July  5,  1975 

Irene     Caldwell,     62,     Bucyrus, 


Ohio,  June  10,  1975 

Esther  Carper,  74,  Roaring 
Spring,  Pa.,  July  13,  1975 

Mary  Mentzer  Cheshro,  71,  Bed- 
ford, Pa..  June  13,  1975 

Almeda  Clark,  86,  Granville,  Pa., 
July  24,  1975 

Pierre  Coppess,  88,  Versailles, 
Ohio,  July  5,  1975 

Dean  Cross,  50,  York.  Pa..  July 
20,  1975 

Esther  Dickie,  Omaha,  Nebr., 
July  5,  1975 

Carrie  Gibbel  Dorwart.  66, 
Lewisberry,  Pa.,  June  23,  1975 

J.  Howard  Eby.  82.  Trotwood, 
Ohio,  July  6,  1975 

Grace  Eisenbise,  76,  Fresno, 
Calif.,  July  17,  1975 

Bertha  G.  Enfield,  87,  South 
Bend,  Ind.,  Aug.  26.  1975 

Ellis  Fields,  68,  Kokomo,  Ind., 
July  27,  1975 

Irene  Fike,  76,  Empire,  Calif.. 
July  10,  1975 

Albert  Merle  Finfrock,  53,  Mul- 
vane,  Kans.,  July  5,  1975 

Mary  Ford,  87,  Martinsburg, 
Pa.,  May  12,  1975 

Clara  Garland,  Martinsburg,  Pa., 
April  23,  1975 

Margaret  Godsey,  73,  Dayton, 
Ohio,  Aug.  16,  1975 

Maudie  Blickenstaff  Grossnickle. 
89,  Myersville.  Md.,  July  27,  1975 

Jack  Grote,  16,  Bradford,  Ohio, 
June  6,  1975 

Tempest  J.  Hamm,  93,  New  Ox- 
ford. Pa..  July  26,  1975 

Wilma  Harter,  59,  Orlando,  Fla., 
July  27,  1975 

Walter  Johnson,  87,  La  Verne, 
Calif.,  June  29,  1975 

Kevin  Kearney,  19,  Ludlow  Falls, 
Ohio,  July  3,  1975 

Hattie  Bell  Kirby,  85, 
Bridgewater,  Va.,  Aug.  12,  1975 

James  G.  Kirby  Jr.,  67, 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  July  16,  1975 

Mrs.  Kenneth  Krom,  73,  Cando, 
N.D.,  July  31,  1975 

Floyd  Lather,  52,  Guam,  May 
31.  1975 

Edna  Lavy,  64,  Bradford,  Ohio, 
June  24,  1975 

Ora  Leidy,  88,  Belle  Glade,  Fla., 
July  20,  1975 

Mrs.  Ora  Leidy,  87,  Belle  Glade, 
Ra.,  July  20,  1975 

Parma  Lesh,  86,  Bedford,  Pa., 
June  6,  1975 

Mrs.  Everett  Little,  84,  Rich- 
mond, Ind.,  July  24,  1975 

Galen  McGuire,  62,  El  Paso,  111., 
Aug.  10,  1975 

John  McQuate,  58,  Ashland, 
Ohio,  July  17,  1975 

Mae  Miller,  86,  New  Paris,  Pa., 
June  13,  1975 

Vada  Catherine  Miller,  78, 
Harrisonburg,  Va.,  Aug.  13,  1975 

Treva  Miller,  West  Manchester, 
Ohio,  June  17,  1975 

Addie  Shirey  Meyerhoeffer.  92, 
Penn  Laird,  Va.,  Oct.  23,  1974 

William  E.  Morgan,  75, 
Curryville,  Pa.,  Aug.  11,  1975 

Wilson  Myers,  82,  Altoona,  Pa., 
July  21,  1975 

Anne  Oakes,  89,  Quinter  Kans., 
June  16,  1975 

Ida  Olsen,  79,  Boone,  Iowa,  July 
17,  1975 


December  1975  messenger  33 


h(B\r(B  W  m^m\nd 


Robert  F.  Breneman 

Keep  in  religion 
but  not  politics 

I  am  writing  as  a  Brethren  but  also  as  a  life 
member  of  the  National  Rifle  Association 
in  protest  to  your  editorial  of  this  past 
August.  You  are  using  your  freedom  of  the 
press  to  try  to  take  mine  and  millions  of 
other  law  abiding  sportsmen's  "right  to 
bear  arms"  freedom  away,  also  given  us 
under  the  Constitution. 

You  are  foolishly  suggesting  putting  a 
band-aid  on  a  cancerous  sore  by  outlawing 
handguns,  not  realizing  that  punks  will 
always  get  guns  and  the  Mafia  will  get  rich 
selling  them  and  they'll  know  we  will  be  at 
their  mercy,  because  we  turned  in  our 
handguns. 

I  use  my  .44  magnum  and  other  guns  for 
the  big  game  hunting  that  I  enjoy,  and  also 
for  the  protection  of  my  home  and  family. 
I  have  a  permit  to  carry  it  and  the  local 
police  are  glad  for  our  cooperation.  It's 
easy  for  people  like  Philadelphia's  Mayor 
Rizzo  to  have  no  need  for  a  handgun  for 
protection.  He  uses  police  bodyguards,  at  a 
$1000  a  day  for  the  Philadelphia  taxpayers 
to  foot  the  bill. 

Let's  punish  the  criminal,  not  the  gun, 
and  we  have  enough  laws  now  to  do  it  if 
we  enforce  them.  A  Chicago  police 
sergeant  said  that  40,000  persons  com- 
mitted crimes  in  Cook  County  last  year 
while  out  on  bail  for  other  crimes.  There  is 
obviously  something  radically  wrong  with 
our  judicial  system.  What  deterrent  is  left? 
We  took  away  the  death  penalty  (The 
Supreme  Court  did). 

A  San  Francisco  police  lieutenant  said 
that  alcohol  was  a  factor  in  most  of  their 
homicides.  Alcohol,  and  also  dope,  which 
is  smuggled  in  by  the  Mafia  at  great  profit, 
are  the  biggest  factors  in  crime.  Also  in 
many  auto  fatahties.  But  I  don't  see  any 
great  public  outcry  by  the  Brethren  Church 
to  outlaw  alcohol,  and  there  are  laws  on 
dope,  but  how  effective  are  they? 

The  NRA  has  proposed  a  mandatory  ex- 
tra prison  sentence  for  anyone  convicted  of 
a  felony  while  armed,  a  simple  deterrent, 
but  our  lawmakers  (and  Brethren)  won't 
listen! 

There  are  incompetent  people  driving 
two-ton  autos  down  the  street  who 
shouldn't  be  driving.  Why  doesn't  the 
Brethren  Church  try  to  have  these  people 


removed  from  the  street?  Because  they'd 
rather  take  our  handguns! 

Autos  kill  people,  let's  ban  them!  Or,  do 
people  kill  people? 

If  our  church  contributions  are  going  to 
support  to  ban  our  handguns,  then  I 
propose  that  the  sportsmen  in  the  Brethren 
church,  and  there  are  many,  withdraw  our 
monetary  support  of  the  church. 

It's  the  same  as  the  sportsmen  ad- 
vocating banning  freedom  of  worship. 

There  is  nothing  the  criminals  and  the 
communists  would  like  better  than  a  dis- 
armed public,  easy  pickings.  After  you  got 
our  handguns,  then  come  rifles,  shotguns, 
bows  and  arrows  and  then  what  . .  .  knives 
and  hatchets?  Let's  be  reahstic  and  call  a 
spade  a  spade  and  get  to  the  root  of  the 
problem  and  not  try  to  punish  all  gun 
owners  and  presume  we're  guilty  until 
proven  innocent.  Let's  keep  our  churches 
in  religion,  and  not  politics.   D 

Johannes  Wilkening 

German  BVSer 
reflects  on  USA 

I  did  not  come  to  America  out  of  a  desire 
for  adventure,  but  in  order  to  see  and  learn 
how  this  society,  which  influences  the  en- 
tire world,  functions.  It  also  seemed  impor- 
tant to  me  to  get  to  know  a  culture  and 
way  of  life  different  from  that  of  Europe. 
In  this,  lies,  in  my  view,  a  significant  part 
of  our  service  for  peace — being  together 
with  people.  Our  work  is  often  very  un- 
satisfying and  frustrating,  and  often  bears 
no  immediately  visible  fruits.  Even  when 
our  attempts  are  many,  the  results  of  our 
labor,  like  drops  of  water  on  a  hot  stone, 
evaporate  all  too  fast.  But  cross-cultural 
experiences  and  the  new  perspectives 
gained  from  them  never  evaporate. 

During  part  of  my  service  in  a  summer 
camp  in  Ohio,  I  experienced,  when  talking 
with  children  about  Germany,  that  it  was 
more  interesting  for  everyone  to  exchange 
questions  and  thoughts  rather  than  for  me 
to  carry  on  a  long,  tiring  monologue.  This 
kind  of  dialogue  involved  the  children  in 
my  own  learning  process  and  me  in  theirs, 
thus  giving  more  significance  to  our  total 
exchange. 

At  this  point,  I  would  like  to  relate  some 
experiences  and  impressions  of  mine  dur- 
ing my  stay  in  the  United  States: 


Training:  I  enjoyed  a  four-week  training 
with  Brethren  Volunteer  Service — being 
together  and  getting  acquainted  with  peo- 
ple of  my  age  and  of  similar  motivations, 
but  from  a  totally  different  surrounding; 
becoming  familiar  with  language,  new  sur-  , 
roundings,  climate,  and  people. 

Chicago:  As  a  community  organizer  in 
Chicago,  I  experienced  slum  conditions  in 
a  large  American  city — specifically  the 
hard  life  and  resident  apathy  of  a  white  up- 
town slum  area  and  the  relative  ineffec- 
tiveness and  resulting  high  frustration  level 
of  this  kind  of  work.  I  learned  here  how  it 
is  to  have  to  live  in  poverty,  decay,  and 
drugs,  and  how  much  strength  and  energy 
it  takes  to  fight  against  not  only  this  but 
also  the  speculations  of  the  local  landlords 
and  politicians. 

Black-white  conflict:  I  learned  that  it  is 
not  possible  to  solve  racial  conflicts  in  the 
US  in  the  way  I  had  imagined  in  Germany, 
i.e.,  that  all  people  be  treated  the  same.  In- 
stead, I  learned  that  it  is  necessary  to  allow 
people  to  determine  for  themselves  their 
own  culture  and  respective  needs  and  that 
the  society  and  government  should  at  least 
provide  adequate  support  toward  such  self- 
determination. 

Welfare:  Through  my  work  with  welfare 
recipients  in  Chicago,  1  experienced  the 
brutality  of  America's  medical  and  social 
system  (or  lack  of  it)  in  which  it  is  possible 
for  people  to  starve. 

Poverty  and  wealth:  I  was  made  aware 
of  the  contrast  between  rich  and  poor  as  I 
visited  some  relatives  in  the  suburbs.  I  was 
quite  shocked  at  their  abundant  and  lux- 
urious life — a  huge  house,  one  car  per  per- 
son, great  sums  of  money  for  the  children 
— who  attend  private  schools. 

Peoples  of  one  land:  I  was  amazed  at  the 
multiplicity  of  landscapes  and  cultures  in 
America,  from   the  highly  developed  in- 
dustrial cultures  to  the  primitive  and  ex- 
ploited peoples  of  Appalachia. 

And  something  that  really  surprised  me: 
How  very  much  Germany  is  on  the  same 
course  as  the  United  States:  environ- 
mental pollution;  automobile  overkill;  no 
deposit/no  return;  decadence!  D 

Johannes  Wilkening,  Probsthagen,  West 
Germany,  completed  this  year  his  18- 
month  volunteer  experience  in  the  United 
States.  Under  BVS,  Johannes  worked  as  a 
community  organizer  in  Chicago,  as  a 
camp  assistant  in  Ohio,  and  as  an 
organizer  with  migrant  labor  in  California. 


34  MESSENGER  December  1975 


From  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
to  the  Hawal  Valley  . . .  two  new 

paperbacks  from  Brethren  Press  remind  us  of  the  trials 
and   rewards  of  growing  up,   no  matter  where  we  live. 


Button  Shoes,  by  Esther  Pence  Garber,  is  a  story  lived  in 
the  early  1900's  in  a  Dutch  farm  community  in  the  Shenan- 
doah Valley  of  Virginia.  A  story  of  1 1  children  who,  with  their 
parents,  formed  a  social  and  economic  entity. 

"By  today's  standards  this  book  may  seem  square  and 
sentimental — so  be  it.  Perhaps  in  these  troubled  times  with 
emphasis  on  sex,  violence,  sadism  and  perversion,  we  need 
some  oases  that  provide  happiness,  relaxation,  peace  of  mind 
and  a  faith  in  goodness  and  human  decency."  $1.50  plus 
30C  p&h. 


The  Brass  Ring,  by  Dorris  Blough,  tells  of  Inuwa,  a  young 
joy  living  in  the  bush  country  of  Africa.  This  is  the  story  of  In- 
jwa's  struggle  to  earn  the  sign  of  courage,  the  brass  ring.  It 
s  a  story  for  all  who  are  interested  in  learning  how  persons 
iving  in  a  different  culture  deal  with  problems  like  their  own. 

The  book  will  have  a  special  interest  for  Church  of  the 
3rethren  readers  since  the  setting  is  similar  to  the  Lardin 
3abas  area  in  Nigeria.  The  author  and  her  husband  served  as 
Tiissionaries  in  Nigeria  from  1954-1957  and  1960-1964. 
S1.25  plus  300  p&h. 


Please  send 

copies  of  THE  BRASS  RING.  $1 .25  plus  300  p&h. 

copies  of  BUTTON  SHOES.  $1.50  plus  300  p&h. 

To 


Address. 
City 


State. 


.Zip, 


The  Brethren  Press,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


December  1975  messenger  35 


p©©pDsi!ipg][rD©[h 


'And  God  saw  thai  it  was  good' — 
Creativity  Sunday  at  Ridgeway 

What  would  happen  if  members  of  a 
church  were  called  on  to  create  the  Sunday 
morning  worship  service  entirely  on  their 
own — all  the  way  from  the  organ  prelude 
to  the  benediction?  One  congregation 
knows  the  answer  to  that  question,  and 
they  learned  it  the  hard  way — by  actually 
doing  it. 

Members  of  the  Ridgeway  Community 
congregation  in  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  didn't  get 
too  excited  when  their  pastor  challenged 
them  a  year  ago  last  May  to  "put  their 
many  talents  to  work"  and  come  up  with  a 
worship  experience  on  Sunday  morning 
that  would  be  entirely  their  own  creation. 
They  didn't  get  too  excited  because  the 
pastor  frequently  came  up  with  such  far- 
fetched notions.  Besides,  he  had  issued  the 
challenge  for  next  year.  Maybe  by  that 
time,  the  idea  would  be  forgotten. 

It  wasn't.  When  the  Sunday  arrived,  the 
efforts  of  numerous  people  in  the  con- 
gregation had  been  organized,  rehearsed, 
and  readied  to  "give  God  the  glory."  The 
theme  for  Creativity  Sunday,  as  the  day 
was  called,  was  the  scriptural  refrain  from 
Genesis  1:  "And  God  saw  that  it  was 
good!" 

Taking  the  place  of  the  Sunday  school 
hour  for  this  special  day  was  an  arts  and 
crafts  display.  Members  of  the  congrega- 
tion wandered  around  the  display  in 
amazement:  "I  had  no  idea  we  had  this 
many  talented  people  in  our  church,"  was  a 
frequent         comment.  Woodworking, 

macrame,  decoupage,  painting,  and 
ceramics  were  only  a  few  of  the  many  art 


and  craft  categories  presented.  During  that 
first  hour,  a  brief  devotional  period  helped 
those  who  were  present  thank  God  for  his 
gifts  of  creativity  to  the  people  of 
Ridgeway  church. 

Then  it  was  time  for  the  worship  hour. 
The  mood  was  one  of  suppressed  excite- 
ment. The  bulletin  added  to  this  feeling  of 
expectancy.  Its  cover  had  been  specially 
designed  by  the  visual  arts  team  of  the 
church  to  correspond  with  a  bright  red 
banner  at  the  front  of  the  sanctuary  which 
exhorted:  "Shout  for  Joy— It  is  GOOD!" 

A  brief  word  of  introduction  and  the 
beginning  informed  the  congregation  that 
every  element  in  the  worship  service  had 
been  especially  created  for  this  occasion.  A 
few  moments  were  spent  rehearsing  a  new 
song  to  be  sung  later  in  the  hour.  Then  the 
organ  sounded  the  strains  of  an  original 
composition  by  one  of  the  members: 
"Variations  on  the  Hymn  Tune  'Slane.'"  A 
call  to  worship, .  an  invocation,  a  litany 
derived  from  Genesis  1,  and  a  new  hymn 
guided  the  worshippers.  Using  the  tune 
from  the  familiar  hymn,  "Father  Lead  Me 
Day  by  Day,"  a  couple  in  the  church  had 
created  words  especially  fitting  for  the  day. 
The  first  stanza  affirmed: 

Seeds  are  scattered  on  the  earth. 
Hope  for  life!  Oh,  hope  for  birth! 

I  believe  there  is  a  plan. 

Plans  for  life,  a  plan  for  man. 

A  time  of  prayer  followed.   Called  an 


intergenerational  prayer,  it  consisted  of 
four  persons  offering  prayers  for  various, 
periods  of  life:  the  teenage  years,  young' 
adulthood,  middle  age,  and  retirement  age. 
In  place  of  the  usual  Sunday  sermon  was  a> 
layperson's  contribution:  a  specially 
created  choral  reading  which  made  use  of 
more  than  a  dozen  litany  sources  in  an 
attempt  to  help  the  congregation  under- 
stand and  appreciate  the  Bible's  declaration 
that  God  is  the  creator  of  all  things  and 
that  humanity  participates  with  Him  in 
creation. 

Musical  expressions  of  faith  abounded. 
Two  junior  high  girls  composed  and  per- 
formed the  offertory  with  piano  and  flute. 
One  person,  playing  the  guitar,  shared  with 
the  worshippers  a  song  he  had  written  and 
invited  them  to  join  on  the  chorus. 
Another  person  composed  an  anthem 
which  the  adult  choir  sang.  Its  title:  "Sing, 
O  Sing."  Still  another  person  wrote  and 
directed  the  youth  choir  in  a  choral 
benediction.  A  second  couple  wrote  words 
for  a  congregational  hymn  which  they  en- 
titled "Song  of  Creation." 

Perhaps  the  best  way  to  capture  the 
spirit  of  this  exciting  hour  of  worship  is  to 
share  part  of  an  antiphonal  reading  written 
by  one  of  Ridgeway's  lay  people. 


Worship  is  not  somethi 

the  pastor  does  for  the  congregatiq 

worship  happens  when  the  people  of  God  come  toget}\ 

praise  and  hear  his  voice.  It  can  become  a  dynamic,  spirit-fill 

if  and  when  we  "let  it  happen. "  Barriers  c 
Tradition  is  made  meaningful.  Unity  is  experience 


36  MESSENGER  December  1975 


Leaders:  "So  God  created  man  in  His 
own  image,  male  and  female  created 
He  them." 

One:  God  must  have  smiled  as  He 
fashioned  the  broad  planes  and  long 
muscles  of  man  and  the  slow  curves 
and  swells  of  his  softer  mate.  And  with 
the  breath  of  life  He  gave  them 
tenderness,  desire,  humor,  and  joy; 
and  they  reached  out  to  love  in  God's 
garden  of  creatures  and  plants — male 
and  female. 

All:  Lord,  as  you  created  us  for  each 
other  and  yourself,  then  came  mortal 
among  us  to  teach  us  your  love;  make 
our  hearts  large  with  love  for  each 
other  and  the  strangers  among  us. 
Free  us  to  enjoy  love  in  all  its  forms 
and  help  us  make  time  to  share  it. 
Amen. 

What  did  people  of  the  Ridgeway  con- 
gregation gain  from  this  experience?  They 
gained  a  new  appreciation  of  the  meaning 
of  creation  as  a  primary  biblical  theme. 
They  learned  that  within  their  ranks  there 
are  many  talented  people — more  than  they 
had  ever  expected.  They  learned  that 
worship  is  not  something  the  pastor  does 
for  the  congregation,  but  rather  that 
worship  happens  when  the  people  of  God 
come  together  to  pray  and  praise  and  hear 
his  voice. 

From  every  standpoint,  "creativity  Sun- 
day" was  a  rich,  rewarding  experience.  It's 
something  every  congregation  can  do — and 
probably  should. — Kenneth  L.  Gibble 


\t  rather 

pray  and 

ie 

oken  down. 


Letting  Pentecost  happen  now — 
Whitsunday  at  Beavercreek 

The  colors  were  red  and  white;  red  for  fire, 
white  to  help  us  remember  that  centuries 
ago  baptismal  candidates  presented 
themselves  in  white  robes  (as  our  congrega- 
tion does)  for  baptism  in  the  early  church. 
"White  Sunday"  it  was  called. 

The  sanctuary  for  our  own  Whitsunday 
observances  at  Beavercreek  in  Southern 
Ohio  was  rendered  a  place  of  beauty.  It 
was  enriched  by  the  art  work  of  Bill  Goff 
and  a  group  of  enthusiastic  fifth  and  sixth 
graders,  and  by  Rosella  Combs  and  the 
junior  highers  whose  talents  were  offered 
to  God  in  the  creation  of  banners. 

Face-to-face  communication  was  greatly 
enhanced  by  the  turning  of  our  pews 
toward  the  center  of  the  sanctuary  which 
enabled  the  congregation  to  view  persons 
eyeball-to-eyeball.  The  same  spirit  of 
oneness  had  prevailed  the  previous 
Thanksgiving  when  we  attempted  the  same 
kind  of  seating  arrangement. 

The  theme  which  prevailed  during  the 
entire  experience  was  "Pentecost  Is  Now." 
It  really  happened! 

It  can  happen  in  any  congregation  if 
there  is  a  group  of  persons  who  will  risk 
change  (nor  for  the  sake  of  change),  who 
will  plan,  and  who  will  provide  opportuni- 
ty for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  work.  That  group 
was  our  worship  planning  committee.  I  am 
convinced  that  seating  arrangement  is 
vital — that  group  participation  is  a  key 
factor — that  openness  is  mandatory  if 
God's  presence  is  to  be  felt  and  experi- 
enced. 

Pentecost  and  Beavercreek  became  a 
contemporary  encounter  with  the  living 
God  in  1975.  The  sound  of  wind  was  made 
possible  by  use  of  a  tape  recorder.  The  feel- 
ing that  God  was  alive,  nevertheless,  did 
not  have  to  be  electronically  produced.  The 
hymns,  which  included  "O  Holy  Spirit, 
Making  Whole,"  "Breathe  on  Me,  Breath 
of  God,"  and  "Move  in  Our  Midst," 
provided  the  congregation  words  and 
music  which  put  us  in  touch  with  the  past 
and  prompted  us  to  prepare  ourselves  for 
the  "now"  in  terms  of  God's  coming.  A 
short,  but  imaginatively  conceived  drama. 


"Pentecost,  Penny-Cost,  Cost-A-Penny- 
Power"  was  presented  by  twelve  persons 
who  opened  the  way  for  exciting  things  to 
happen. 

A  message  by  the  pastor,  on  the  theme 
"Pentecost  Is  Now,"  related  the  original 
Pentecost  experience  in  Jerusalem  to  the 
existential  moment  we  face  today.  Four 
reactors  extended  the  sharing  in  personal, 
yet  stimulating,  fashion  as  each  of  them  re- 
sponded out  of  their  understanding  of  what 
Pentecost  was  and  is  for  the  Christian  who 
seeks  to  communicate  the  message  of  God 
in  language  and  style  of  life.  This  opened 
the  way  for  more  exciting  exchange  as  a 
number  of  other  persons  in  the  congrega- 
tion spontaneously  contributed  their  con- 
cepts and  shared  their  experiences. 

No  less  meaningful  was  the  moment  dur- 
ing which  the  chancel  choir  sang  "Achieved 
Is  Thy  Glorious  Work"  by  Hadyn  which 
concluded  the  sanctuary  experience  and 
paved  the  way  for  all  members  of  the  con- 
gregation to  move  to  the  foyer  to  continue 
celebrating  the  birthday  of  the  Church  by 
partaking  of  punch  (red)  and  cupcakes- 
(white  icing  and  red  candles),  extending 
the  symbolism  and  strengthening  the 
fellowship  of  the  members  and  friends  for 
more  than  a  few  minutes  on  that  morning. 
The  warmth  and  concern  for  one  another 
was  more  than  a  superficially  generated 
factor.  The  results  of  such  an  occasion  will 
be  helpful  as  each  of  those  who  par- 
ticipated attempt  to  relate  this  experience 
to  their  day-by-day  lives. 

Worship  can  become  a  dynamic,  spirit- 
filled  time,  if  and  when  we  "let  it  happen." 
Barriers  are  broken  down.  Tradition  is 
made  meaningful.  Unity  is  experienced. 

It  can  happen  in  any  congregation! 
— Byron  M.  Flory  Jr. 


December  1975  messenger  37 


I 


INDEX   1975 

Usted  on  these  pages  are  arlicles,  poems, 
editorials,  and  names  of  contributors  which 
appeared  in  MESSENGER  during  1975 
Classifications  have  Ijeen  made  according  to 
author  and  subiect  matter.  Numbers  indicate 
issue  and  page. 


AUTHORS.  PERSONALITIES 

Anderson    Brian  7-2 

Anas.  Mortimer  11-22 

Aukerman   Dair;  7  30 

Balami,  Sulemanu   5-2 

Batdort,  Kay       8-20,  12  3 

Baucher,  Robert  L 11-15 

Beachley,  Ron    2-3.5  33 

Beery.  Bob    8  34 

Benner.  Richard  L 8-15 

Berry,  Galen  8-3 

Biltinger,  Desmond  W 5-38,817 

Boiling.  I^ndrum  R .    .  4-24 

Bomberger.  Kenneth  E  6-26 

Bowman.  Earl  10-21 

Bowman.  John  David  8  14 

Bowman.  L  A    2-3 

Bowman,  Louise  2-31,  8  24 

Bowman,  Robert  C 8-18,8  24 

Bowman,  S  Loren  1118 

Brandt,  Lucile  12-30 

Breneman,  Robert  F  12-34 

Brewer,  rvlike  10  20 

Brierton,  Mrs  Floyd  B  2  32 

Bright,  Harriett    12  3 

Brown.  Dale  W 6-29 

Brussat.  Frederic  A 2-38.  10  36 

Bucher.  Glenn  R 3-10 

Buckwaller.  Anita  Smith   120 

Carter.  Karen  S     12  30 

Cook,  Bernice  Hoover    5-34 


Councilman,  Emily  Sargent 

138,12-24 

Cullers,  Nina  Bazouzi 

.             8-32 

Curtis,  Nancy 

13,4-3 

Deeter,  Joan  G 

,  .    5-27 

Detwiler,  Chet  and  Gladys 

6  3 

Detrick,  Mary  and  Ralph 

4-27 

Durnbaugh.  Donald  F 

4  18 

Earharl,  Robert  L 

821 

Eikentierry,  Brian  A 

213 

Eikenberry,  Joel 

10-32 

Eller,  Geraldme  Crill 

4  28 

Eller,  Jay 

6-2 

Eller,  Sylvia 

1  30,  11  34 

Eller,  Vernard 

2  14 

Fackre,  Gabriel 

10-1 

Faw.  William  R 

9  30 

Fisher.  Herb 

1-3 

Fisher,  Virginia  and  Nevin 

9-3 

Flory,  Byron  M  Jr 

12-37 

Flory,  Paul  J 

2  2 

Frantz,  Evelyn  M 

430 

Garber,  Esther  Pence 

11  38 

Gardner.  Rick 

1  15,  5  37,  10  3 

Gemmer,  Cheryl  Bullock 

4  10 

Gibble,  H  Lamar 

640 

Gibble,  Kenneth  L 

8  10,12  36 

Gray,  Zeke 

,   12  3 

Graybitl,  Larry 

3-15 

Greenawalt,  Mary 

2-2 

Greene,  Bob 

10-36 

Griffith,  Lee 

2-32 

Grout,  Paul 

7-14 

Haag,  Bertha 

1020 

Hageman,  Howard 

4  13 

Hall,  Elsie  and  Von 

8-8 

Heckman,  Shirley  J 

2  36, 

3-38,  6-44,9-36,  11  36.  12  29 

Hendricks,  Jean  Lichty 

8  19 

Hernandez,  David 

43 

Hess,  George  G 

532 

Hinkle,  Darl  V^ 

3  37 

Hollinger.  Grace 

6  2 

Holhs,  Bonnie  J 

1  23 

Hoover,  Stewart  M 

822 

Horning,  Estella 

1  13 

Howell,  Ida  S 

2  26 

Hubbell,  Judy 

11  31 

Ingold,  Dave 

3  3 

Jehnsen,  Ernest  R 

4  28 

Jell.  Ralph  E 

32 

Johnson.  Roy  A 

2  34 

Keener,  Ronald  E 

9-20 

Keller,  Paul  W 

10  32 

Kerr.  Sara 

10  12 

Kinsel.  Paul  W 

836 

Kintner.  Edward 

838 

Kissinger.  Warren  S 

12 

Kulp.  Philip  M 

42 

Landrum.  Richard  L 

78 

Lehman.  James  H 

1218 

Leonard.  Rosalita 

5-3 

Logan.  Linda 

12-2 

Long,  Alma 

1  18 

Longenecker.  Steve  

12, 

3-34 

8  20,8  36,9  29 

Loucks.  Garry  L 

11  30 

Lutz.  Lonnie  R 

1129 

Martin,  Alice 

4-38 

Martin.  Noah  S 

1  34,3  16 

Maclnnis.  Donald  E 

3  19 

McAdams.  Ronald  L 

8  18 

McDaniel.  Alton  L 

8  16 

McDowell.  Kenneth  E 

4  37 

McFadden.  Ralph 

5  16 

McKinnell.  James 

823 

Meyer.  Matthew  M 

7  21,  10  19 

Michalovik,  Frank,  Jr 

3  3 

Miller,  Dean  M 9-35 

Miller.  DeWitt  L 5-23 

Miller.  Donald  E 9  14 

Miller.  Fred  J  2  33 

Miller.  Randy  4  2.5  28,6  3. 

7  11,823,9  17,938,  113,  12  2 
Miller,  Vernon  F  11  12 

Minnich,  H   Spenser  6  17 

Mitchell,  Olden  D  5  22 

Monies,  Stella  12 

Morgan,  Ronald  K  9  12 

Morse,  Kenneth  I    .  129.132.2  2.2  3. 

3  2.6  2.7  3.8-2.9  3.  10  21.  112.  12  40 
Mumma.  Emily  .  2  28.10  16 

Mumnrwrt.  John  8-33 

Murray.  Andy  9  17 

Neff.  Robert  W  12-13 

Neher.  Medfor  9  2 

Newcomer.  Hubert  R  10  15 

Noffsinger.  Bob  5  2 

Northup.  R  Truman  6-43 

Ott.  Dale  1128 

Painter.  Eleanor  F  9-34 

Paul.  Lois  T  4  34.4  35.5  3.7  33. 

9  10.  10  10.  10  12,  10  13,  10  14 
Peters,  Olive  4  3 

Peterson,  Lillian  112 

Retry,  Carroll  M  2  11,8-25 

Poage,  Nina  12  5 

Poling,  James  and  Nancy  5-32 

Potter.  Phihp  A  1116 

Price.  Robert  F  2-8 

Pride,  Dons  9  35 

Rhoades,  Nelds  10  34 

Reid,  Stephen  Breck  7  30 

Rieman,  T  Wayne  12  14 

Rogers,  David  L  8  30 

Rohitas,  Pamela  4  2 

Roller,  Gerald  W  8  33 

Rosenberger.  Mary  Sue  H  11-10 

Rothenbuecher,  Bea  7-34 

Royer.  Howard  E  19.  2-40.  3  40.  4  40. 

5-15.  5-40.  6-48.  7  36.  8  13.  8  20. 
8  40.9  40.  10  40.  11-40 
Royer.  Ruth  and  Byron  6-15 

Sauls,  Albert  L 4  32 

Schillaci,  Peter  P  7  34 

Sell.  Edwin  D  11  28 

Shamberger,  Chauncey  H 1-34,9-31 

Shankster,  J   Phillip    ,..,9-2 

Shull.  Grace  &  Merlin  G       9-31 

Sifrit,  Robert  10-20 

Sleeper.  Peter  12  3 

Smeltzer.  Ralph  E  4-22 

Smith.  E  Stanley  12  16 

Snavely.  Edna  and  Paul  9  2 

Sollenberger,  Howard  E 6  22 

Sonafrank,  Hal  10  11 

Stafford,  William  1-27 

Statler,  Suzanne  6-3 

Stullz,  Owen  G    3  24 

Swartz,  Fred  W  8-21,10  6 

Thomas,  Herbert  9  34 

Thomason,  Kermon  1-40,3  3,3-8,5  2, 

5  11,5  12,7  2,724,  7  32,7-33, 
8  3.  1020.  10-28 
Thompson.  Joel  K  5  17 

Thompson.  R  Jan 6-10 

Tomlonson.  James  E 6-45 

Tomlonson.  John  D  5  20.8-18,8  24 

Whitacre,  Ted  8  17 

Tully.  Robert  6-46 

Turner.  Charles  W  .  12  26 

Ulnch.  Larry  K 4-16 

Wampler,  Joe  8  2 

Warner,  Pop  113 

Weber,  Barry  J  1124 

Weddle,  Connie  Andes  112 

Whisler,  Juanita  5-3 

Wilkening,  Johannes  12-34 

Wilson,  Leiand  .13 

Wise,  Olive  112 

Workman,  Mary  3-2 

Wnght,  Elliott  12  12 

Yohn.  Russell  12  31 

Ziegler.  Susan  M  8  2 


SUBJECT  MATTER 

BIBLE/THEOLOGY 

All  Creation  Awaits 

Ark  Image.  Paul  Grout 

Entering  Into  Newness,  Estella  Horning 

Jesus  Christ  Frees  and  Unites,  Mor 


r  Ana 


6-20 
7  14 
1  13 


526 
3  16 
830 


The  Last  of  the  Ten,  Ronald  K  Morgan 
Life  in  the  Community  of  Faith,  Joan  G 

Deeter 

Lord.  Give  Me  a  Drink,  Larry  Graybill 
Lovest  Thou  Thee'  David  L  Rogers 
Mary's  Song  of  Revolution,  E    Stanley 

Smith 
Maturia  Jeesous,  Vernard  Eller 
No  Escape  by  the  Cross.  Larry  K   Ul- 
nch 


CHRISTMAS 

Christmas  Crafts  and  the  Granny 
Greens  12  5 

Christmas  for  Christopher.  Emily 
Sargent  Councilman  12-24 

Joy  and  Anguish  at  Christmastime.  T 
Wayne  Rieman  12  14 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 

Administrative  Changes  on  Brethren 
Campuses  10  27 


Annual   Conference    The   Other  Side. 

Dale  W  Brown 
At  Life  Style  Workshop  'Revolutionary 

Thoughts' 
Beacon  at  a  Place  Called  Tunker.  Lois 

Teach  Paul 
Bethany   Hospital   Asks  Development 

Support 
Bethany  Land  Sale  Rebuff  Who  Won' 

Who  Lost'  Richard  L  Benner 
Bible    Study    Electives     A    New    Ap 

proach,  Fred  W  Swartz 
Bietier         Moderator  Elect.         Others 

Named.  Elected.  Randy  Miller 
Brethren      Grant      Supports     African 

Reconciliation 
Brethren   Impressed   by  Chinese  Vir 


8  14 

821 

822 

9-5 

5  4 

BL&T  Going  Strong  After  Twenty  Years  12  6 
Brethren    Pastors    and    This    World's 

Goods.  Louise  Bowman  .        8-24 

Brethren    Patriots    Again!    Vernon    F 

Miller  11  12 

Brethren  Plan  Series  of  New  Ministries  9  4 
Brethren  Remembered  by  the  Sudeten 

Germans  117 

Brethren    Role    Hailed   in    World   Con 

gress  2  6 

Brethren    to    Observe    Milestones    in 

1976 6-5 

Carson  Valley  Enables  Its  Faith  to  Take 

Flesh 11-4 

Christian  Stewards  in  ufe  and  Death, 

Kay  Batdorf  8-20 

Cluster   Plan   Upholds  the   Extended 

Family  116 

Communication  Amid  Contrasts.  Alice 

Martin  4  38 

Community  Development    A  Different 

Approach.  Elsie  and  Von  Hall  8  8 

Concerns.       Future       Action        New 

Business  Briefs.  Howard  E   Royer  8  20 

Congregational    Support    Essential    to 

Seminary  11-4 

Creation    Themes    Lifted    in    General 

Sessions.  John  David  Bowman   8-14 

Criminal  Justice  Reform  m  76-77  GB 

Program.  Alton  L  McDaniel  8-16 

Don   Rowe    Moderator  in  a  Changing 

Role.  Kermon  Thomason     5-12 

Districts   and    Seminary   Employ   New 

Workers  9-6 

Field      Staff      Named      for     'Person 

Awareness.' Nina  Poage    12-5 

Fifty  Years  on  Lake  Waubee.  Robert 

Tully  6-46 

Five  Workers  Take  Posts  in  the  Cariti- 

bean  Area  2-6 

Floor  Open  to  Nominate  for  1976  Con- 
ference          10-22 

Food   Production   Abroad:  Where  the 

Brethren  Are  14 

For    Bethany  Garfield     A    Fund    Drive 

Okayed,  Robert  L  Earhart  8-21 

For    Brethren:    Service    Opportunities 

Open       8-6 

For  Lardin  Gabas  A  Full-Time  General 

Secretary  4-4 

Fort  Chaffee's  Message  'Don't  Slam  the 

Door''     7-4 

General  Board  Advises  Avoiding  Ties 

With  CIA  1-5 

General  Board   Report    Gloomy  Trend 

Reversed,  Robert  C  Bowman  .  .  8-18 
General  Board  Testifies  on  Handgun 

Controls  8  5 

German    BVSer    Home    but    Project 

Follows    6-6 

The    Germinating    Seed.    Howard    E. 

Royer    8  11 

Goals  and  Priorities:  Unity.  One  Pur- 
pose. Ted  Whitacre  8-16 
Going  to  Bat  for  the  Community.  Lois 

Teach  Paul    .  10  13 

Health  Care  for  Poor  Extends  to  Rural 

Mississippi  Homes  2  20 

Historic    Peace   Churches   Seek   One 

Voice  on  Peace  8  5 

Homesteading  — One     Family's    Alter 

native  Life  Style.  Bonnie  J   Hollis  123 

A      Hopeful     Witness.      Kenneth      E 

Bomberger  6  26 

Howard  Pyle  With  God's  Peculiar  Peo 

pie.  James  H.  Lehman  12-18 

Impressions      of       Niger.      Kermon 

Thomason    5  10 

In  Their  Spirit  of  Loving  Service.  Sara 

Kerr      10-12 

Terms  Urged  in  Faith  Com- 


munity 
Ingold  Transfer  Affirms  Lardtn  Gabas 

Strength  . 

Inklings  on  the  Airwaves.  Lois  Teach 


96 


Retreat   an    Oasis    in    BVS 


In  Serv 
Term  ^  

Insights    Provide    Potpourri   of   Oppor- 
tunities. Stewart  M   Hoover        

Insights  75  to  Present  Varied  Issues. 
Formats 

Interchurch     Relations      No     Merger 
Assumption.  John  D  Tomlonson 

Irish  Catholic  Parish  Put  Minibus  to 
Use  

J  Henry  Long  to  Head  Leprosy  Mission 

Kentucky  Firm   Tackles  Low  Income 

Housing    

Leona  Row  Directing  Hiroshima  Center 


A  Letter  From  Dayton.  Robert  C.  Bow- 
man       8-24 

Ufe  As  a  Trusteeship,  H  Spenser  Min- 
nich       6-17 

Local  Parish  Planning  Key  to  New 
Curricula  

Los  Angeles  Ministers  Begin  In-Service 
Study   .  2-19 

Make  Me  No  Promises.  Kenneth  E.  Mc- 
Dowell           4-37 

Malgwi  Inspector  of  Religion  in  Schools     11-9 

McPherson  Gets  Trust  for  Vocational 
Arts     

McPherson  to  Be  Scene  of  1976  Youth 
Event  U-7 

Messenger  Retelling  Publishing's  First 
25  Years 

Ministry  Paper  All  Have  Special  Gifts. 
Jean  Lichty  Hendricks   8-19 

Moomaw  Emphasizes  "Benchmarks" 
for  Aid  10-23 

More  Than  Money  Sought  in  Response 
to  Hunger 

Musa  Mushelia  Translating  New  Testa 
ment  Into  Bura 

NCC  Report  Oneness  m  Ministry  and 
Mission.  John  D  Tomlonson  8-24 

Navaio  Thrust  Seeks  Self-Deter- 
mination  2-22 

New  Cuban  Ties  Hoped  For  After 
Brethren  Overture    5-6 

"A  New  Family  in  Town"  Accents 
Resettlement     12-« 

"New  Pastor  Retreat"  Idea  Success  in 
East  

A  New  Testament  Approach  to 
Evangelism  for  Brethren.  Rick  Gard- 
ner         10-3 

New  Thrusts  Launched  in  Media. 
Marketing        11-5 

New  Windsor  Setting  for  On  Earth 
Peace  Kickoft     

New  Windsor  to  Finish  Old  Main 
Renovation  .  10-24 

New  Windsor's  New  Old  Mam  110 

New  Workers  Assigned  to  Niger. 
Ecuador 

Nigeria  Health  Effort  Impresses  Sup- 
porters        11-6 

1975  Annual  Conference  Business, 
Howard  E   Royer   5-15 

1976  Conference  Views  Church, 
College  Ties  10-22 

Our  Ministry  in  the  Lord  9-21 

The  PVS  Idea  — End  of  a  Search  for 
Handles  7-6 

Pastors  Lift  Theme  of  "The  Bible  as 

Living,'  James  McKinnell  8-23 

Peace  Groups  Examine  Living  in  Com 
munity  2-10 

Peace  Group  Honors  a  Man  "On  a 
Binge"  8-5 

Peters  Active  as  Leader  for  Health  and 
Welfare,  Steve  Longenecker 

Poetry,  Music,  Service  Arab  Youth 
Camping 

Random  Reflections  An  Exercise  in 
Belonging,  Carroll  M   Retry 8-25 

Rekindling  the  Spark,  Randy  Miller  7  10 

Resignation.  Land  Sale  on  Seminary 
Docket 

Resolution  Sees  Youth  as  Full  Par 
ticipants  1-5 

Robert  Byerly  Meets  With  India  Pas- 
tors          7-5 

Robinson  Addresses  Bethany  Grad- 
uates          9-9 

Row  Memorial  Expands  Ecumenical 
Library  8-6 

SERRV  After  25  Years.  A  Grovrth  Enter- 
prise            12  4 

A  Sense  of  Mission  and  Ministry. 
Hubert  R  Newcomer  10-15 

'75  Conference  to  Sound  Call  to  Dis- 
cipleship    24 

Shansi  Province,  a  Pioneer  Remem- 
bers            6-24 

SHARE  Continues  Aid  to  US  Disadvan- 
taged             11-8 

She  Kept  on  Preaching.  Donald  F 
Durnbaugh  4-18 

Skill  Training  and  Self  Esteem  Are 
What  Grow  in  Brooklyn    2-21 

Special  Fund  Assists  57  Retired 
Workers  2-6 

Special  Report— "Sabon  Rai"  Through 
Lafiya.  Kermon  Thomason    3-8 

Special  Report  So  Much  Like 
Footwashing.  R  Jan  Thompson        .       6-10 

Support  System  Is  Goal  for  Medical 
Workers  9-8 

Theology  New  Focus  of  Women  in 
1976 12-5 

Trekking  the  Travelin'  Road.  Lois 
Teach  Paul  10-10 

Unique  Situations  Mark  Licensings.  Or- 
dinations 87 

Update   Congregations  18.68 

Update   General  Board  Reports  4-8, 12-8 

Usage  Continues  High  for  Uniform 
Lessons         4  6 

With  the  WCC  in  Nairobi  The  First  Lay 
Delegate,  John  D  Tomlonson  8-24 

Without  the  Family  We  Are  Not  Whole, 
Desmond  W  Bittinger  8-17 

World  Hunger  Concern  Priority  Was 
Evident,  Ronald  L  McAdams  8  18 

Youth  Open  the  Storehouse,  Hal 
Sonafrank  10-11 


38  fviE.s.SENGtK  December  1975 


CONGREGATIONS 

"And  God   Saw  That   It  Was  Good"- 

Creativjty     Sunday     at     Ridgeway. 

Kenneth  L  Gibble    12  36 

■'Because   We  Care",  A  Good  Enough 

Reason  for  Visiting  the  Lonely.  Lois 

Teach  Paul      4-35 

Charlottesville    Summer  Comes  Soon 

but  the  Teachers  Are  All  Prepared, 

Lois  Teach  Paul   7-33 

Dayton;  Helping  Those  Who  Are  Hurt 

and   Hospitalized   Far   From   Home, 

Lois  Teach  Paul      4-34 

Frostburg:    A    Pastor's    Vision    Spurs 

Building  of  'God's  Ark  of  Safety,'  Ker- 

mon  Thomason     7-33 

Hagerstown,    A  Helping  Hand,   Not  a 

Handout,  for  Haiti.  Dean  M  Miller  ..  9-35 
How  Can  a  Small  Church    .    .  John  D. 

Tomlonson  5-20 

Lafayette     Mittens    &    Helmets    From 

Easy-to-Follow  Patterns.  Dons  Pride  ,  9-35 
La    Verne.    Teenage   Composers   Turn 

Tale  of  a  Whale  Into  a  Whale  of  a 

Tale.  Kermon  Thomason    7-32 

Letting     Pentecost     Happen     Now— 

Whitsunday  at   Beavercreek,   Byron 

M   Flory  Jr  12-37 

Long  Beach  Christ  Is  the  Goal  Setter  .  6-42 
Newton,  Louisville.  Elgin:  How  to  Keep 

Brethren    Down   on   the    Farm,    LoiS 

Teach  Paul  7-33 

Palmyra    A  24-Hour  Rock-a  Thon  Nets 

$1700  for  World  Hunger,  Eleanor  F. 

Painter  9-34 

Pomona   Valley     Hunger  Walk'  Turns 

Physical    Efforts    Into   Food   Dollars. 

Lois  Teach  Paul  4-35 

Reading  Church    Good  Food  Speaks  a 

Universal       Language  Plus 

Spanish,  Lois  Teach  Paul    4-34 

"Signing "  the  Sermons  and  Songs  at 

Frederick,  Darl  W   Hinkle 3-36 

Special   Report    Coffee  Break  at  Four 

Mile  Corner.  Lois  Teach  Paul  9  10 

Warrensburg:  A  Better  Way'  Through  a 

Consumers  Club,  Herbert  Thomas  9-34 

EASTER 

Easter  Is  Not  an  Island,  Howard 
Hageman    4-13 

The  Night  Jesus  Came  to  Love  Feast, 
Noah  S.  Martm   3-16 

Petals  and  Butterflies:  Marks  of  Chris- 
tian Community,  Glenn  R,  Bucher  3-10 

EDITORIALS 

Approaching    Conflict    Constructively, 

Howard  E   Royer   9-40 

Away  in  a  Manger,  Kenneth  Morse  ,  12  40 
A  Discerning,  Critical  Minority,  Howard 

E   Royer  4-40 

'Happiness  Is  a  Warm  Gun,'  Howard  E 

Royer     8-40 

Harried  but  Not  Hemmed  in.  Howard 

E.  Royer   3-40 

It's  Time  for  a  Better  Idea,  Howard  E. 

Royer  ,     11-40 

On  Partisanship  With  the  Poor,  Howard 

E,  Royer     2-40 

Pastor,  Prophet,  and  Power,  Howard  E. 

Royer    6-48 

Strangers  in  the  Land,  Howard  E,  Royer 

7-36 

Will  God's  Love  Abide  in  Us?  Kermon 

Thomason    1-40 

The    Word    That    Moves    the    Heart. 

Howard  E  Royer   10-40 

The  Year  of  the  Ram's  Horn.  Howard  E. 

Royer    5-40 

INSPIRATIONAL 

Are  You  Prepared  to  Meet  God?  Carroll 

M   Petry     2-11 

Dawn  People,  Gabriel  Fackre  10-1 

The  Hope  Before  Us,  Edward  Kmtner  8-38 
Impulse    to    Liberation,    Desmond    W 

Bittinger 5-39 

Litanies  of  Joy  and  Hope  11-20 

The  Lord  Is  at  Hand    3-13 

Nurturing  the  Faith  Community, 
Donald  E   Miller  9-14 

ISSUES 

Against      Baptism     of     Adolescents, 

William  R,  Faw    9-30 

Babylon  and  the  US  Bicentennial,  Lee 

Griffith  2-32 

Blacks     Forgotten    m    Our    Heritage? 

Stephen  Breck  Reid  7-30 

BVSer    Reflects    on    USA.    Johannes 

Wilkening     12-34 

A     Camp     Setting     for     Conference. 

Chauncey  H.  Shamberger  9-31 

Democratic  Tilt  Seen  at  Dayton,  Paul 

W.  Keller     10-32 

Did  Shakespeare  Help  the  King?  Lon- 

nie  R   Lutz   11-29 

Doing  Deeds  That  Others  Can  See  By, 

Ron  Beachley    5-33 

Drug    Use   and    the    Church,    Russell 

Yohn   12-31 

God    as     Father'— Biblical,    Personal. 

Grace  and  Merlin  G   Shull    9-31 

If     I'm    Brethren,     I'm    Accountable, 

Karen  S.  Carter  12-30 

Into  Harmony  With  "Christianity  and," 

Luc  lie  Brandt  12-30 


8-36 
2  38 

8-36 


Keep    in    Religion    but    Not    Politics, 

Robert  F   Breneman         

A  New  Direction  for  Seminary  Educa- 
tion, Noah  S.  Martin  

New    Future    for    the    Rural    Church, 

Ernest  R  Jehnsen        

No   Rash    Notions  on   Woman's   Role, 

Judy  Hubbell  

No  Way  to  Peace;  Peace  Is  the  Way, 

Dale  Ott 
The    Obscenities    in    America's   Past, 

Garry  L.  Loucks  .   .. 

"Pass  the  Dish"  m  These  Times'  Mrs 

Floyd  B   Bnerton 
Past  and  Present  China  Lessons,  Ber- 

nice  Hoover  Cook      

Pastor      A    Laborer    Worthy    of    Hire, 

Evelyn  M   Frantz  

Production  Versus  Low  Consumption, 

Geraldine  Crill  Eller 

Recruitment.  Not  Relocation,  Needed, 

Albert  L  Sauls 
Saving  Up  for  Rainy  Days.  Gerald  W, 

Roller    

Shalom  &  Shalaam  m  Palestine?  Nina 

Bazouzi  Cullers 

So  Uttle  Can  Be  So  Helpful,  George  G. 

Hess  

Teach  Gratitude.  Not  Stewardship,  Bob 

Beery  

Terminate     Ties     With     ROAR.     Dale 

Aukerman  

Think  of  Those  Seventy  Disciples.  John 

Mummert 
Too  Many  Gun  Laws  Already,  Edwin  D, 

Sell     

Trying   Preachin'  and  Farmin'.  James 

and  Nancy  Poling 

Use     Meditation'    to    Find    God,    Joel 

Eikenberry 
We    Need   to   Try   Harder  on    Church 

Growth,  Chauncey  Shamberger 
Where  Have  the  Sermons  Gone'  Fred 

J   Miller 
The  Whole  Person  Active  m  Worship, 

Nelda  Rhoades 


MEDIA:  BOOKS 

I  Heard  the  Owl  Call  My  Name,  Re- 
viewed by  Paul  W   Kinsel     

Old  Age  As  a  Qualitative  Triumph, 
Frederic  A,  Brussat    

TV  and  National  Defense  An  Analysis 
of  CBS  News,  Reviewed  by  Steve 
Longenecker  


MEDIA:  FILMS 

The  American  Film  Theatre,  Kenneth  I 
Morse  1-32 

Hearts  and  Minds,  Peter  P  Schillaci     ,      7-34 

Nashville  Making  Sense  or  Fun? 
Frederic  A  Brussat    10-36 

The  Other  Side  of  the  Mountain,  Bea 
Rothenbuecher  7-34 


MISCELUNEOUS 

All  in  the  Ecumenical  Family,  Joel  K, 

Thompson  .    . 

Ark 
Bangladesh -Soybeans       and       Dis 

cipleship,  Anita  Smith  Buckwalter 
Becoming  a  Global  Citizen,  Ralph  G 

McFadden 
Brethren  House— A  "Come  and  Dis- 
cover" Kind  of  Place,  Emily  Mumma 
Celebration       and        Reconstruction. 

Richard  L  Landrum         

The   Centenary  of  Schweitzer's   Birth, 

Kenneth  I    Morse  

China    Religious  and   Secular  Values 

Today,  Donald  E   Maclnnis    . 
The  Christian's  Guide  to  Goofing  Off. 

Kenneth  L  Gibble    .    . 
Church  Asks  if  Ads  Are  Demeaning  to 

Women  

Covenantal   Marriage  and  the  Grovth 

Idea,  Ruth  and  Byron  Royer  ,  ., 

Criminal  Justice  Reform     5-^ 

Fasting— A  Road  to  Discovery,  Alma 

Long    

Gettysburg     Revisited,     Charles     W 

Turner     12-i 

Giving    In    But    Not    Up,    Robert    L. 

Saucher  

Glossolaha.    The    Spmtual    Gift    Least 

Understood,  Matthew  M   Meyer     ,,, 
Hunger  — A  Biblical   Perspective,  Rick 

Gardner     

Israeli  Digs  Enhance  Biblical  Accounts       9-4 
June    Conference    Set    on    Believers' 

Church     5-9 

Kansas   CROP   Leader  Wins  "Bucket " 

Award 5-7 

Learning  to  Be  a  Parent,  Landrum  R 

Boiling 4-24 

Let  the  Sun  Shine  in!  Roy  A-  Johnson        2-34 
Let's  Strive  for        a  Loving  Discipline, 

Barry  J.  Weber   11-24 

Life-Stewardship    6-32 

Making  Applebutter,  Esther  Pence  Gar- 

ber   11-38 

Making  Friends  With  a  Canyon,  Randy 

Milter 9-38 

Manifesto  Lifts  Dream  for  Third  Cen- 
tury             7-5 


The  Ministry— Ordination  and  Family 
Ufe       3-26 

One  Vine  .  Many  Branches,  DeWitt  L 
Miller  5-23 

Partof  the  Problem,  H   Lamar  Gibble        6-40 

A  Religious  Vision  of  Reality 10-38 

Sea  Horse,  Emily  Sargent  Councilman.  1-38 
Study  Reveals  Decline  m  Use  of  Plain 

Garb  2-7 

Suggest  Auto  User's  "Thou  Shalt  Nots"  10-24 
Tachai       Builds      on      Self- Reliance. 

Howard  E.  Sollenberger 6-22 

Testimonies  to  Truth,  Robert  W  Neff  .  12-13 
25  Years  of  Ecumenical  Cooperation, 

Elliott  Wright      12-11 

Voice  of  Calvary.  Living  Out  the  Gospel. 

Randy  Milter    ..  5-28 

Walking   the    Other    Paths,    Olden    D, 

Mitchell     5-22 

What  God  Brings  Together  6-12 

When     Failure    Succeeds.    Owen    G 

Stuttz  3-24 

NEWS 

"Allies"  Explore  Areas  of  Common  Con- 
cern               6-8 

Anabaptist  Churches  Plan  New 
Curriculum    1-7 

Boston  "The  Black  and  White"  of  Bus- 
ing          3-6 

Brethren  Lend  Support  to  India  Peace 
Center    3-5 

Call  Sounded  for  Uves  of  "Creative 
Simplicity"  3-5 

Conference  to  Choose  Lay  Delegate  to 

WCC    5-4 

Confrontation  and  Celebration.  Philip 
A   Porter  11  16 

COCU    in    Cincinnati      "Back    in    the 

Fight"     2-5 

Coptic    Orthodox   Bishop   Appeals   for 

Recognition  4-6 

Dialogue,  Prayer  Mark  White  House 
Briefing 4  8 

"Earned  Re-entry"  Plan  Ended;  Had 
Few  Takers         11-7 

Equal  Rights  Passage  Hits  Rough  Sled- 
ding          6-9 

Evangelicals  to  Study  Nonviolence. 
Feminism     3-4 

Evangelism  Counselors  Set  Three- Year 

Plans  7-7 

Examples  to  Imitate:  tv  as  Moral 
Teacher.  Howard  E,  Royer    1-8 

Farm  Workers  to  Vote  by  Secret 
Balloting     9-4 

Federal  Agency  "Jinxes"  Rural  Housing 
Protect  3-6 

"First  Fruit_s"  Plan  Ready  for  Testing    .,         9-9 

Food  Day  Focus:  Costs,  Shortages,  and 
Quality  3-7 

Kubler-Ross  Convinced  of  a  Life  After 
Death  11-5 

Ladybugs  Fight  Aphids  on  Niger's  Date 
Palms  3-5 

Looking  Toward  Nairobi,  S,  Loren  Bow- 
man      11-18 

Major  World  Parley  to  Focus  on  Women        4-5 

Methodist  Opposition  Voiced  on 
Lotteries  1-6 

Network,  Churches  to  Air  tv  Series  on 
Conscience    12-7 

Openness  to  Peace  Seen  in  Middle 
East  Survey 8-6 

Pax  World  Portfolio  a  Top-ranking  Fund 

Peace  Talks  Convened  by  Asian 
Chri 


6-5 


People  for  Whom  Peace  Is  More  Than 

an  Idea     4-6 

Radio      Series      Dramatizes      Faith, 

Courage  of  Women       .  10-23 

Religious  Study  Drafted  for  Schools  m 

Nigeria     1-6 

Saga  of  Christianity  Cast  in  tv  Special  ,  6-9 
Schools     Can     Present     Courses     on 

Religion    12-8 

Scripture  Societies  Plan  New  Readers 

Progra m  1-6 

Senate    Endorses    Plea    for   Voluntary 

Fast    2-10 

Six  Seminars  to  Convene  in  Wash- 
ington, at  UN  12-6 

The  Soviet  Churches  Revisited,  Rotiert 

F   Price     2-8 

Students      and      Offenders,      Cheryl 

Bullock  Gemmer  4-10 

"Stupidity,  Duplicity"  Charged  in  Delta  10-26 
Survey    Lists    tv    Shows    Heaviest   on 

Drinking  12-9 

3,500  Assemble  'lo  Save  the  Peace 

Agreement"  4-9 

Welcoming  God  to  America's  Bicenten- 


12-9 


PEOPLE 

Sulemanu  Balami:  Thanks,  Dr.  Helser! 

Kermon  Thomason    5-2 

Galen  Beery   Our  Man  in  Fort  Chaffee, 

Kermon  Thomason    8-3 

Earl     Bowman:     "God     Called     Me," 

Kenneth  I,  Morse     10-21 

L   A   Bowman:  Heritage  in  Residence, 

Ron  Beachley    2-3 

Mike    Brewer:    A   Reason   for  Thanks. 

Robert  Sifrit  10-20 

Harnett  Bright-  The  Fiber -of  Life,  Kay 

Batdorf   12-2 

Frank     Carper,     An      Instrument     of 

Change,  Ronald  E  Keener    9-20 


Andrew  W    Cordier.  Hope  and  Reality 

Hand  in  Hand,  Kermon  Thomason  10-28 
Peter  Cowan:  Getting  It  All  Together  10-24 
Chet  and  Gladys  Detwiler    Serving  in 

Return,  Suzanne  Statler     6-3 

Jay  Eller    A  Guide  for  the  Path,  Randy 

Miller  6-2 

Herb    Fisher     The    Carpenter's    Son? 

Nancy  Curtis  1-3 

Virginia     and     Nevin     Fisher      Many 

Careers,  Kenneth  I   Morse        9-3 

Paul    J     Flory     Nobel    Prize    Winner, 

Kenneth  I   Morse     2-2 

Zeke  Gray   A  Mistake  Corrected,  Peter 

Sleeper  12-3 

Mary  Greenawalt    Stories,  Books,  and 

Children.  Kenneth  I    Morse      2-2 

Bertha    Haag.    Brethren    Jingle   Belle, 

Kermon  Thomason  .   ...      10-20 

David   Hernandez.    Shepherd-Psalmist 

With  Sling,  Nancy  Curtis       4-3 

David     Hilton     Recruited     for     Lafiya 

Assignment  10-22 

Grace    Hollmger     Adding    the    Grace 

Notes,  Kenneth  I   Morse      6-2 

Dave   Ingold.  Cited  m  Sahel,  Kermon 

Thomason  .    .  3-3 

Ralph  E    Jelf    Fiddler  and  Storyteller, 

Frank  Mihalovik  Jr    3-2 

(Dean)      Kahler      and      Kent      State 

Revisited.  Mary  Sue  H.  Rosenberger  11-10 
Arden  and  Bernetta  Kile  — Each  Day  a 

Celebration.  Fred  W  Swartz    10  6 

Philip  M  Kulp:  Stake  in  Good  Govern- 
ment, Olive  Peters  4-3 

Warren  S  Kissinger  Life  m  the  Library, 

Steve  Longenecker   1-2 

Linda  Logan   Vacation  Leads  to  Voca- 
tion, Randy  Miller  12-2 
Stella  Montes   So  Much  to  Do,  Leiand 

Wilson    1-2 

Ira  W    Moomaw,  How  They  Keep  Him 

Down  on  the  Farm      10-23 

Anna  Beahm  Mow:  Son  and  Daughter 

of  the  Pioneers  10-24 

Andy  Murray  Brethren  Balladeer,  Ran- 
dy Miller    9-17 

Medford      Neher      Ministry     in     Art, 

Kenneth  1   Morse    9-2 

Bob  Noffsmger   Taking  on  Tornadoes, 

Lois  Teach  Paul      5-3 

Lillian   Peterson;   "God  Opens  Doors," 

Connie  Andes  Weddle    11-2 

J     Perry    Prather    He'd    Do    It    Again. 

Kenneth  t   Morse        7-3 

Pamela  Rohitas.  Gift  From  India,  Ran- 
dy Miller 4-2 

Ralph  Royer.  Suited  for  Sahel,  Kermon 

Thomason    7-2 

Noble  Sherck.  Bible-toting  Super- 
salesman,  Brian  Anderson   7-2 

Edna  and  Paul   Snavely.   Friends  to  a 

Multitude,  J  Phillip  Shankster  ....  9-2 
The  Lord  and  Elder  Swallow.  Kermon 

Thomason  7-24 

Wampler,  Joe.  Discoverer  of  Quasars, 

Kermon  Thomason   8-3 

Pop  Warner    Brethren  Camp  Pioneer, 

Randy  Miller        11-3 

Juanita     M      Whisler      At     Work     for 

Temperance,  Rosalita  Leonard   5-3 

Olive  Wise.  Family  Nurse  Practitioner, 

Kenneth  I   Morse  11-2 

Mary   Workman     Finding  Alternatives, 

Kenneth  I   Morse  3-2 

James     Browning    Wyeth;     Son    and 

Daughter  of  the  Pioneers  10-24 

Susan  M,  Ziegler:  Great-great- 
grandmother,  Kenneth  I.  Morse   8-2 

POETRY 

Can't  Stop  Now!  Brian  A.  Eikenberry  ..     2-13 

Life  Happens  Where  You  Are.  William 

Stafford    1-27 

RESOURCES 

Appreciating    Appalachia,    Shirley    J, 

Heckman       9-36 

Bible  Study  for  Groups,  Rick  Gardner  .  5-37 
Bicentennial   for   Brethren,   Shirley   J 

Heckman    12-28 

Christmas      at      Home,      Shirley      J. 

Heckman    11-36 

Evangelism  Aids,  Events,  Matthew  M 

Meyer 10-18 

Exercising  Will  Power  .    ..  1-36 

For     Study     on     Hunger,     Shirley     J. 

Heckman  2-36 

Living   as    Families.   Mary  and    Ralph 

Detrick       ...  4-27 

Mission  Education,  Shirley  J  Heckman  6-44 
Study    Series    for    75-76  — Encounter, 

Venture.   Materials  for   Bible  Study, 

Shirley  J   Heckman    3-38 

WORD  FROM  WASHINGTON 

Act  Now  on  Amnesty.  James  E, 
Tomlonson       

Congress  and  Criminal  Justice  Reform. 
Sylvia  Eller  

Congress  and  the  Religious  Communi- 
ty. Sylvia  Eller         

Peace  Now  More  Than  Ever.  Steve 
Longenecker 

Win  With  Military  Spending  Cuts,  Steve 
Longenecker 

Witness  in  Washington,  Ralph  E 
Smeltzer 

You  Can  Add  Your  Impact.  Too,  Louise 
Bowman 


December  1975  messenger  39 


©dDtecoaiD 


Away  in  a  Manger  . . . 


Three  times  in  the  space  of  a  compact  narrative 
regarding  Jesus'  birth — three  times  Luke  notes 
that  the  new-born  child  was  laid  in  a  manger.  A 
manger?  Can  you  imagine  a  less  appropriate  bed 
for  one  who  is  to  reveal  God  to  humankind?  To 
be  serenaded  by  angels — yes,  that  fits  our  image 
of  a  royal  birth.  To  be  visited  by  wise  men,  bring- 
ing gifts  of  gold — yes,  that  we  can  understand. 
But  to  be  born  in  a  stable  and  laid  in  a  trough 
where  oxen  feed  and  donkeys  bray,  that  we 
somehow  find  incredible. 

Even  from  a  down-to-earth,  matter-of-fact 
standpoint,  one  wonders  why  God  would  permit 
so  precarious  a  birth.  No  attending  physician,  not 
even  a  midwife  skilled  in  home  deliveries.  No  bed 
but  a  rough  feeding  box  filled  with  straw.  No 
sterile  cloths,  no  sanitary  facilities,  no  protection 
against  germs,  but  instead  a  smelly  stable  too  cold 
in  the  night  air,  too  warm  in  midday,  too  recently 
used  to  be  adequately  swept  out  and  deodorized 
for  humans,  let  alone  for  the  critical  first  days  of  a 
fragile  baby. 

What  must  God  have  been  thinking,  that  he 
allowed  the  greatest  event  in  history  to  happen  so 
casually,  almost  by  accident,  amid  the  most 
vulnerable  conditions,  when  all  the  inns  were  full 
and  the  doctors  on  vacation?  Was  this  indeed  the 
long-looked-for  coming  of  the  world's  redeemer? 
Then  how  are  we  to  take  the  raw  and  rugged  cave 
where  animals  feed  and  outcasts  are  sheltered?  If 
the  child  Jesus  was  who  we  have  been  led  to 
believe  he  was,  something  must  have  gone  awry. 
With  all  his  network  of  special  agents — angels 
and  archangels,  etc. — surely  God  could  have 
arranged  for  guaranteed  reservations  at  the 
Bethlehem  inn. 

One  way  you  look  at  it — the  world's  way  and 
our  normal  way — the  nativity  was  a  curious  com- 
edy of  errors  or  a  case  of  bad  judgment  on 
someone's     part,     unless — unless     God     has     a 


different  way  of  looking  at  things  and  a  set  of 
priorities  different  from  ours.  Could  it  be  that  the 
entire  panoply  of  angels  and  kings,  of  divine  and 
royal  prerogatives,  of  systems  and  governments, 
of  rituals  and  protocol,  all  the  normal  evidences 
of  power  and  authority,  of  what  constitutes  good 
organization  and  wise  management,  that  these 
things  we  regard  so  highly  really  don't  matter? 
Could  it  be  that  God  doesn't  care  all  that  much 
about  how  we  enlarge  our  gross  national  product 
or  refine  our  standards  of  good  taste?  If  so,  we 
might  better  understand  the  litter  in  a  stable. 
Perhaps  God  prefers  the  company  of  cattlemen 
and  shepherds,  carpenters  and  fishermen  to  the 
conversations  of  theologians.  Could  it  be  that 
God  is  most  concerned  about  people  who  have  no 
claim  on  his  attention — just  people?  If  God  is  to 
be  with  us,  as  one  of  us,  in  the  incarnation,  he 
must  be  just  as  accessible  to  people  who  live  in 
caves  as  to  those  whose  houses  are  properly  in- 
sulated and  thermostatically  heated. 


An  the  light  of  such  priorities,  the  circumstances 
of  Jesus'  birth  make  sense,  but  they  also  disturb 
us.  Should  not  our  values  come  under  scrutiny 
and  our  priorities  be  examined?  Can  we  make  the 
switch — away  from  property  and  in  favor  of  per- 
sons, away  from  status  and  in  favor  of  service, 
away  from  greed  and  in  favor  of  generosity?  The 
words  of  Paul,  wrung  out  of  his  personal  anguish 
over  a  situation  in  Corinth,  come  to  us  with  new 
meaning  and  perhaps  even  a  note  of  warning: 
"God  chose  what  is  foolish  in  the  world  to  shame 
the  wise,  God  chose  what  is  weak  in  the  world  to 
shame  the  strong,  God  chose  what  is  low  and 
despised  in  the  world,  even  things  that  are  not,  to 
bring  to  nothing  things  that  are." 

It  was  no  accident  that  Jesus  was  born  in  a 
stable  and  laid  in  a  manger. — k.m. 


40  MESSENGER  December  1975 


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Get  your  friends  in  on  the  celebration 


As  the  nation  turns  200,  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  has  reasons  for  celebrating  too. 
Messenger's  125th  year.  Two  centennials — 
overseas  missions  and  the  church's  oldest  in- 
stitution of  higher  learning,  Juniata  College. 
The  25th  anniversary  of  The  Brethren 
Hymnal — to  name  a  few. 

Messenger  will  report  and  reflect  on 
significant  anniversaries  of  the  church  and 
the  nation  in  1976. 

Messenger  will  continue  to  lift  up 
parables  of  how  the  gospel  is  being  lived  by 
persons  today. 

Messenger  will  provide  an  ongoing  forum 
that  brings  readers  into  dialogue  over  honest 
perceptions  and  honest  indignations. 

Messenger  will  offer  encouragement  to 
grow  in  commitment  and  discipline. 


Messenger  will  treat  in  words  and 
graphics  the  meaning  of  freedom  and  unity 
through  Jesus  Christ. 

All  in  all,  1976  for  Messenger  readers  will 
be  a  celebrative  year:  A  year  of  reflections 
on  the  past,  of  stories  to  live  by  in  the  pres- 
ent, of  hope  and  affirmation  for  the  future. 

What  more  appropriate  gift  can  you  share 
with  friends  and  loved  ones  this  Christmas 
than  a  gift  subscription  to  Messenger? 

For  only  $4.80,  you  can  do  better  than 
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can  take  the  celebration  to  your  friends,  all 
year  long. 

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GOD'S  MISSION  is  to  light  the 
world  with  faith.  Through  the 
Brotherhood  Fund  you  can  join 
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beyond  the  home  base.  It  is  es- 
pecially important  as  we  start  this 
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day. Be  a  messenger  of  light  and 
joy  in  Christ! 


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CHRISTMAS/ACHIEVEMENT  1975 

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